Policies to Address Psychosocial Health Risks at Work: A Narrative Review of Taiwan’s Experiences

Abstract

Psychosocial risks at work have been significant occupational health concerns in high-income countries. Yet, research on how psychosocial risks at work come to the forefront of public attention and prompt government policy responses remains limited. This study adopted a narrative review approach to examine the development of policies adopted in Taiwan to address psychosocial health risks at work during the process of turning from a middle-income country to a high-income country. Kingdon’s Multiple-Stream Model was applied to analyze the forming of the problem, policy and political streams.

The review indicated that work-related stress emerged as a policy problem in Taiwan through dynamic social processes that involved rapid information dissemination through the media, active campaign efforts of civil organizations and responsive actions of the labor authority. Policy streams concerning the choices of policy instruments were influenced not only by international experiences, particularly of Japan, but also by the preferences of domestic policy participants. As for the political stream, work stress problems ranked high in the political agenda during economic downturns and were intensified by political party competition. Medical case reports and findings of labor inspection investigations provided evidence for the formation of problem streams, while epidemiological evidence was consulted in forming regulations and guidelines for determining the work relatedness for compensation claims and identifying high-risk workers for targeted intervention.

By understanding the dynamics of the multiple streams, researchers and policy participants of latecomer countries may position themselves better for policy changes.