Pension Changes in China and Opportunities for Insurance
In face of the large ageing population and increasing dependence ratio, China is aiming to find an efficient, stable, and sustainable pension system. This article briefly examines the changes that have occurred in China's pension system and explores the pros and cons of the current system. Although China has made a good start in laying the foundation for a multi-pillar pension system, pension reform is still incomplete and many important issues remain. Since the social insurance system alone cannot realistically accomplish the task of old-age security, the private sector, including the insurance industry, should be mobilized to play an active role in China's pension system.
Perceived need and actual usage of the family support agreement in rural China: results from a nationally representative survey.
PURPOSE
The Family Support Agreement (FSA) is a voluntary but legal contract between older parents and adult children on parental support in China. As the first comprehensive empirical study on the FSA, this study aims to understand the prevalence and covariates of older parents' perceived need and actual use of this agreement.


DESIGN AND METHODS
Using logistic regression analyses, t-tests and chi-square tests, this study analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 9,587 rural parents aged 60 years and above from the 2006 Sample Survey on Aged Population in Urban/Rural China, which had a 99% response rate.


RESULTS
More than 11% of the subjects regarded the FSA as necessary, and more than 6% have signed it, respectively, representing 160 million and 30.7 million older Chinese. Perceiving the need for the FSA was associated with living arrangement, number of daughters-in-law, care needs, filial piety assessment and concerns, family harmony, sociodemographics, individual characteristics related to rights protection, and the existence of rights protection-related local community organizations. Having signed the FSA was associated with the above last 3 factors, traditional old-age support strategy, and FSA need assessment.


IMPLICATIONS
Individuals regarding the FSA as necessary or using it are characterized by personal, familial, and sociocultural factors that render them more in need of parental support but less likely to receive it. They are also better informed about their rights, are more willing to take actions to protect their rights, and have more exposure to rights protection--related community organizations.
An overview of truck and bus safety: 1999 Knoxville symposium
This paper presents a summary of the topics and discussions from the Second International Truck and Bus Safety Symposium held in Knoxville, Tennessee, October 6-8, 1999. This paper is not a technical paper but is based on the symposium proceedings, which can be accessed for more technical information. The symposium provided an opportunity for the many stakeholders in truck and bus safety, such as carriers, shippers, inspectors, law enforcement officials, insurers, regulators, manufacturers and researchers, to network and discuss the key issues associated with truck and bus safety.