TNAG-0531-FCO40-626-Application-of-International-Labour-Convention-to-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 129

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

Country

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Table 2. Social security development indicators in selected Asian and Oceanic countries, 1966

(1)

Social security

benefits as percent

(2)

SSPI

of GNP

(3)

National income per capita in US dollars

Australia

8.0

22

Burma

0.9

1 747

59

Hong Kong

1.4

n. a.

215

India

1.7

7

75

Iran

1.6

7

226

Japan

5.3

15

820

Malaysia

2.9

LO

6

254

New Zealand

11.2

24

1 750

Pakistan

0.5

4

108

Philippines

0.8

6

226

Singapore

2.9

5

551

Sri Lanka

3.4

136

Taiwan

1.2

8

199

Thailand

1.7

1

123

USSR

11.1

16

1 300

Sources:

3.

(1) International Labour Office, Cost of Social Security 1964-66 (Geneva,

1972), table 2.

(2) United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Social

Security Administration, Social Security Programs Throughout the world 1971 (Washington, D.C., 1971). For the meaning of the index, see text.

(3) United Nations, Statistical Yearbook (New York, 1970), table 182.

n.a.: "not available".

Social security and per capita income

an

In

The relationship between these two variables has been envisaged exclusively in terms of society's ability to pay for social security; e.g. rich countries can afford to pay for extensive social security, or social security is a luxury to poor developing countries. Why this way of looking at the relationship between social security and per capita income is essentially wrong has been explored in preceding sections of this paper. A more appropriate view is that per capita income is indicator of society's economic development status and that economic development proceeds inseparably in association with spreading socio-economic hazards. short, it is useful to view per capita national income as an index of socio-economic hazards. People's desire for safety and protection against these hazards results in various private and public measures for security. Since a hazard is a fractional probability, society can always afford to "insure" everyone against it. The problem is how this latent social ability to pay for security translates into action. Individuals who are to suffer if the hazard falls on them do everything possible for their Own safety and security. The ordinary political processes anywhere can also

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