Sitemap

Research Areas & Themes ( 2011 ): Social Issues

Research on healthcare costs and public finance

Project Leader
Project Overview

The total deficit of the three pillars of Japanese health and care insurance, National Health Insurance, Health Insurance Societies, and the Japan Health Insurance Association, was more than one trillion yen in 2009, and likely expanded during 2010. Consolidating the insurers at the prefectural level has been suggested as the direction of reform, but a mountain of problems remains before that can become a reality. We will offer policy proposals for concrete frameworks.

Research on social welfare

Project Leader
Project Overview

We will research governance reform and efficiency measures for the social welfare system as a whole, with a view that takes in the economic scale of each welfare system, including livelihood protection and relief of people with disabilities, and the relationships of the organizations and businesses involved.

Survey of trends in healthcare-related industries

Project Leader
Project Overview

The fact that healthcare expenditures, which represent the price of medical services, are rising faster than the nominal GDP growth rate in the USA is not the only reason that they are an engine of economic growth in that country. Healthcare-related industries are earning foreign currency by developing new products through technological innovation. Effective industrial policy for healthcare is necessary in Japan so that healthcare can become a growth engine in this country as well. We will therefore pursue this research theme with a view to creating a vision following the order of bio-clusters, healthcare industry clusters and all healthcare-related industries.

Research on the financial system of the UK's NHS (in regard to the proper form for Japanese healthcare financing)

Project Leader
Project Overview

In 2009, we considered the National Programme for IT (NPfIT), and in 2010, we systematized the financial structure of the NHS and considered its finances in terms of soundness and fairness.
During 2011, we will carry out research on PFI, which was adopted by the NHS, LIFT, which was derived from PFI, and collaboration with private-sector healthcare. Japan has adopted a PFI system similar to the UK's, but hospital PFI is not going smoothly. We need an understanding of how it is proceeding in the UK, where Prime Minister Tony Blair boldly adopted it. In addition, healthcare in the UK is nationalized, but hospitals operated by major private-sector health insurance companies such as Bupa are used by corporations in the UK as employee welfare programs. It is necessary to grasp that situation and once again clarify the UK's healthcare system.
The results are to be announced at the Japan Institute of Public Finance or Japan CIRIEC.

Research on new forms of tax collection

Project Leader
Project Overview

In order to grasp the latest trends in compliance and the prediction of tax revenues mainly from the perspective of securing tax revenues and enhancing collection, we will attend a conference in the US during 2011. We will also exchange information with relevant people in Japan and abroad while studying new tax collection designs.

Research on the proper form for Japan's public accounting

Project Leader
Project Overview

In order to work towards making Japan's public finances more transparent, we will study trends in other countries and examine the proper form for Japan. France has been reforming its budget, public accounting, and public sector evaluation since its revision of the LOLF (la loi organique relative aux lois de finances) in 2001. We hope to build a foundation by adding study of resource accounting, which began in the UK in 1999 and comprehensively addressing issues in public accounting.

back to Research Areas TOP