Implementation and Prospect of Long-term Care Policy in Taiwan: An Analysis Based on Public-Private Partnership Governance
Rong-Yang Huang, Yu-Han Chen *
Abstract
Taiwan will enter the so-called “hyper-aged society” by 2026. The demand for long-term care has increased rapidly due to the rising elderly population. In view of this, the ROC government is actively promoting long-term care policies: implemented of the “Long-term Care Ten-year Plan” since 2008, introduced the “Long-term Care Service Act” and enacted on June 3 of 2017. The so-called “Long-term Care Ten-year Plan 2.0” has recently commenced since November 2016. Government recognized its limit of capacity and resources, and seeking to collaborate with private sectors or nonprofit organizations, through related networks or platforms for providing a better service with effective integration of resources. However, how to reach collaboration effectively between the public and the non-profit long-term care units, and also maintain this partnership of equality and mutual benefit, is a subject worth exploring. Based on this, this study makes an empirical analysis of Taiwan’s long-term care policy and service, discusses the relationship between nonprofit organizations and government within the implementation of the Long-term Care Ten-year Plan 2.0 policy. It uses literature review to explore the essence and type of public and private cooperation, and to understand the elements of their collaboration; in empirical, through the qualitative research, interviewed selected executive director of non-profit units, government agencies and specialists, for examining the interactions among organizations and government in policy implementation. The study found that nowadays long-term care service in Taiwan appears a type and structure of entrusted, so that non-profit long units and the government is not a reciprocal status, it is difficult to create equal and mutually beneficial partnership; Moreover, a simplified administrative and funding process, would be important factors that impact the effort and investment of long-term care units which participating in the business. It is worth noting that “commercialize” of long-term care service seems to be trend in the future. How to reach an equilibrium point between private sector and non-profit organizations in the long-term care policy would be another question to think about.
Keywords: collaborative governance; public-private partnership; nonprofit organization; Long-term Care Plan 2.0
* Rong-Yang Huang, Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Management, Chinese Culture University, email: eryh25@gmail.com; Yu-Han Chen, Research Assistant, Department of Public Administration and Management, Chinese Culture University, email: tina850730@gmail.com.