Period Of Rapid Economic Growth Research Articles

Abstract 4219: Breast cancer distribution and survival among Buddhist and Muslim women in southern Thailand

Abstract Objective: Thailand is undergoing a period of rapid economic growth, which has led to an epidemiologic transition from infectious to chronic diseases such as cancer. Preliminary research shows a difference in rates of breast cancer incidence and mortality between Buddhist and Muslim women in southern Thailand. This study examines differences in breast cancer and potential explanations for this disparity. Methods: Demographic, diagnostic, and outcome data from breast cancer patients diagnosed from 2001-2015 were collected from a population-based cancer registry in southern Thailand and matched with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks from Songklanagarind Hospital. This region was selected due to the relatively high proportion of Muslim women. Of 424 cases selected, 369 were Buddhist and 55 were Muslim. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks were sent to Michigan Medicine and histological and subtype analyses were performed by two pathologists. Statistical analysis was performed in RStudio using chi-square tests of independence, logistic regression, and Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Muslim women were generally diagnosed at a younger age than Buddhist women (Muslim mean: 46.6 years, Buddhist mean: 52.7 years) and with later stage cancers (Muslim: 36% stage 3 and 14% stage 4, Buddhist: 20% stage 3 and 8% stage 4). Buddhist and Muslim women had similar distributions of Luminal A and B subtypes, but Muslim women were more likely to be diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer (Muslim: 30%, Buddhist: 18%), the histological subtype with the worst prognosis. Invasive ductal carcinoma was most common in both groups, but Buddhists had more heterogeneity in subtypes. There were no significant differences in tumor histology or subtype by religion. Conclusions: These analyses show differences in the distribution of breast cancer between Buddhist and Muslim women. Muslim women are diagnosed younger with later stage breast cancers, and with histological differences, which generally lead to lower survival rates. Lack of statistical significance may be due to small sample size, necessitating further studies. Citation Format: Kali Defever, Katie M. Rentschler, Ana Khazan, Elizabeth Pinkerton, Shama Virani, Hutcha Sriplung, Judy Pang, Celina G. Kleer, Carlos F. Mendes de Leon, Justin A. Colacino, Laura S. Rozek. Breast cancer distribution and survival among Buddhist and Muslim women in southern Thailand [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4219.

Support for Retired Workers Engaging in Agriculture in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture and its Significance

The purpose of this study is to show how retired workers are supported in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture to engage in agriculture, and the significance of that support. Toyota city is renowned for its automobile industry. During the period of rapid economic growth, the automobile industry attracted many workers from inside and outside Toyota city. However, since around 2000, when many workers started to reach retirement age, the issue of how to help them find a place in the community outside their companies has been a challenge. Toyota city also faces the challenge of how to respond to a declining number of people engaged in agriculture. To address both of these problems, in collaboration with the Japan Agricultural Cooperative (JA), Toyota city established the Agricultural Lifestyle Support Center, where retired workers can learn agricultural skills. The Center helps retired workers transition smoothly from corporate life to agricultural life by providing guidance and information on available farmland, as well as leasing agricultural equipment. Toyota city and JA also help develop sales channels for produce grown by retired workers.In Toyota city, retired workers from other areas who have no farmland to cultivate are also regarded as prospective farmers in the same way as retired workers who were originally from the local area and who own farmland. Support is provided equally to both categories of retiree. It is reasonable to say, therefore, that these support measures are significant in that they help prevent farmland from being abandoned with the help of retired workers, who are also supported as prospective farmers. Consequently, creating a place where farming skills can be taught and support can be provided for marketing the resulting produce is important for both retired workers and the local community.

Remaining Strength Evaluations of Steel Girders with Corrosion near Supports and their Reinforcements

In Japan, many steel railway bridges were constructed during the period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s. Now, as over 50 years have passed, the condition of these aging structures has become conspicuous, and a major social problem. In particular, the deterioration and damage due to corrosion in steel plate girder railway bridges with open deck system is becoming pronounced. Nevertheless, the remaining strength evaluation and the methods of reinforcing corroded structures are not always sufficient. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose an analytically-based evaluation method, and a reliable measure of reinforcement in the field of steel railway bridge maintenance. The following is noted: 1) Regarding the shear capacity of plate girders with corrosion near supports, the remaining strength depends on the condition of the corroded surface of each component of the member, such as a web or a vertical stiffener. Also, according to the form and degree of corrosion, the fracture mode also changes from the buckling of web to the buckling of cross-shape columns which consisting of the web and vertical stiffener. The result shows that the corroded web has more effect on the shear capacity than the vertical stiffener. 2) Regarding situation of separation between the web and bottom flange due to corrosion near supports, the remaining strength is found to deteriorate more rapidly than in the Case 1 above when the separation area lengthens to more than that of the sole plate area. 3) To enhance the remaining shear capacity in the Cases 1 and 2 above, the load bearing capacity can be improved dramatically by unsophisticated attachments applied as reinforced members.

