Director: Takeshi Kono (Professor, Faculty of Law)
Campus: Mita
Center Overview
This center empirically analyzes the current state of civil society in developed countries where, despite having democratic political systems, citizens are not fully satisfied with their own democracy, using "governance of civil society" as a key concept. In collaboration with major overseas educational and research centers, we analyze what factors cause such problems and how citizens can experience a better democracy. The purpose is to educate and train young researchers to compete at an international level. In particular, the foundation of this center is built upon the achievements of the 21st Century COE Program "Political and Social Order Formation in a Multicultural, Multigenerational, and Cross-Border World -- Dynamics of Civic Consciousness in a Multicultural World --" (21COE-CCC), such as the multilingual data archive and surveys of civic consciousness in various countries. We focus our analysis on the civil societies of developed countries (especially Japan, South Korea, and the United States). The center's work is distinguished from previous research, which was limited to individual analyses. It goes beyond the conventional political science and sociology approach of merely
(1) "elucidating the formation and transformation of citizens' consciousness." It also conducts
(2) "content analysis of policy pledges" presented to citizens by policy elites at the national and local levels, and
(3) "collection and content analysis of the minutes of the National Diet and local assemblies" by policy elites elected by citizens.
By doing so, we clarify the organic mechanism through which public opinion is formed into policy, how it is fed back to citizens, and what kind of consciousness it leads to.
Keywords and Main Research Themes
Political Theory, Analysis of Japanese Politics, Public Administration and Local Government, Communication, Information, and Media, Political Process Theory
2012 Business Plan
■ Activities Continuing from the Previous Fiscal Year: Background, Rationale, and Goals
[Research]
The Japan Research Cluster, South Korea Research Cluster, and US Research Cluster, established last fiscal year, have achieved significant results this fiscal year. In the next fiscal year, which will be the final year, we will maintain this structure and compile the analysis results.
[Education]
Educational activities such as the establishment of COE-specialized courses, the holding of overseas seminars, and support for young researchers' presentations at overseas academic conferences and overseas research are not meant to be completed in a single year; their results are realized through continuation. Therefore, we will continue these educational activities in the new fiscal year.
■ New Activity Goals, Content, and Implementation Background for Fiscal Year 2012
[Research]
In this final year, the Japan Research Cluster, South Korea Research Cluster, and US Research Cluster will compile their analysis results to date and publish their findings.
The Governance Data Archive will work to enhance its data and make it publicly available.
[Education]
We will continue to focus on enhancing our educational activities in the new fiscal year.
2011 Business Report
■ Implementation Details, Research Outcomes, and Degree of Achievement Relative to the Business Plan for the Fiscal Year
[Research]
Based on the 2011 business plan, the following research activities were conducted.
The Japan, South Korea, and US Research Clusters are promoting comparative research by conducting content analysis of election pledges, assembly minutes, and intra-parliamentary votes, as well as analysis of civic consciousness surveys in the three countries.
The Governance Data Archive is continuing to develop its system and update its data.
The Governance Theory Construction Unit, Civil Society Analysis Unit, and Policy Formation Analysis Unit held conferences as needed.
Research findings were published through the holding of an international symposium in February 2012 and the publication of the Journal of Political Science and Sociology.
[Education]
Based on the 2011 business plan, the following educational activities were conducted.
We established COE-specialized courses such as "Citizen Politics," "Academic Writing," and "Academic Presentation."
We invited Professor Kim Soon-Eun from Dong-Eui University in South Korea to teach the graduate courses "Q Methodology" and "Theories and Models of Local Autonomy" in the fall semester of 2010 and the spring semester of 2011.
An overseas seminar is scheduled to be held at the University of Konstanz in Germany in March 2012.
We implemented programs such as the Young Researcher Overseas Conference Presentation Incentive and the Young Researcher Overseas Research Support.
■ Number of Published Papers (with counts and names of major journals), Number of Conference Presentations (domestic and international), and Social Contribution Achievements such as Events (date, location)
The number of published books was 6 (1 in English, 5 in Japanese), and the number of published papers (including papers in books, academic papers only) was 78 (56 by project members, 10 by Project Research Associates and researchers, 10 by RAs, and 2 by JSPS Research Fellows). They were published in journals such as "The Annals of the Japanese Political Science Association," "The Journal of Political Thought," "Mass Communication Research," "Public Choice Studies," "The Annuals of the EU Studies Association in Japan," and Comparative Law.
The number of conference presentations was 93 (43 by project members, 7 by Project Research Associates and researchers, 39 by RAs, and 4 by JSPS Research Fellows), of which 27 were presented overseas (18 by project members, 2 by Project Research Associates and researchers, 5 by RAs, and 2 by JSPS Research Fellows). Presentations were made at major domestic academic societies such as The Japanese Political Science Association, The Japan Sociological Society, the Japan Association of International Relations, The Japanese Society for Public Administration, The Public Choice Society, The EU Studies Association in Japan, and The Japanese Society of Social Psychology, as well as at internationally significant conferences like the American Political Science Association, the Midwest Political Science Association, and the ISA (International Sociological Association) RC06 (Research Committee 06) - CFR (Committee on Family Research).
There were 28 social contribution achievements (25 by project members, 3 by RAs). Specifically, lectures were given at organizations such as the Japan Fair Trade Commission, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, the Suginami Association for Cultural Exchange, the Kanagawa Prefectural Council for the Promotion of Human Rights Education, and the Kagawa International Association.
■ Notable Achievements through Center Activities
[Research]
The Japan, South Korea, and US Research Clusters continued their ongoing content analysis of election pledges and assembly minutes, and also conducted content analysis of legislators' intra-parliamentary votes. To enable comparison, the framework for content analysis is kept fundamentally the same. To the best of our knowledge, this attempt to conduct a comprehensive analysis on such a large scale, combined with surveys of citizen consciousness, is unprecedented and has become a defining feature of this center's research.
[Education]
As mentioned above, graduate students are steadily publishing papers and presenting at academic conferences, particularly in English.
Staff
Name | Affiliation | Position |
|---|---|---|
Ryota Natori | Keio Advanced Research Centers (KARC) | Project Professor (Non-tenured) (Research/Education) (Part-time) |
Kenta Akimoto | Keio Advanced Research Centers (KARC) | Joint Researcher |
Toshio Tanaka | Keio Advanced Research Centers (KARC) | Joint Researcher |
Jun Matsumoto | Keio Advanced Research Centers (KARC) | Joint Researcher |
Project Members
Principal Investigator
Takeshi Kono
ProfessorDepartment of Political Science, Faculty of LawKinji Akashi
ProfessorDepartment of Law, Faculty of Law