Electoral Coordination in a Multi-level Context: Analysis of Candidate Manifestos in Japanese Subnational Elections

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K01445
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 06010:Politics-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Hijino Ken 京都大学, 法学研究科, 教授 (90738311)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: subnational elections / manifestos / multilevel / second order / decentralisation / ideology / depopulation / rural politics

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The project comprehensively analyzed multi-level electoral campaigning dynamics through the systematic collection, coding, and comparing of candidate manifestos at prefectural and municipal level for assembly and chief executive elect ions in Japan.

Based on this data set, I conducted analysis in five separte areas: 1) when and how gubernatorial candidates "naitonalise" local elections; 2) strategies of blame avoidance and credit claiming in response to Covid-19 among gubernatorial candidates; 3) comparison of the conflict dimensions and ideological orientations of gubernatorial candidates in comparison with the national level; 4) comparison of the discursive themes, assumptions, and contestation for a key policy issue - rural in-migration - at both national and municipal level; 5) and the ideological orientation of municipal mayoral eleciton candidates around the issue of depopulation and rural in-migration.

Free Research Field

Comparative Politics

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Our findings about the multilevel strategies, ideological orientation, and conflict dimensions of candidates for subnational elections point to a range of implications for the quality of accountability, competitiveness, and responsiveness in Japan's democratic representation.