E ast A sian welfare model refocus? A case study on economic support for the elderly living alone in T aiwan

This article argues that the concept of the E ast A sian welfare regime can be further developed by examining the changing role of the family in welfare provision. Beginning with a brief literature review of the E ast A sian welfare model, the family has been regarded as the main welfare provider among E ast A sian societies. Nevertheless, from a policy‐centred perspective, the oversimplified picture of the E ast A sian welfare model does not reveal how families actually perform in welfare provision or how the dynamic change in the welfare mix for vulnerable groups under the welfare regime has been accommodated. This article presents a case study and shows that while most elderly people in T aiwan still live with their children, who are also their main means of support, a significant number of them are living alone and that much of the economic support they used to receive from nongovernmental organisation now comes from the state.