A study on the uneven geographical development of area-based communities

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25770296
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Human geography
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: Maeda Yosuke 新潟大学, 人文社会・教育科学系, 准教授 (10646699)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: コミュニティ / 地理的不均等発展 / 自治体内分権 / 町内会

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study explores the uneven geographical development of area-based communities and the mechanism of this development through recent policies that emphasize the initiative taken by the area-based communities. In particular, the study focuses on the policies of devolution of power to local communities; a questionnaire survey of all local governments (n = 1,741) and field surveys of five local governments in Japan were conducted. According to the survey results, devolution of power to local communities can function well in area-based communities that were already strong before the transference of power . Therefore, it seems that these policies promote the uneven development of area-based communities.

Free Research Field

人文地理学