Determinants of administrative and financial reforms in local governments in Japan

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K16997
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: Konan University
• Principal Investigator: HIRANO Junichi 甲南大学, 法学部, 准教授 (10550949)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 地方政治論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research explored administrative and financial reforms of mayors in Japan. As the result of investigation, it is found that mayors’ leaderships and changes of local assemblies’ member could promote reforms. It is also revealed that political factors such as seat rates of ruling parties. Although seat rates of ruling parties increase efficiency of administrative and financial reforms, too much seat rates could interrupt reforms. Besides it is discovered that incumbent mayors’ administrative and financial reforms make it easier for challengers to create points of disputes by analyzing mayoral elections of cities which experienced municipal mergers.

Free Research Field

政治学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果により、行財政改革を進める上で重要な政治的要因が明らかになった。多くの自治体で引き続き行財政改革は喫緊の課題となっているが、本研究の知見から、行財政改革を進める上では首長の戦略や議会の協力といった要因に加えて、住民の後押しが重要であることが示唆される。