Search Results (5)

As populations age globally, governments face mounting challenges in reconfiguring healthcare and housing systems to support aging-in-place. This study offers a comparative analysis of South Korea and the United Kingdom, examining how each country integrates digital technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), telecare, and smart housing systems, into their aging strategies. South Korea employs a centralized, technology-driven approach that prioritizes the national rollout of AI-enabled smart homes and digital health infrastructure. In contrast, the UK advances a decentralized, community-based model emphasizing social housing, localized care delivery, and telecare integration. Despite these differing trajectories, both nations face shared limitations, including high implementation costs, digital literacy barriers, and concerns about data privacy. Critically, the study finds that the success of aging-in-place efforts is shaped not only by technological capacity but also by governance dynamics, political continuity, and institutional coordination. In response, the paper proposes policy recommendations alongside an ethical framework grounded in transparency, autonomy, informed consent, and equity. Sustainable aging-in-place strategies require not only innovative technologies, but also inclusive governance and ethically robust design to ensure accessibility, trust, and long-term impact. Full article

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between digital financial inclusion and economic growth in the SADC countries, while exploring the crucial moderating role of institutions. The digital financial inclusion (DFI) and institutional quality indices were constructed via Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to overcome the issue of multicollinearity. Using annual data from 2010 to 2023 and employing the system GMM technique, the findings of this study have persuasively supported the existence of a positive relationship between digital financial inclusion and economic growth in SADC countries, which signals that DFI is vital for boosting economic growth. The interaction term between the DFI index and institutional quality index also suggests a positive relationship, highlighting the need for the establishment of robust institutions and sound macroeconomic policies to ensure growth in the regional bloc. On the policy front, the findings indicate that efforts to expand digital financial inclusion in SADC countries should be complemented by institutional reforms aimed at improving governance, regulatory frameworks, rule of law, and legal protections. More specifically, this study suggests that SADC countries should focus on strengthening governance and regulatory frameworks to ensure transparency, security, and effective management of digital financial services. Improving legal protections, particularly around data security and consumer rights, is crucial to building trust in digital finance. Policymakers should also prioritize expanding digital infrastructure, especially in underserved areas, and addressing issues like limited technology access and digital literacy. Furthermore, fostering innovation in the fintech sector and implementing inclusive policies targeting marginalized groups will help drive wider adoption of digital financial services. By combining these reforms with institutional strengthening, SADC countries can create a conducive environment for sustainable economic growth through enhanced digital financial inclusion. Full article

The growing popularity of smartphones and the proliferation of technology have accelerated the development of the digital payment industry. Fintech enables customers to access financial services more efficiently and faster than traditional business, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic due to health protocols, including restrictions on physical contact. This study investigates financial literacy, fintech adoption, and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the financial health of consumers in Vietnam. The relatively higher level of the unbanked population in Vietnam and the lower level of adult financial literacy compared with the ASEAN region motivated this study. Based on judgment sampling, participants were approached using the mall intercept technique, and those familiar with fintech were selected for the research interview. Thirty participants were interviewed and were given a survey form to be filled online using their mobile phones. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS software version 23. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, trust, brand image, government support, user innovativeness, and attitude are found to be significantly correlated with fintech adoption in Vietnam, while financial literacy was found to be not significantly correlated with fintech adoption. Furthermore, further analysis using multiple linear regression revealed user innovativeness and attitude have a positive impact towards fintech adoption, and in contrast, financial literacy showed significant negative impact on fintech. This inverse relationship could indicate that in Vietnam, fintech may play a role of bringing financial inclusion where people with lower financial literacy are able to use technology for financial transactions, which was previously inaccessible to them. This could also mean that Vietnamese with higher financial literacy do not see fintech as an important tool for their financial transactions, as they may already have strong access to traditional financial facilities. This research contributes to knowledge in the field of Fintech adoption in Vietnam at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak. To foster greater financial inclusivity and access for the Vietnamese consumers, policy makers could promote the development of fintech business infrastructure and regulatory sandboxes to foster fintech startups. Full article

In many countries, health literacy research, practice, and policy have been moving away from a focus only on medical care and health-care settings to a much broader conceptualization. In this broader perspective, health literacy can be obtained and used across many other settings (e.g., school, home, workplaces, government) towards achieving health and wellness goals across the life-course for individuals, families, and communities. The education sector is a critical domain towards these achievements and education for health literacy is a fundamental process and outcome. This can help towards important public health goals, including critical health literacy, as oriented not only towards individual actions, but also towards supporting effective social and political action. This Perspective Article describes the importance and utility of the education for health literacy perspective, which, follows a view that health literacy is a key outcome of health education from which improved population health, health promotion and disease prevention could be achieved across diverse contexts. We first describe different educational paradigms to address health literacy and clarify the education for health literacy perspective as a supportive, instructional and capacity-building global resource across the life-course. Then, using specific examples from Canada, America, and Germany, we provide a snapshot of the diverse ways in which the education for health literacy perspective can be found in national policies. These include broad national goals and standards (Germany and Canada) and major health care reform (America). We next consider the tensions and gaps that can arise in the translation and implementation of these policies relative to the ideal education for health literacy perspective, especially related to equity. These include the need for funding, goals of the educational system, and limited evaluation of policy in practice. Finally, we highlight strategic opportunities to achieve education for health literacy and equity especially offering examples from innovative practice in Canada across the lifespan. Full article

This study aims to verify the relationship between policy literacy and attitudes toward the government innovation initiative known as Government 3.0. Also, this study hypothesizes that the relationship between policy literacy and policy attitude can be moderated by cognitive subject and analyzed according to the type of cognitive subject involved. The multiple regression analysis based on the results of a survey that targeted 2,039 civil servants and ordinary citizens was utilized to verify the relationship. According to our research results, a high level of policy literacy about government 3.0 has a positive effect on policy support, and it is statistically significant. The effect of moderating variables, however, reveals that the impact of policy literacy on policy support varies depending on who the cognitive subject is. In addition, when the policy target groups are divided into civil servants and citizens, unlike the case of civil servants, a higher level of policy literacy on Government 3.0 in citizens does not necessarily lead to a higher level of policy support. The implication of this study is that unlike general misconception government officers do not groundlessly oppose government innovation programs. If there is enough information about the innovation, they will strongly support those changes. Also, in the case of citizens, rather than fancy slogans, it is necessary to guarantee transparent information and citizen participation. That can help ensure a positive correlation between policy literacy and policy support. Full article