Synopsis
In 1993, wave after wave of scandals led to the collapse of the one-party system in Japan. Since then, reformers have focused more and more on redistributing power from the highly centralized national government to regional and municipal administrations, just as the United States and other countries around the world move toward increased local autonomy, block grants, and decentralization. But are local entities ready for the new responsibilities? Muramatsu Michio demonstrates that throughout the postwar era, Japanese local governments have exercised far more power than previously understood. He synthesizes theories of central-local relations in Japan and around the world, comparing U.S., British, and French models to his own data on prefectural and municipal governments in Japan. Focusing on housing subsidies, land use regulation, and the development of the welfare state, Muramatsu offers a fascinating reinterpretation of the meaning of local autonomy in a contemporary context.
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About the Author
Muramatsu Michio is Dean and Professor at the Faculty of Law, Kyoto University. His publications in Japanese include Nihon no gyosei: Katsudogata kanryosei no henbo (Japanese public administration: Transformation of a pro-active bureaucracy), 1994.
From the Back Cover
"Probably the most sophisticated recent treatment of local government in Japan that I have seen. Written with a strong comparative frame of reference, this book is for anyone exploring the relationship between national and local governments in different countries."—Margaret A. McKean, author of Environmental Protest and Citizen Politics in Japan
"Muramatsu's scholarship on the subject is the best available anywhere, and his boldly revisionist arguments are both provocative and persuasive."—Haruhiro Fukui, author of Party in Power
"Muramatsu's scholarship on the subject is the best available anywhere, and his boldly revisionist arguments are both provocative and persuasive."—Haruhiro Fukui, author of Party in Power
From the Inside Flap
"Probably the most sophisticated recent treatment of local government in Japan that I have seen. Written with a strong comparative frame of reference, this book is for anyone exploring the relationship between national and local governments in different countries."Margaret A. McKean, author of Environmental Protest and Citizen Politics in Japan
"Muramatsu's scholarship on the subject is the best available anywhere, and his boldly revisionist arguments are both provocative and persuasive."Haruhiro Fukui, author ofParty in Power
"Muramatsu's scholarship on the subject is the best available anywhere, and his boldly revisionist arguments are both provocative and persuasive."Haruhiro Fukui, author ofParty in Power
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