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Examines trends and various types of industrial restructuring in Taiwan. Triggers of industrial restructuring; Corporate strategies that are in response to the decreasing competitiveness in international market; Role of the government in policy responses to industrial restructuring.

Southeast Asia, which includes Taiwan, has one of the highest incidences of oral cancer in the world. From a public health or a clinical dental viewpoint, it is important to study the epidemiologic characteristics of oral cancer in Taiwan. This paper presents epidemiologic data on oral cancer in Taiwan from 1981-1986. The data, gathered from Cancer Registry Center, Department of Health, Executive Yuan, ROC, is studied using the descriptive method. The age-standardized incidence rates for males and females were 4.45/100,000 and 1.42/100,000, respectively. The cumulative incidence rate (0-79 years) was 0.59% for males and 0.19% for females, respectively. The average age was 52.0 years for males and 53.4 years for females. The male/female ratio was 3:1. The most frequently affected sites were the tongue for males and major salivary glands for females. The incident rates were found to be significantly higher in central Taiwan, especially for males. Epidermoid carcinoma was the most common histopathologic type of oral cancer for both sexes.

The decline in mortality in Taiwan since World War II is analyzed using life tables. "Special features of the research include (1) a phase-of-life-specific, rather than an age-specific, analysis of mortality, and (2) the use of measures based upon person-years of life in phase intervals, rather than survival rates or expectation of life at given ages. The empirical results suggest that the mortality decline can be described as a two-stage process: an initial stage of substantial improvement in life expectancy between 1950 and 1965, and a final stage of slow gain in life expectancy since 1965." Age and sex variations in mortality and differing rates of mortality decline are noted. Implications of increased longevity for economic and social programs are also considered. (summary in ENG), (excerpt)