Items related to Local Government Development in Post-war Japan
This book examines the evolution of intergovernmental relations in postwar Japan. These relations are shown to be both complex and dynamic, and the Japanese model is revealed as one in which aspects of both central control and local autonomy have co-existed with the balance shifting gradually over time towards the latter. The Japanese system has helped to maintain broad-based economic growth since it has at its core a strongly egalitarian fiscal transfer mechanism. At the same time, it has proved to be consistent, to a much greater extent than previously recognized, with political development, or progress in the attainment of such political values as liberty (personal rights) and equality (broad participation in public affairs) for individuals and communities. This is because the national government has proved flexible enough to accommodate, although not always with grace or alacrity, citizen concerns about the quality of life. The Japanese approach to intergovernmental relationships has also been successful in solving coordination problems which often arise between local and central government units and in building capacity to support greater and effective decentralization. Coordination problems have been handled through a variety of mechanisms including the practice of agency delegated functions, while local capacity issues have been addressed through such practices as the exchange of personnel across different levels of government and the use of attractive compensation and training packages to recruit and retain local staff. The Japanese experience thus provides an example of gradual and guided decentralization based on shared responsibilities between local and central governments for mobilizing, managing, and spending public resources in the pursuit of sustainable development.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
... for those who see merit in administrative effectiveness as well as narrowly defined efficiency, there is much to consider here. (Political Studies Review)
About the Author:
Ikuo Kume is Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Law at Kobe University, Japan. Farrukh Iqbal is Regional Coordinator, East Asia Programs at the World Bank Institute, World Bank. Michio Muramatsu is Professor in the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University, Japan.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherOUP Oxford
- Publication date2001
- ISBN 10 0199248281
- ISBN 13 9780199248285
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages272
- EditorMuramatsu Michio, Iqbal Farrukh, Kume Ikuo
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
£ 135.91
Shipping:
£ 28.33
From Germany to U.S.A.
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Local Government Development in Post-war Japan
Published by
Oxford University Press
(2002)
ISBN 10: 0199248281
ISBN 13: 9780199248285
New
Hardcover
Quantity: 2
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Buch. Condition: Neu. nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - This book provides an updated and comprehensive review of the development of Japan's local government system over the past half century. It corrects the view that Japan is over-centralized by providing examples of expanding local government autonomy over time. Such examples include the success of local initiatives in anti-pollution, healthcare, and welfare policies. It also shows that gradual and controlled decentralization, as practised in Japan, has helped avoidcoordination problems while providing time and resources for local governments to build capacity to undertake development projects, programmes, and planning. In so doing, it offers an alternative to the view that maximum autonomy quickly granted is the best way to develop localgovernments. Seller Inventory # 9780199248285
Buy New
£ 135.91
Convert currency