A Sociological Study on the Changes in the Local Government Administration and Public-Private Relationships in the Welfare Services for the Aged.

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 12410050
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: Ochanomizu University
• Principal Investigator: HIRAOKA Koichi Ochanomizu University, Deparment of Sociology, Professor, 文教育学部, 教授 (10181140)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ADACHI Kiyoshi Kyushu University, Department of Clinical Psychology and Community Studies, Associate Professor, 大学院・人間環境学研究院, 助教授 (40192968) ; FUJIMURA Masayuki Sophia University, Department of Sociology, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (00190067) ; TAKEGAWA Shogo University of Tokyo, Department of Sociology, Associate Professor, 大学院・人文社会系研究科, 助教授 (40197281) ; SHIZUME Masato Hokusei Gakuen University, Department of Social Policy, Associate Professor, 社会福祉学部, 助教授 (50285508) ; YOSHIHARA Masaaki Osaka Prefecture University, Department of Social Welfare, Associate Professor, 社会福祉学部, 助教授 (30264823)
• Project Period (FY): 2000 – 2001
• Keywords: Welfare Services for the Aged / Public-Private Relationships / Local Government / Welfare Administration / Long-term Care Insurance / NPO / Welfare Mix

Research Abstract

The purpose of this study was to make an empirical analysis on the impact of planned expansion of welfare services for the aged in the 1990s and the introduction of the Long-term Care Insurance scheme upon the local government administration and the welfare mix in the fields of welfare services for the aged. For this purpose, case studies of local government administration, field research on local resident organizations and NPOs as well as statistical analysis of local government data were conducted.
As a result of the case studies of local government administration, it was concluded that, in addition to socio-economic and political factors, such factors as historical background of the public-private relationships, the level of medical services and the local government officers' perceptions on the development of welfare mix influence the extent of the changes in the roles of local governments and in the welfare mix in welfare service provision.
As to the changes in the role of the local resident organizations and NPOs in the fields of welfare services, it was revealed that these organizations can be grouped into two types: the first type consisting of organizations that have actively entered into the market of long-term care services and the second type consisting of those that tend to concentrate on mutual-aid activities in the local areas.