Land Use and Cover Change during the Rapid Economic Growth Period from 1990 to 2010: A Case Study of Shanghai

China has experienced a period of rapid economic growth during the past few decades especially in Shanghai. The rapid urbanization has caused great change for land use and cover change (LUCC), which is a prominent feature of global change. This paper focuses on land use history and the driving forces of LUCC in Shanghai from 1990 to 2010. We evaluated the LUCC of Shanghai based on three period Landsat images using the land use transition matrix model, the land use dynamic degree model, and the land use degree model. Then we analyzed the potential driving forces from different dimensions. The results show that the most obvious pattern of LUCC is the increase of built-up area and the decrease of arable land. The land use change dynamic from 2000 to 2010 is much greater than that from 1990 to 2010. The main driving forces of LUCC are human activity and social economic development.

The Fiscal Policy of China's Economic Kinetic Energy Conversion

After a long period of rapid economic growth, China has grown to become the second largest economy in the world. The internal and external environment facing the new era of economic kinetic energy conversion has undergone profound changes. The inherent economic development model is facing unprecedented risks and challenges. How to crack down on the current difficulties and smoothly realize the continuous conversion of new and old kinetic energy of our economy so as to continuously promote the development and improvement of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and achieve long-term peace and stability in the modernized countries? This is the question of the times and the responsibility of history. In order to classify and examine changes in the impact of several key fiscal expenditure changes on GDP, such as education expenditure, science and technology expenditures, social security and employment expenditures, and energy conservation and environmental protection expenditure, this paper analyzes the dynamic impact of fiscal expenditure on economic growth by constructing a VAR model. Research shows that the interaction between various fiscal expenditures, CPI, M2, and GDP is significant; as the number of periods increases, the contribution of fiscal expenditure to GDP basically increases. Under the framework of the modern fiscal system, the adjustment of China's fiscal policy should be based on changes in the economic environment and the situation. While strengthening demand management, it should focus on supply management and structural adjustment, and strengthen the coordination of fiscal and monetary policies so as to increase the overall effect of macro-control, strengthen the authority and effectiveness of macro-control measures to promote sustainable and healthy economic development.

