奧地利社會安全制度發展的理論分析

Theoretical Analysis of the Development of the Austrian Welfare State

黃全慶(Chuan-Ching Hwang)

《歐洲國際評論》 5期 (2009/07) Pp. 39-73

https://doi.org/10.7071/EJIR.200907.0039

摘要

本研究旨在探討奧地利社會福利發展的主要影響因素。整體而言，奧地利社福體系相對完善，其支出規模－特別是年金水準－頗高，但該國之社福體制係建構在以工作為中心的基礎上，其社會保險依職業類別分立，年金給付水準在性別、職業別間存在顯著差異，而公務人員給付水準偏高，使其制度傾向於G. Esping-Andersen所謂保守主義的類型。該國直到1990年代才有比較明顯的福利緊縮趨勢，而2003與2004年年金改革，勢將降低未來年金之給付水準，但也將使得各職業別間之差距逐漸縮小。奧地利今日相對完善的福利制度，主要基於其相對穩定的經濟、工會與左派政黨之高度影響，而福利體制具有與工作緊密結合與職業分立之特性，則是與該國基督民主政黨－人民黨的關鍵地位與社會伙伴關係之妥協性有關。由於奧地利政治體系中並無強大的否決者機制，使得改革得以快速進行。P. Pierson 所謂「新政治」對奧地利福利發展雖具補充解釋之價值，但從「舊政治」觀點似仍能對「永久性緊縮」時代的福利發展，提出具說服力之解釋。

關鍵字

奧地利 ； 福利國家 ； 福利國家發展 ； 社會福利理論 ； 比較政治

並列摘要

This study attempts to explore driving forces behind the development of the Austrian welfare state. In General, the level of the Austrian social expenditure is relative high. The high income substitution rate gives the most pensioners the chance to maintain their living standard after retirement and the mean-tested basic pension guarantee them avoiding the risk of poor. However, the Austrian welfare state is work-oriented and occupation-based. There are significant differences regarding the amount of pension between gender and among occupations, which are closed to the conservative welfare regime according as G. Esping-Andersen. The Retrenchment of the Austrian welfare state came relative late. From the 1990s, Austria started to consodidate its welfare System. A significant trend of Retrenchment could be found during 2000-2006. The pension reforms in 2003 and 2004 will reduce the level of the payment, but also cut the differences among occupations. The driving forces behind the high level the welfare system are the relative good economical performance, strong trade union and left wing party in the country, while the almost equally strong Christian Democratic Party contributed to the work-oriented and occupation-based pension system. The lack of a strong veto player in Austrian political system allows the governments to accelerate their reforms. Although the ”New Politic” theory from Paul Pierson does provide useful insight for understanding some strategies of the Austrian pension reforms, the study argue that the ”old politics” thesis can still explain the welfare development in Austria, even in the time of ”permanent austerity”.

並列關鍵字

Austria ； welfare state ； welfare state development ； welfare theory ； comparative politics

參考文獻

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