| Are Bigger State and Local Public Pension Plans More Cost Efficient?: An Analysis of Economies of Scale |
| | Dulebohn, James H. | Georgia State U. | mgtjhd@langate.gsu.edu | (404) 651-4859 |
| | Chen, Hsiu-Lang | U. of Illinois, Chicago | hsiulang@uic.edu | (312) 355-1025 |
| | State and local public pension plans represent a significant component of the nation's retirement system. In spite of their prominence, limited research has been conducted that can contribute to plan managers' and policy makers' efforts to manage these organizations in a cost effective manner. During the past several decades there has been a growth in consolidation of these pension plans based on the assumption that bigger plans are more cost efficient than smaller plans. This study examined the size-administrative cost relationship of public pension plans to ascertain whether cost savings can be realized by increasing pension plan size. The study developed and empirically tested a statistical translog cost function model to estimate cost elasticities. The results indicated that while the consolidation of smaller public pension pans is to be encouraged, and will generate administrative cost savings, the consolidation of large public pension plans will generate administrative cost savings only up to an optimal membership size at which point cost savings will end. |
| | Keywords: Public ; Pension ; Scale economies |
| The Role of the Nonprofit Sector in Hong Kong's Development |
| | Lam , Wai-Fung | U. of Hong Kong | dwflam@hkucc.hku.hk | (852) 2859 2391 |
| | Perry , James L. | Indiana U., Bloomington | perry@indiana.edu | (812) 855-5971 |
| | The recent handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (PRC) brought Hong Kong worldwide attention. The media prominently featured stories about Hong Kong's freewheeling capitalism and the stability created by its administrative institutions. Lost in the media attention was the role of nonprofit organizations and the voluntary sector in Hong Kong's political and economic development. Although Hong Kong has a vibrant civil society, it has received little attention from scholars. A cursory review of welfare and social services in Hong Kong immediately reveals the importance of voluntary associations and nonprofit organizations. This paper reviews the role of the third sector in Hong Kong's development. Among the issues the paper addresses are the legal codes that govern the creation and operation of nonprofits in Hong Kong, the evidence regarding the role of the nonprofit sector in Hong Kong's development, particularly its relationship to the government and market sectors, and the implications of the 1997 transition for the nonprofit sector's role. Our primary goals are to conceptualize the diversity of Hong Kong's nonprofit sector, identify how it relates to the government and market sectors, and assess how the nonprofit sector affects performance in other sectors of Hong Kong society. |
| | Keywords: Hong Kong ; nonprofit sector ; governance |
| Privatizing the Management: A Choice for the Pension System in China |
| | Yin, Jason Z. | Seton Hall U. | yinjason@shu.edu | (973)-761-9360 |
| | This paper reviewed the pension management system in China and analyzed the pros and cons of the pay-as-you-go and fully-funded pension models. It then outlined the institutional framework and organizational structure of a hybrid pension program for
China. The proposed program is composed of a small first-tier defined benefit plan run by the government in complement to a
large second tier defined contribution plan to be managed by private sector. This partially privatized program provided better
incentives for savings and brings market competition into pension operations. The semi-decentralized decision-making structure
in the program would eventually be able to maximize the return at a controllable risk level for the pensioners. |
| | Keywords: Privatization; Pension Management; Institutional change |
| The Effect of Change on Teachers' Skill Flexibility Within the Framework of a Multi-Country Study |
| | Rosenblatt, Zehava | U. of Haifa | zehavar@construct.haifa.ac.il | 4-8344425 |
| | Kremer-Hayon, Lya | U. of Haifa | lyakh@construct.haifa.ac.il | 4-8240892 |
| | Considering the high rate of change in schools' pluralist environment, teachers are faced with the need to flexibly adjust and change their skill repertoire. This study examined the relationships between teachers' skill flexibility and indicators of school change. Data were collected as part of a multi-country study on the effect of change on teachers' work life. It was found that compared with seven other countries (England, Australia, Hungary, Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, and South Africa) the skill-flexibility level of Israeli teachers was low. However, Israeli teachers had relatively positive attitudes toward change regarding the effect of change on their time, their relationships, and the origin of the change. Results also showed that skill flexibility of Israeli teachers was associated with academic orientation of change, originating from teachers, and better time use. Skill flexibility was associated with males more than females, with Jewish ethnicity more than Arab ethnicity, and with small school size. The results are interpreted on the basis of the unique characteristics of the Israeli school system and the Israeli work culture. |
| | Keywords: change; schools; flexibility |
| Service Agent or Community Governance? The Management of Government - Nonprofit Partnerships for Area Regeneration in the UK. |
| | Osborne, Stephen Peter | Aston U. | s.p.osborne@aston.ac.uk | + 44 121 359 3011 |
| | Ross, Kathleen | Glasgow Caledonian U. | k.ross@gcal.ac.uk | + 44 141 331 3124 |
| | This paper explores the role of government - nonprofit partnerships in area regeneration in the UK. It outlines the development of regeneration policy in the UK. It argues two points. First, that the model which has dominated this previously has been one based upon nonprofit organizations as the agents of government. Second, that the implementation of such partnerships has been flawed and fraught with dangers for all concerned. The paper concludes that if the new Labour government in the UK is to achieve its aspiration of social inclusion through community governance then it needs to situate such partnerships within the paradigm of public governance rather than public management. The papers ends by offering a theoretical framework with which to understand such a transformation. |
| | Keywords: partnership; regeneration |