Show Me a Hero

Show Me a Hero

高度経済成長前半期における農業政策の受容形態 : 長野県飯田市下久堅南原(しもひさかたみなばら)集落の事例を中心に

高度経済成長前半期における農業政策の受容形態 : 長野県飯田市下久堅南原(しもひさかたみなばら)集落の事例を中心に

Political Transformation in Ireland: Boom, Bust, and Beyond*

Political Transformation in Ireland:Boom, Bust, and Beyond* Theresa Reidy (bio) and Timothy J. White (bio) Ireland's journey from the booming Celtic Tiger economy to a poor man of Europe was based primarily on a property boom and bust that made international headlines from 2008 to 2011. The country's financial collapse, while prompted by unique Irish causes and circumstances, was rooted in the global financial crisis that especially affected several European states and was linked to the U.S. financial crisis and contraction. Ireland had experienced a period of rapid economic growth in the late 1990s, based on impressive productivity gains from investment in information technology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. In the early 2000s speculation in housing led to a property bubble or a "confidence trap." Martin Wolf claims that economic theorists should be considered culpable for their inability to predict or explain financial crises like the one that came to Ireland and many other states in 2008.1 But we contend that the financial crisis was as much political as it was economic. One must appreciate the political circumstances that allowed and perhaps encouraged the kind of financial speculation that brought on the crisis. David Runciman's theory about advanced democracies suggests that these types of governments muddle from crisis to crisis, and this tendency explains the confidence that the Irish possessed as their economy boomed on the back of a property bubble in the early 2000s. Oblivious to this confidence trap, Irish government policies tended to facilitate the economic bubble rather than to heed warnings of an inevitable [End Page 101] correction in the housing market.2 The confidence trap might also explain the lack of more significant protest behavior, as Irish voters were quite ready to wait for elections to indicate their dissatisfaction with the fiscal-retrenchment policies that came in the wake of the bust.3 This article documents the economic policies that led to the boom and also addresses the policies that have been enacted by successive Irish governments to respond to the economic crisis that emerged in 2008. We contend that the economic crisis has fractured the party cartel that has governed Ireland since independence. The politics of how the Irish government created and reacted to the financial crisis can best be understood through an examination of Ireland's unusual recent economic history and of contemporary politics in both the domestic and the European Union arenas.4 While Ireland's own policies played a critical role in its economic successes and failures, the integration of national economies within the euro area created a tug and pull within Europe. This factor can most easily be seen in the difference between creditor and debtor states. Ireland joined the latter category after its financial crash. Germany, as the principal creditor state in Europe, dealt incrementally with the burgeoning debt crisis. This meant that the economic institutions created to facilitate an integration of European economies managed the economic crisis but did not solve it.5 For the Irish, their financial collapse meant a bailout by the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in late 2010. These three institutions, known as the troika, [End Page 102] defined the means by which the Irish could access the capital necessary to finance their burgeoning debt and deficit. For many in Ireland, having these institutions control Irish economic policy signified a loss of sovereignty and marked a new nadir in Irish political and economic life. A few short months after the negotiations that brought Ireland to its knees in December 2010, the Fianna Fáil government was replaced in an election in February 2011 that was the third most volatile in Western Europe since the Second World War.6 The crushing defeat of the dominant Fianna Fáil party in the 2011 general election created new dynamics in the party system.7 The coalition government of Fine Gael and Labour that came to power had the largest governing majority in the Dáil in the history of the state. After several years of higher taxes and frozen or reduced public services and spending, the Irish economy began to recover, and by 2015 it...

REMAINING STRENGTH EVALUATION OF PLATE GIRDERS WITH CORROSION NEAR SUPPORTS

In Japan, a lot of steel railway bridges were constructed during the period of rapid economic growth in the 1960s. Now, since over 50 years have passed, the aging of these structures has become conspicuous and a major social problem. In particular, for steel plate girders with open deck system, deterioration and damage due to corrosion is becoming obvious. Moreover, the remaining strength evaluation method of corroded structures is not always sufficient. Therefore the purpose of this study is to propose an analytically-based evaluation method for the maintenance of steel railway bridges. The following are noted: 1) Regarding the shear strength of plate girders with corrosion near supports, the remaining strength depends on the corroded surface condition of each component such as a web or a vertical stiffener. And, according to the form and degree of corrosion, the fracture mode also changes from the buckling of web to the buckling of cross-shape column consisting of the web and vertical stiffener. The result shows that the corroded web has more effect on the shear strength than the vertical stiffener. 2) Regarding the peeling between the web and bottom flange due to corrosion near supports, the remaining strength is deteriorated more rapidly than above case 1, when the peeling range lengthens more than the sole plate area.

The arrival of critical citizens: decline of political trust and shifting public priorities in China

ABSTRACTPolitical trust has been in decline in China. In this article, we capture this decline as reflecting the modernization of Chinese political culture. While the government managed to deliver a sustained period of rapid economic growth, the public's trust in it is diminishing through two mechanisms. On the one hand, Chinese citizens are acquiring stronger liberal democratic values, which make citizens more critical toward government institutions. On the other hand, changing political culture is also shown in the citizens’ shifting of their priorities toward the expansion of freedom and empowerment of citizens. Decades of socioeconomic modernization, therefore, meant that the era of critical citizens has arrived in China.

Using Formative Research to Increase Purchase Intention of Fortified Foods to Prevent Micronutrient Deficiencies in Vietnam

