Ageing Policy Integrative Appraisal System in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Case Study on Macao Special Administrative Region, China

Abstract

The population in Asia-Pacific Regions has moved from a state of high birth and death rates to one characterized by low birth and death rates. This transition has resulted in the growth in the number and proportion of older persons. With this rapid and ubiquitous growth, the United Nations has long promoted a re-conceptualization of how we think of older persons, what it means to age and what impacts ageing have on society. In response to UNESCAP’s call to enact ageing policies in reference to the Shanghai Implementation Strategy, which was developed in the footsteps of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong has developed the “Ageing Policy Integrative Appraisal System” (APIAS). The APIAS acts as a comprehensive indicator of policy implementation and a validation instrument for end users’ appraisal of life and service quality. This paper uses Macao Special Administrative Region (Hereafter “Macao SAR”), China as a case study for explaining the development of APIAS and its results and implications for the Macao government.