Historical research for zoning electoral district

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26380184
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: SHIMIZU Yuichiro 慶應義塾大学, 総合政策学部(藤沢), 教授 (70361673)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 日本政治 / 選挙研究 / 選挙区 / 歴史的制度論 / 日本政治史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project has focused on a Research question, “how Japanese electoral district effected to Japanese politics?” With regarding the electoral district as spatial political institution, which established democracy because it define how electorate will express.
The main findings is explanation about the architecture of the first electoral districts in 1889. As far for the concept of centralization of the administration, the Meiji government adopted historical, political, economic and social continuity from early modern era. They weighted on governors perception, and arranged the draft which the bureaucrats in the central government. As a result, the effect of the ancien regime in local side strongly existed, and local powered groups had exerted their power in the districts. And though large-constituency system(1900-1919) and single-seat constituency system(1919-1925), their effect led the electoral power base in any electoral districts in multiple-seat constituency system(1925-1994).

Free Research Field

政治学