Mandatory Provident Funds in Hong Kong: Too Little, Too Late
This article examines the history of the establishment of the MPF and its scope to show that the retirement protection it offers is belated and inadequate. In particular, it argues that, on the one hand, the delay and limited scale of the MPF are due in large part to factors such as the reluctance of the government to provide income protection for the elderly, the predominant influence of the vocal business sector, and the absence of a democratically elected and powerful legislature. On the other hand, the democratization of the legislature has been a major factor in bringing forth the MPF, even though this is not the ideal solution preferred by the general public.
After Chile, What? Second-Round Pension Reforms in Latin America
The apparent success of Chile's pension reform catalyzed a number of subsequent" reforms in sister Latin American nations, and the Chilean model' has now captivated the" attention of policymakers and researchers in the OECD as well. In this paper we identify six" critical elements of old-age pension reform, and examine how these six elements differ across the" Chilean reform, and several other Latin nations that followed in Chile's footsteps. We" emphasize how these other Latin American nations adopted different mechanisms to restructure" their old-age pension systems, and we highlight available evidence on system performance in" each case.
Community refinement of glaucoma referrals
AbstractAim To describe a Manchester-based glaucoma referral refinement scheme designed to reduce the number of false-positive referrals to the hospital eye service. To report on the first years results of this scheme and its financial costs to the NHS.Methods Patients with suspected glaucoma, instead of being referred to their GP and then on to the hospital eye service, were referred to a group of specially trained community optometrists working to an agreed set of referral criteria. Those patients who did not meet the referral criteria were returned to the referring optometrist, while those who met the referral criteria were referred directly to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. The patient's GP was informed in all cases.Results The number of suspect glaucoma cases referred to the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital was reduced by 40%. This figure is close to the percentage of false-positive referrals measured at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital prior to the onset of this study. The information accompanying referral has been improved and the scheme produces a small financial cost saving to the NHS of approximately £17 per patient.Conclusion Community refinement of suspect glaucoma offers some important benefits over the current referral pathway.