Governmental disability welfare expenditure and national economic growth from 1991 to 2006 in Taiwan.
Taiwan’s welfare money moved to local towns—watch your local budget to keep services safe.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tracked every dollar Taiwan spent on disability welfare from 1991 to 2006.
They looked at national budgets, local budgets, and how the money moved between them.
The study covers all disabilities, not just autism or ID.
What they found
Spending jumped ten times in fifteen years.
Yet each person got only 2.2 times more help.
Local towns now pay over 85 cents of every welfare dollar.
How this fits with other research
Jones et al. (2010) saw the same boom in US Medicaid, but warned of a $7.8 billion cliff when federal aid ends.
Birenbaum (2009) shows US states cutting durable medical gear, the opposite of Taiwan’s growth story.
Dinora et al. (2023) found more money does not always mean better lives, hinting Taiwan’s big spend may miss the mark.
Lin et al. (2026) adds that in Taiwan itself, ASD kids need speech help most, so local funds must target communication supports.
Why it matters
Your clients’ services may soon be paid by city halls with smaller wallets. Track local budget votes and school district line items. Push for speech and communication supports first, since those gaps matter most in Taiwan.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add one question to intake: “Who funds your therapy?” Then set a calendar alert for your city council’s next budget vote.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purposes of the present study were to describe the welfare expenditure for people with disabilities and examine its relation to national economic growth from 1991 to 2006 in Taiwan. We analyzed data mainly from the information of population with disabilities, disability welfare expenditure and national economic growth and gross national product (GNP) per capita in Taiwan from 1991 to 2006. The percentage and overtime trend were used to examine the change in disability welfare expenditure, national economic growth and GNP per capita. Taiwan's economy continued its steady expansion on record an annual average growth of 5.4% and GNP per capita of 5.7% for the year 1991-2006. At the same period of time, the registered population with disabilities increased nearly five times (204,158 persons in 1991 to 981,015 persons in 2006), the government disability welfare expenditure was dramatically increasing to over 10 times from 1991 to 2006 (US$ 74 million to US$ 784 million). Although the total disability budget increased, the beneficiary of the individual with disability increased only 2.2 times. In the content of annual welfare budget for people with disabilities, it is difficult to figure out the increase pattern of the budget growth. However, the local government plays a vital role in disability welfare services gradually, it provides more than 85% welfare budget for people with disabilities. Finally, the author emphasizes that government should examine the long term effects of welfare budget allocation shifting from central government to local government to ensure the right of people with disabilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2009 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2008.07.007