Tetsuro Okazaki: Am I an Imperialist?

2022/01/13

I entered the Faculty of Economics at Keio University in 1984 and proceeded to graduate school to become a researcher. While I specialize in public economics, my specific research themes are so diverse that I am amazed at myself. I have presented at academic conferences where many political scientists participate regarding the influence of media reporting, at sociology conferences regarding the time consciousness of Japanese people, and at conferences attended by historians regarding one of the provisions of the Meiji Constitution.

This was when I presented at a sociology conference in the United States. The term "economics imperialism" came up during a keynote speech by a prominent researcher. It was a term I hadn't encountered in a long time. During my student days, I had read in books that economics is the field most suited to being called a science among the social sciences, as it takes the form of modeling the structure of problems, solving those models using rigorous mathematical methods, and verifying the results with data. "Economics imperialism" is a term that describes the attitude, born from this way of thinking, of trying to analyze other social issues using economic methods.

Troublesomely, I was the next presenter. The first words out of my mouth were, "I am an economist, but I am not an imperialist, so please let me hear your opinions." Then, from the floor, there were not only questions about my awareness of the issues but also questions regarding equilibrium concepts like those posed by experts in game theory, making it a very rewarding time for me personally.

To be honest, I do not agree with economics imperialism. However, I also feel that it is thanks to being thoroughly taught economics during my student days that I am now able to study themes handled in political science, sociology, history, and so on. The attitude of unraveling the complex and mysterious interactions between people with a warm heart and a cool, logical mind is exactly what I learned in economics. And I believe that such a way of thinking is desirable. In that sense, I might be an economics imperialist.

I always tell my students in the classroom, "Even if you just memorize these results, you'll only pass my exams or qualification exams. But if you study with an awareness of the attitude of logical consideration, even if you forget the correct answers for the exam, you'll be more likely to think for yourself and make your own judgments when you face unknown problems in society." At the same time, I ask myself: Am I able to do that without becoming an imperialist?