Japanese Prefectures and PolicymakingIn this book, Steven R. Reed argues that studying only central administrations and national-level politics yields a picture of greater rigidity than actually exists in modern governments. There is not a simple dichotomy between centralization and local autonomy: many different relationships between levels of government are possible. Reed illustrates his point in nine detailed case studies in which he analyzes the governments of three of Japan's forty-seven prefectures. Reed interviews over one-hundred officials to reveal the innovative policymaking that exists at the local level. Reed compares how each prefecture addresses pollution control, public housing, and access to the best high school education, and concludes that despite some inefficiency in the system, the results are usually very good. Japan's prefectures are important sources of governmental flexibility and responsiveness. |
Contents
| 3 | |
Chapter 2 Japanese Local Government in Comparative Perspective | 22 |
Chapter 3 The Evolution of Japanese Local Government | 44 |
Chapter 4 Pollution Control Policy | 63 |
Chapter 5 Housing Policy | 88 |
Chapter 6 High School Education Policy | 117 |
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Common terms and phrases
active administrative agency-assigned functions air pollution Asahi Shinbun autonomy Britain bureaucratic central government central officials Chiba and Saitama Chiba Prefecture Chihō cities condominium housing conflict conservative decisions demand developed distribution of authority effective elections electoral emission standards enacted ernment expertise factors federal France governor grant program housing policy hypothesis implementation important increase industrial influence innovation intergovernmental relations issue Japan Japanese local governments Juristo Jūtaku Kōdan kombināto Kōtō Kyōiku Kyūshū least interest levels of government LHSC limited mayor ments middle school Ministry of Construction MOHA monitoring municipalities Nihon ordinance partisan party percent policy areas prefec principle of least problems progressive projects public housing quota regulation raising rents responsibility revenues role Saga Prefecture Saga's Saitama Prefecture sewer construction subcourses subnational governments sulfur oxides tend three prefectures tion Tokyo Tokyo Bay urban uwanose water pollution Yomiuri Shinbun