White paper

About: White paper is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3852 publications have been published within this topic receiving 51169 citations. The topic is also known as: White paper & White papers.

From 'quantity' to 'quality': Restructuring South Africa's housing policy ten years after

Abstract: Ten years after the South African Department of Housing (DoH) released its 1994 White Paper which set out a new national housing vision, policy, and strategy, the cabinet approved a new document entitled 'Breaking New Ground: a Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Sustainable Human Settlements', which sets out the government's approach to housing delivery for the next five years. The DoH has stated that the new document should not be viewed as a fundamental change from the 1994 policy, but rather as an 'enhancement'. A thorough reading of the document, however, reveals that it does introduce some fundamental changes, among them shifting from 'quantity' to 'quality' and therefore from 'breadth' to 'depth' in low-cost housing delivery; shifting the housing process from 'supply-driven' to 'demand-driven'; promoting in situ upgrading of informal settlements over the former greenfield developments; and acknowledging the need for the government to assume part of the risk involved in private sector lending ...

The Costs of the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme

Abstract: In her introduction to the White Paper (Better Pensions) describing the new state pension scheme which came into effect in Britain in I978, the then Secretary of State for Social Services wrote: 'The cost of the commitments in this White Paper has been very carefully considered in relation to the capacity of the country to support it' (HMSO, I974). We can find little to indicate that this is a true statement. The memorandum on the financial implications of the scheme provided in that paper by the Government Actuary contained estimates of the costs of the whole national insurance scheme until 2008-9. It did not measure, and did not claim to measure, the cost of the additional pension commitments which the White Paper proposed, and which were, with minor amendments, subsequently implemented. It is that cost which we attempt to measure in this paper. We find that these costs are very substantial. Their magnitude was masked, in the Government Actuary's calculations, by favourable demographic trends which reduce the costs of the existing commitments of the national insurance scheme. In the early 2ISt century, however, these trends are dramatically reversed and the full cost of the I978 scheme will emerge. It is by no means fanciful to speculate that when the scheme is approaching maturity the burden of state pensions on the working population will be twice what it is todayif, indeed, future generations prove willing to honour the promises which have been so casually made on their behalf. The approach we adopt in this paper is to treat the new provision for earningsrelated pensions as a self-contained pension scheme in its own right (The State Earnings Related Pension Scheme SERPS). In Section I we describe the central elements of that scheme and our analysis of it, while Section II considers the implications of contracting out. We discuss how costs are affected by demographic factors in Section III and in Section IV relate our projections to those of the Government Actuary.

A Tale of Three Little Pigs: Building the Learning Society with Straw

Abstract: This article has two main aims. First, it will be argued that the policies of both the British government and of the European Commission (EC) with regard to building a learning society are considered to be timid, narrowly conceived and inadequate to the task. Politicians are trying to construct a new society with the intellectual equivalent of straw rather than bricks. Change to a learning society is apparently to be brought about by improving the vocational education and training of individuals. This concentration on developing the skills of individuals conveniently diverts attention away from more radical measures. It is, however, easier to criticise than to construct; and so the second aim is to outline briefly an alternative White Paper on Vocational Education, Training and Employment and to propose some more robust policy alternatives for discussion and debate.

Quality Improvement in Radiology: White Paper Report of the Sun Valley Group Meeting

Abstract: The Sun Valley Group is an informal assembly of individuals interested in improving quality in radiology. Its first meeting was held in September 2005. The purposes of the meeting was to share quality improvement experiences, consider a strategy for promoting quality improvement initiatives across the radiology profession, and initiate quality benchmarking efforts. Representatives from private practice, academia, national quality programs, and international societies were in attendance. Four main themes were presented: the sharing of leading quality activities in radiology, the future of pay-for-performance systems, programs and future initiatives of professional radiology societies, and health services research guidelines for developing outcome metrics. This white paper summarizes information presented in each of these thematic areas and concludes with the group's plans for future activities. Among these is a formal educational program for all radiologists interested in implementing a quality improvement program within their practice, to be hosted by the ACR.