Information technology and computer science programs: How do we relate?

In this panel session, the relationship between computer science programs and information technology programs at universities that house both will be explored. People outside the computing disciplines often find the distinction between these programs confusing. The panelists, who have experience with both types of program, will discuss strategies for differentiating the programs in the eyes of administrators, for advising students into the correct program, and for maintaining focus and excellence in both computer science and information technology programs

Key Issues of Aging and Social Security in China

In China the problem of aging is only now emerging, however, when the population does start to age, it will do so faster than any population in history. In this largely descriptive paper, we look at the challenges faced in the areas of old-age pensions, health care and disability services. First, we identify the main institutions involved. Then we present ad hoc projections of pensions and health spending and the number of disabled persons. Our conclusion is that, unchecked, rising demand in these sectors has the potential to give China the social insurance spending profile of a developed country while it is still at the level of development of a poor one. Demography makes some increases in spending inevitable. However, the most important variables such as coverage of the pension system and the "underlying" rate of medical spending growth are responsive to policy. The paper concludes with an appeal to policy makers to adopt forward looking strategies now, while there is still time to develop appropriate policies and institutions

Economic Development Problems of Landlocked Countries

Do landlocked countries face special economic development problems? Whereas traditional neoclassical theory is ambiguous, more recent directions in trade theory and the theory of economic growth suggest reasons why landlocked countries might be at a disadvantage. Our empirical evidence confirms the hypothesis that landlocked countries experience slower economic growth.Economic growth, Geography, Trade, Landlocked

Social Security Issues in Reforming and Transition Economies

This paper describes a stages-of-development model according to which, as living standards rise, the responsibility for insuring against risks associated with retirement is laid upon Government in the form of emerging social security systems. Later, political support for the continued expansion of social security systems weakens, and containment becomes the order of the day. Clear signs of such containment were evident in the OECD economies during the 1980s. However, this model appears not to describe the development of social security in reforming (essentially, Latin American) and transition (essentially, Eastern and Central European) economies, where social security systems have become sources of distortion and imbalance at levels of development much lower than those that prevailed in OECD economies when policy makers first expressed concern and began to implement measures to correct those imbalances. A social security reform agenda is discussed which would shift more risk to the individual, taking reforming and transition economies into relatively unexplored territory. The social costs of economic reform and of transition from command to market economy have been greater than many analysts anticipated, and how reforms will be implemented in the currently difficult atmosphere remains to be seen, as does the long-term viability of reformed social security systems

Demographic Trends and Household Saving in China

A key source of economic growth in China has been the abundance of household savings, especially in rural regions. In this paper, we estimate saving functions for urban and rural areas in China, paying particular attention to the role of demographic structure. Our results confirm other researchers' finding that saving rates vary inversely with both the elderly and youth dependency ratios, but that the former effect is more significant. This suggests that prospective demographic trends in China will put downward pressure on household savings. Combining our estimation results with reasonable assumptions about economic growth and U.N. population projections, we predict that household savings in China will begin to decline about 2025. A significant shortage of "ex ante" savings could develop as a result. These results confirm the results and reinforce the concerns expressed by Heller and Szymansky (1997) about the long-run prospect for savings in the East Asian region and possible implications for the global economy

Globalization, Social Security, and International Transfers

In this paper, we quantify the impact of globalization (i.e., integration of global capital markets) on intergenerational transfers mediated through Pay As You Go (PAYG) public pension systems in more developed countries (MDCs), as well as impacts on the intergenerational distribution of income and wealth. Our basic finding is that, while globalization is likely to erode the pension income of older persons, it will enhance their wealth, leaving their overall spending power little changed. The working age population, which earns lower wages, is an unambiguous loser from the globalization process, at least to the extent that we limit ourselves to a neoclassical analysis of the phenomenon. The main impact of globalization is unlikely, however, to be captured by economy-wide averages such as those presented in this paper. This is the redistribution from lifetime non-savers, especially the poor, who depend on labor income while young and wage-based intergenerational transfers when old, to lifetime savers, who are able to take advantage of improved capital returns. While we concentrate on MDCs in this paper, we make the point that economic impacts of globalization in less developed countries (LDCs) are opposite in sign and greater in relative magnitude. The latter is the case because reallocation of capital gives rise to a greater proportional change in the capital-output ratio in LDCs than in MDCs

Policy Pathways to Health in the Russian Federation

"Policy Pathways to Health in the Russian Federation" was the name given to a project implemented in 2002-04 by IIASA in collaboration with the institute for Socio-economic Studies of Population of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The core activity of the project was organizing a workshop, held at IIASA in September 2003, at which national and international researchers and policy makers shared information and insights. Through workshop papers and discussions, sources of the poor health situation in Russia ranging from bad health behaviors to inadequate health care financing were discussed and analyzed. The focus throughout was on possible policy responses. This IIASA Interim REport presents the Proceedings of the Workshop, followed by the workshop program and list of participants given as Annexes 1 and 2. The presentations published are condensed versions of project papers available at the workshop web site www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/RMS/TACIS03/?sb=19