Objectives: Despite a period of rapid economic growth, poverty reduction and improved nutrient intakes, Iron deficient anaemia in pregnant women and malnutrition among children in Vietnam is a continuing problem with one of the most cost-effective interventions being iron fortification and supplementation. The objective of this study was to examine knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of mothers and fathers of young children, as well as program stakeholders in Vietnam, toward a logo developed for the national fortification program. Methods: A rapid assessment and response method was utilized involving semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and focus group discussions with program beneficiaries from four locations in Vietnam. Discussion agenda addressed key program issues including attitudes toward a food fortification logo. Grounded theory supported data analysis. Findings and discussion: Key findings explored general awareness, knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of fortified foods, including the fortified food logo, resource allocation, policies and partnerships. Benefits from the demand side was the importance by consumers identifying quality food products as opposed to counterfeit or substandard products, the need for a simple, easily recognizable logo, and product source credibility through government certification. However, barriers identified the relatively low awareness of the logo, and the potential confusion with other similar logo designs. Other barriers included the lack of endorsement by health authorities in promotional activities and the perceived lack of engagement in the fortification program by a number of private sector partners. Policy issues emphasised the need to support the promotion, distribution and endorsement of private sector fortified foods through a logo; and the need for greater fengagement by private sector partners on the evolution and promotion of the logo and food fortification program generally. Recommendations include the development of a social marketing strategy, the establishment of a Micronutrient Marketing Board and the potential to scale-up to a regional approach.

有形民俗文化財の保存の実態と地域的アイデンティティへの役割

Along with its economic development, Japan has experienced significant changes in its people’s living environments and lifestyles, as well as loss of tangible folk cultural properties that were originally produced as necessities of daily life and passed down from generation to generation while undergoing constant evolution and improvement. Tangible folk cultural properties are objects and implements traditionally used in everyday life related to food, clothing and shelter, livelihood activities such as farming and fishing, and annual events in local communities. They are important cultural heritages indispensable for understanding the changes in modes of life. However, with changes in the industrial structure and lifestyles since the Meiji Period, many tangible folk cultural properties are on the verge of being dispersed or lost. Furthermore, since they are familiar tools and implements used in daily life, their true value as cultural heritages is not fully recognized, and they are often not preserved or used properly. Tangible folk cultural properties have long been close to local residents who have created their own regional identities.A study and analysis project conducted in the Kanto and Seto-uchi Regions and three prefectures in the Tokai region in 2010, 2012 and 2013 showed that many tangible folk cultural properties were lost, particularly with significant changes in the industrial structure and social lifestyles during the postwar period of rapid economic growth. As expected, the most severe tangible folk cultural property loss was seen in the Kanto Region. In the Tokai and Seto-uchi Regions, many traditional tools used in daily life have unexpectedly survived.A hypothesis was developed from the results of the 2010 research conducted in the Kanto Region that tangible folk cultural properties remaining in a local area provide the major source of energy for developing unique communities and human resources. Based on this hypothesis, I conducted research in the Kyushu Region （Okinawa Prefecture excluded because it differs greatly from the rest of Japan in terms of historical and cultural background）, as well as the Tokai and Seto-uchi Regions to apply the hypothesis in these regions in addition to Kanto. The results showed that many tangible folk cultural properties produced in the Kyushu Region from the Meiji Period to the end of World War II were used throughout the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods, regardless of their type. This is also true in the Kanto, Tokai and Seto-uchi Regions. However unlike Kanto and Tokai, Kyushu has properties that were made in the Edo Period （before the Meiji Restoration） and use continued for occupational or religious purposes until after the end of World War II. Among folk cultural properties for occupational use, those produced and used until the 1970s account for 34% of the total in Kyushu, compared with 16% and 12% in Kanto and Tokai, respectively. As for folk cultural properties for religious use, some were made in the Edo Period, and continued to be used until the last years of the postwar high economic growth period （9% of the total folk cultural properties for religious use）. More folk cultural properties created in and before the Edo Period have survived in the Kyushu Region than in the three other regions. Kyushu even has folk cultural properties that were produced in the Showa Period （1965-1974） that are still used today. Northern Kyushu has been Japan’s leading center for heavy industries since the Meiji Period. Nevertheless, numerous folk cultural properties used in daily life for occupational purposes still survive in this area. This shows that in Kyushu, a region with a long history, the conventional ideas of the local people have been maintained, while both traditional local and heavy industries, which played a leading role in modern Japan’s economic growth, coexist well creating a dual industrial structure.JEL Classifications: H54, R51, R53, Z11

The Third Wave of New Writers and the Literature in the Period of Rapid Economic Growth

The Third Wave of New Writers and the Literature in the Period of Rapid Economic Growth

Renewal prioritization of multi-regional water supply pipelines through water supply risk assessment

