The overall objective of this paper was to review the state of social policy formulation in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, China, and Vietnam in order to delineate issues, priorities, needs, and relevant methodologies that can be addressed in future inter-country researches.
Data were obtained from a) a review of published social policy documents; b) interviews of policy makers and researchers from the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia regarding policy formulation, research and training needs, prospects in the future, problems, and priorities; and c) proceedings of the workshop on "Regional Consultation on Needs and Priorities for Research on Social Policy Development in Asia" held from June 8 to 10, 1992 at De La Salle University.
The final output was a research framework for a regional social policy development strategy for Asia.
Results:
Data revealed that while the formulation of social policies is guided by a number of factors--political, cultural, resources availability, and international aid--the crux in social policy analysis is the translation of policies into viable and meaningful programs which would encompass appropriate mechanisms, vertical and horizontal linkages, coordination, grassroots participation, and support. In linking social policy to the improvement of quality of life, the intervening process is the access to and utilization of services.
