德國、奧地利與日本長照政策形成的政治過程分析

Abstract

本文從政黨與利益團體的傳統政治理論觀點、強調福利縮減的新政治觀點，以及重視政治制度結構的政治制度觀點，探討德國、奧地利和日本三個國家的長照制度與福利體制的關係，並比較分析其長照政策形成之政治因素。研究結果得出德奧日三國的長照制度在財源籌措、給付類型以及保障人口上皆有差異，德國與日本長照制度大致延續其傳統福利體制特徵，奧地利長照制度則與其傳統福利體制有極大差異。而造成三國長照制度結果與其傳統福利特徵關係差異之政治過程與政治因素的解釋，則是由政黨和利益團體特徵化的傳統政治理論，對三國的長照政策形成具有最佳詮釋力，政治制度理論次之，而強調福利縮減的新政治論點則較不具詮釋力。This paper explores the long-term care systems and welfare regimes in Germany, Austria and Japan. It also compares their political process of long-term care policies. The three approaches of the political theories concern different factors such as political parties, interest groups, welfare reduction and political institutions and are used to analyze the political process of LTC policies in these three countries. The results show that the long-term care systems of these three countries have different finances, benefit and coverage population. The long-term care systems in Germany and Japan have continued their traditional welfare regimes and the long- term care systems in Austria greatly differ from its traditional welfare regime. In addition, the classical political perspective that is characterized by political parties and interest groups have the best interpretation for the formation of the long-term care policies in these three countries, followed by the best political institutional perspective; however, the new political argument emphasizing welfare reduction is less interpretive.