Director: Takeshi Kono (Professor, Faculty of Law)
Primary Campus: Mita
Center Overview
This center empirically analyzes the current state of civil societies in developed countries that, despite having democratic political systems, are not fully satisfied with their own democracies, using "governance of civil society" as a key concept. By analyzing what factors cause such problems, or how citizens can feel a better sense of democracy, in collaboration with major overseas educational and research centers, we aim to educate and train young researchers to compete at an international level. Specifically, the foundation of this center is based on the achievements of the 21st Century COE Program "The Formation of Political and Social Order in a Multicultural, Multigenerational, and Intersecting World -- The Dynamics of Civic Consciousness in a Multicultural World --" (21COE-CCC), which has promoted multilingual data archives and surveys of civic consciousness in various countries. While building on this foundation, we focus our analysis on the civil societies of developed countries (particularly Japan, South Korea, and the United States). Unlike conventional research in political science and sociology, which has been limited to individual analyses, our work sets itself apart by not only
(1) "elucidating the formation and transformation of citizen consciousness," but also by conducting
(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 national and local assemblies by policy elites elected by citizens.
By doing so, we aim to clarify the organic mechanism through which the will of the people is formed into policy, and how this is fed back to citizens to shape their consciousness.
Keywords and Main Research Themes
Political Theory, Japanese Political Analysis, Public Administration and Local Government, Communication, Information, and Media, Political Process Theory
2012 Business Plan
■ Continuing Activities from the Previous Fiscal Year: Background, Rationale, and Goals
[Research]
The Japan Research Cluster, Korea Research Cluster, and US Research Cluster, established last fiscal year, achieved significant results this year. In the coming final fiscal year, we will continue this structure and compile the analysis results.
[Education]
Educational activities such as establishing COE-specialized courses, holding overseas seminars, and supporting young researchers' presentations at international conferences and overseas research are not meant to end in a single year; their results become apparent through continuation. Therefore, we will continue these educational activities in the new fiscal year.
■ New Activity Goals and Content for Fiscal Year 2012, and Background for Implementation
[Research]
As this is the final fiscal year, the Japan Research Cluster, 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 Research Cluster, Korea Research Cluster, and US Research Cluster are promoting comparative research by conducting content analysis of election pledges, minutes, and intra-parliamentary votes, as well as analyzing 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 an international symposium held 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.
COE-specialized courses such as "Civic Politics," "Academic Writing," and "Academic Presentation" were established.
In the fall semester of fiscal year 2010 and the spring semester of fiscal year 2011, Professor Kim Soon-Eun from Dong-eui University in South Korea was invited to teach the graduate courses "Q Methodology" and "Theories and Models of Local Autonomy."
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 Encouragement and the Young Researcher Overseas Research Support.
■ Number of Published Papers (with number 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 program 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 Annuals of the Japanese Political Science Association," "The Journal of Political Thought," "Mass Communication Research," "Public Choice Studies," "The Annuals of the Japanese Association for EU Studies," and Comparative Law.
The number of conference presentations was 93 (43 by program members, 7 by Project Research Associates and researchers, 39 by RAs, and 4 by JSPS Research Fellows), of which 27 were overseas (18 by program 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 Japanese Association for EU Studies, and The Japanese Society of Social Psychology, as well as at internationally significant conferences such as 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 program 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 Human Rights Education Promotion Council, and the Kagawa International Exchange Association.
■ Special Achievements through Center Activities
[Research]
The Japan Research Cluster, Korea Research Cluster, and US Research Cluster continued their ongoing content analysis of election pledges and 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 distinctive feature of our 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 |
Toshiro Tanaka | Keio Advanced Research Centers (KARC) | Joint Researcher |
Jun Matsumoto | Keio Advanced Research Centers (KARC) | Joint Researcher |
Project Members
Principal Investigator
Takeshi Kono
ProfessorFaculty of Law, Department of Political ScienceKinji Akashi
ProfessorFaculty of Law, Department of Law