A sociological study on the structure and functions of Japan's civil sector on aid activities at the Great East Japan Earthquake

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25780316
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo (2014-2016); Hosei University (2013)
• Principal Investigator: Nihei Norihiro 東京大学, 大学院教育学研究科(教育学部), 准教授 (40422357)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: NPO / ボランティア / 東日本大震災 / 復興 / 支援 / 市民社会 / 陸前高田 / ネオリベラリズム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

According to the data from the survey research on support organizations which I conducted, many of them have lost subsidies, donations, and volunteers during the 5 years after the earthquake, and which led to reduction or cease of support activities. Also, the average number of paid staff of the organizations has not increased during the time. Regarding political activities, although the organizations have the tendency to avoid advocacies against governments, receiving subsidies or acquiring a legal status of new public-interest legal person have the positive effects on an experience of advocacy.
Furthermore, by interviewing with the community leaders of affected people living at temporary housing in Rikuzentakata city in Iwate prefecture, it was found out that there have been some negative effects of support activities, such as mismatch of aids, disparity of supports among areas, undermining of independence of the victims, and deceleration of recovery of the local economy.

Free Research Field

福祉社会学、市民社会論、社会学、NPO論、ボランティア論