In the Republic of Korea, multi-regional water supply pipelines were intensively laid during the rapid economic growth period; however, these pipelines are now aging. The cost of renewal of the aged pipelines would be enormous. Therefore, limited resources need to be distributed effectively in accordance with the priority of renewal. In this study, the risks involved in the multi-regional water supply pipeline of region K were calculated and assessed for setting the priority of renewal. The probability of failure of the pipeline was calculated through a quantification theory, and the effects of failure on the water supply pipeline were calculated by interpreting a pressure driven analysis. The risk considering the probability and consequence of failure comprehensively was found to be the largest at section A12. Three alternatives were considered for risk reduction, and the effect of each alternative on the risk reduction was analyzed. As a result, the construction of double piping by laying a new pipeline was found to be the most effective measure for risk reduction. The results of this study can be utilized as the basic data for establishing an investment plan for the renewal of the water supply pipeline and asset management plan.

The Most Unkindest Cuts: Speaker Selection and Expressed Government Dissent during Economic Crisis

Economic crisis and the resulting need for austerity budgets have divided many governing parties and coalitions in Europe, despite strong party discipline in the legislative voting on these harsh budgets. We measure these divisions using automated text analysis methods to scale the positions that legislators express in budget debates, in an effort to avoid punishment by voters for supporting austerity measures, while still adhering to strict party discipline by voting along party lines. Our test case is Ireland, a country that has experienced both periods of rapid economic growth as well as one deep financial and economic crisis. Tracking dissent from 1987 to 2013, we show that austerity measures undermine government cohesion, as verbal opposition markedly increases in direct response to the economic pain felt in a legislator’s constituency. The economic vulnerability of a legislator’s constituency also directly explains position taking on austerity budgets among both government and opposition.

Changes in Japanese industrial structure and urbanization: evidence from prefectural data

We empirically analyzed the relationship between the change in industrial structure and urbanization using post-WWII data from Japanese prefectures. This study used three concepts of industrial structure, standard industrialization (enhancing of the non-agricultural sector), service industrialization, and the industrial upgrading (enhancing specialized service industries). We also focused on the different patterns of migration in the process of urbanization: intra-prefectural and inter-prefectural migration. The main results of the regression analysis are (1) during the period of rapid economic growth in Japan, industrialization induced population inflow from other prefectures, and this effect promoted urbanization in those prefectures. (2) During the same period, prefectures with relatively high shares of manufacturing attracted many migrants from other prefectures, and this effect promoted the urbanization. (3) Entering the period of economic stagnation, in the prefectures where industrial upgrading is advanced, intra-prefectural migration was active, and urbanization was also advanced by this effect.

Occupational Accidents of Immigrant Workers in Greece

Abstract The aim of the present work is to portray the current situation regarding the rate of occupational accidents of immigrant workers in Greece. The location of Greece in the South East corner of the European Union and the Balkans places the country as an entry point of immigrant workers from a large number of countries with a significant portion of them originating from Balkan countries including Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. Historically, immigrant workers exhibit increased occupational accidents compared to the average national rate. In general, in periods of rapid economic growth the rate of occupational accidents may be increased and this was observed in Greece during the ‘90s. Unfortunately, after a period of rapid economic growth the Greek economy collapsed and this created a pressure to reduce labour cost and increase the percentage of short-term hired personnel. Under these conditions, immigrant workers may be frequently employed with lower wages, for short-term periods of time, with some of them been “undeclared” employees. According to the Greek national legislation, all occupational accidents are recorded and reported in the Ministry of Labour. Using these data we observed that in Greece, a significant portion of occupational accidents involve immigrant workers. The international experience on this subject indicates that several factors may contribute for the increased rate of occupational accidents of immigrant workers. For example, immigrant workers frequently are hired on a short-term basis and this can increase the occupational risk especially in the first days or weeks of their work. In fact, the occupational risk of both immigrants and native workers is reduced as work experience is increased. Another contributing factor is that immigrants are usually employed in low-skilled and labour intensive jobs that historically portray high occupational risks. Furthermore, a significant portion maybe immigrants with limited verbal and written Greek language communication skills, increasing in this way the probability of occupational accident occurrence. Possible measures to reduce the occupational risks of immigrant workers include the utilization of human resources management tools such as adequate training, reduced overtime and other health and safety initiatives

