Political competition without parties: an analysis on Japanese municipal politics

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K01476
• 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: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: SUNAHARA YOSUKE 神戸大学, 法学研究科, 教授 (40549680)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 秦 正樹 京都府立大学, 公共政策学部, 准教授 (10792567)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 地方政治 / 政党 / 地方議会 / 住民投票 / 都市政策 / 自治体間連携

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The principal contribution of this study is a monograph titled "Fragmented Democracies: Competition and Legitimacy in Japanese Local Politics," published by the University of Tokyo Press. This book focuses on the municipal governments, particularly metropolitan administrations, arguing that these are likely to be involved in intense political competitions. This is attributed to the dual representation system and the electoral system of local councils, which cause the absence of overarching political parties and the emergence of strong political heads. Moreover, the centralized fiscal system exacerbates these competitive dynamics. It demonstrates that fragmented decision-making in the face of intense competition could hinder the urban development.
Another contribution is a text analysis of municipal councils in Osaka Prefecture, which reveals that the entry of Osaka Restoration Association and the intra-party competition of the LDP may lead to a rightward shift in council discussions.

Free Research Field

政治学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで日本においては、地方政治における競争として、都道府県・政令指定都市レベルでの政党間競争や知事・議会間の競争が注目されてきた。市町村レベルでは、政党内での激しい競争を生み出す選挙制度のために、都道府県レベルでと同様の分析が困難であった。しかし本研究では、市町村レベルでの議員間、長と議会の間、自治体間での政治的競争と、住民投票における正統性をめぐる競争という多層的な関係を析出し、市町村レベルでの政治競争の分析可能性を開拓した。本研究では、過度な競争による「分裂した意思決定」の弊害を示しており、そのような過度な競争を生み出す政治制度を変更すべき根拠を提供する社会的意義を持っている。