ABSTRACT
Over the last 15 years there has been a growing interest in East Asian societies among the communities of policy-makers and scholars. By and large this interest has stemmed from the extraordinary economic success of East Asian countries. This interest has also led a number of scholars and policymakers to study the welfare systems in East Asia [e.g., Jones, 1993; Kwon, 1997; Goodman, White and Kwon, 1998]. In particular, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten expressed a keen interest in the magic combination of economic growth and a low level of welfare expenditure.1