Focus: The two crises and inequality in the labour market

INTERNATIONAL union rights Page 3 Volume 22 Issue 1 2015 FOCUS ❐ SOUTH KOREA The two crises and inequality in the labour market Kwang-Yeong Shin describes how the employment situation for workers in Korea has been greatly changed in the wake of the financial crises of 1997 and 2008 KWANG-YEONG SHIN is Professor with the Department of Sociology at Chung-Ang University in Seoul of chaebol companies, aimed at dismantling the economic institutions, norms, and culture that had developed in the period of rapid economic growth under the authoritarian regime. The IMF’s bailout package resulted in demolishing almost half of the 50 largest chaebols and creating more than one million newly unemployed in 1998. It was, in short, an attempt to abolish an economic system that was associated with crony capitalism, in which state intervention played a key role in the management of firms in the private sector, and to reinvigorate market forces that would be open to global financial capital. Market liberalisation and deregulation of the labour market were introduced simultaneously, without consideration of their social effects on the distribution of income. The restructuring was accompanied by massive layoffs to downsize the companies. By 1998, there were more than 100 thousand newly unemployed each month, resulting in a total unemployed figure of almost two million. The rate of unemployment skyrocketed immediately following the financial crisis, rising from 2.1 percent in October 1997 to 8.8 percent in February 1998. The size of the labour force decreased by more than 2.5 million, from 21,373,000 in February 1997 to 18,873,000 in February 1999. Those who were not in the labour force, due to the failure to obtain a job, were not even included in the government’s unemployment rate calculations; if these people were to be included, the number of people who were out of work would exceed four million. Elderly workers and female workers were the main layoff targets. Under the seniority wage system, older workers with higher wages were most vulnerable to mass layoff as employers tried to reduce labour costs. Female workers were vulnerable because the male bread-winner model was strongly supported by employers. One result of restructuring the economy was a freeze on the recruitment of new employees in the entire business sector and the public sector, generating massive numbers of young adults who failed to get jobs, including university graduates from February 1998. Consequently, unemployment among young adults also drastically increased. The rate of unemployment among adults under 25 years of age doubled from 7.7 percent to 15.9 percent between 1997 and 1998, a 21.4 percent reduction in employment compared with the previous year. The high unemployment rate of young adults has not changed significantly since 1998, as structural adjustment and restructuring has continued to occur. Young adults have been unable to avoid being squeezed out of employment. The number of people aged 18 to 29 years who were in employment decreased from 5,301,000 in 1997 to 3,856,000 in 2011; the T he 1997 financial crisis exacerbated the rising trend in income inequality through neoliberal economic reforms, policy measures to resolve the financial-cum-economic crisis , being implemented by the Korean government under the guidance of the IMF. Another financial crisis in 2008, triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, made rolling back the increasing inequality more difficult. The Gini coefficients for household income inequality and individual wage inequality had both decreased steadily up until the early 1990s, but then rose rapidly from 1992 onward, five years before the financial crisis in 1997. Although South Korea has fully recovered from the economic crisis in terms of GDP per capita and dollar reserves, symptoms of social crisis such as the world’s highest rate of suicide and a rise in violent crime have been observed as aftermaths of the neoliberal economic reforms undertaken by both liberal and conservative governments. As a consequence, political discourses on inequality, called ‘discourses on social polarisation’ are now significant public issues. The rise in inequality is an outcome of the complex economic, political, and social changes occurring in contemporary South Korea. In the following...

Limits to Economic Growth: Why Direct Investments Are Needed to Address Child Undernutrition in India.

About two of every five undernourished young children of the world live in India. These high levels of child undernutrition have persisted in India for several years, even in its relatively well-developed states. Moreover, this pattern was observed during a period of rapid economic growth. Evidence from India and other developing countries suggests that economic growth has little to no impact on reducing child undernutrition. We argue that a growth-mediated strategy is unlikely to be effective in tackling child undernutrition unless growth is pro-poor and leads to investment in programs addressing the root causes of this persistent challenge.

Cost of hemodialysis after coverage by national health insurance in Japan: a sharing experience with Indonesian health reform system

About 50 years ago, Japan established a health insurance system covering the entire population, and started a period of rapid economic growth, similar to what is happening now in Indonesia. Although improvements in health conditions definitely contributed to the development of modern Japan, the costs of medical care became a serious burden on the economy. In this short report, we review the concept of medical care expenditure in Japan, focusing especially on end-stage renal disease, to provide suggestions to medical reform in Indonesia.