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Toward an Inclusive Society: An Economic Analysis of Legal Frameworks for Consumer Protection

Research Project

Project/Area Number 21K01541
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 07050:Public economics and labor economics-related
Research InstitutionKochi University

Principal Investigator

Arai Yasuhiro  高知大学, 教育研究部人文社会科学系人文社会科学部門, 准教授 (20611213)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 河村 耕平  早稲田大学, 政治経済学術院, 教授 (30787817)
Project Period (FY) 2021-04-01 – 2025-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2024)
Budget Amount *help
¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
Keywordsキャンセル料 / 消費者保護 / 法と経済学 / 消費者保護法
Outline of Research at the Start

本研究は、自立した社会生活を行うことはできるが必ずしも十分な判断力を有しない消費者の保護・救済と、事業者による自由かつ効率的な商活動とのトレードオフが、どのような場合にどのような形で生じ、それが現在の我が国の法制の下でどのようにバランスを取ることが可能かを探り、2018年の消費者契約法改正に対する国会附帯決議(第196回国会閣法第31号)で提起されたような消費者保護・救済の諸問題に対して、経済学の見地から具体的な政策的含意を導出することである

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to tackle the issue of consumers with limited decision-making capacity facing disadvantages when canceling transactions after the fact. It analyzes the effectiveness of cancellation fee policies from the perspectives of law and economics. A mathematical model is developed that considers information asymmetry and the varying abilities of consumers to gather information. The analysis focuses on three main points: (i) the conditions under which firms opt to sell low-quality goods, leading to a decrease in consumer surplus and social welfare; (ii) the situations in which low-quality goods are specifically targeted at consumers with limited decision-making capacity; and (iii) how policy measures, such as capping cancellation fees or adjusting the allocation of cancellation-related costs, can help mitigate these socially inefficient transactions.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、これまで体系的な分析が十分でなかったキャンセル料の問題、特に判断力が不十分な消費者が直面する課題に対し、法と経済学・行動経済学のモデルを用いてアプローチした点に新規性があることである。
さらに社会的意義として、キャンセル料の上限規制や、事業者側への負担の増大は市場からの退出を招くのではないかとの懸念に対し、本研究はむしろ「非効率な企業の退出あるいは効率的な財への転化を促す」可能性を理論的に示した。この知見は、消費者庁も注視する政策課題の設計に、重要な視点を提供する点で意義が大きい。

Report

(5 results)
  • 2024 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2023 Research-status Report
  • 2022 Research-status Report
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (9 results)

All 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021

All Journal Article (4 results) (of which Open Access: 2 results,  Peer Reviewed: 1 results) Presentation (5 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results)

  • [Journal Article] Patent Pledges: Why Do Corporations Make Patents Available to the Public?2023

    • Author(s)
      Yasuhiro Arai
    • Journal Title

      Harvard Program on U.S.-Japan Relations Occasional Paper Series

      Volume: 1 Pages: 1-35

    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Open Access
  • [Journal Article] The impacts of suppliers and mutual outsourcing on organizational forms2023

    • Author(s)
      Yasuhiro Arai, Noriaki Matsushima
    • Journal Title

      Canadian Journal of Economics

      Volume: 56(1) Issue: 1 Pages: 114-132

    • DOI

      10.1111/caje.12638

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] 特許不行使誓約の経済的インセンティブ2023

    • Author(s)
      新井泰弘
    • Journal Title

      令和4年度 産業財産権制度調和に係る共同研究調査事業調査研究報告書

      Volume: 1 Pages: 1-56

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] The Impacts of Suppliers and Mutual Outsourcing on Organizational Forms2021

    • Author(s)
      Yasuhiro Arai, Noriaki Matsushima
    • Journal Title

      ISER Osaka University Discussion Paper

      Volume: No.1155

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Information Dissemination Solves or Exacerbates Misperception Problems?2025

    • Author(s)
      Yasuhiro Arai
    • Organizer
      ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY
    • Related Report
      2024 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Subsidies and Self-funding2024

    • Author(s)
      Kohei Kawamura
    • Organizer
      Summer Workshop on Economic Theory
    • Related Report
      2024 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] An empirical analysis on cross-border spillover of environmental technology2024

    • Author(s)
      新井泰弘
    • Organizer
      2023年度日本国際経済学会関西支部シンポジウム
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Sequential Expert Consultation2024

    • Author(s)
      Kohei Kawamura
    • Organizer
      Misinformation: Causes, consequences, and remedies
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Cancellation Policy and Consumer Protection2022

    • Author(s)
      Kohei Kawamura
    • Organizer
      WINPEC Microeconomics Workshop
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report

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Published: 2021-04-28   Modified: 2026-01-16  

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