The centre-local paradigm viewed from the development of regional policies

1989 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 63301072
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: ABE Shiro Tohoku Univ., Faculty of General Education, Dept. of Political Science, Prof., 教養部, 教授 (20000664)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KITAGAWA Tadaaki Yamagata Univ., Faculty of General Education, Dept. of Political Science, Ass. P, 教養部, 助教授 (00144105) ; KITANI Shinichi Iwate Univ., College of humanities and Social Sciences, Lecturer, 人文社会科学部, 講師 (10177850) ; OHYA Akio Fukushima Univ., Faculty of administration and Social Sciences, Prof., 行政社会学部, 教授 (00019077) ; SAITO Makoto Tohokugakuin Univ., Faculty of Law, Ass. Prof., 法学部, 助教授 (50146114) ; NIIKAWA Tatsuro Tohokugakuin Univ., Faculty of Law, Ass. Prof., 法学部, 助教授 (30198410)
• Project Period (FY): 1988 – 1989
• Keywords: Regional policy / Regionalism / local autonomy / Regional disparities / centralization / decentralization / Inter governmental relation / centre-local relation

Research Abstract

The centre-local paradigm have been problematic in the last fifteen years or so. This research project presupposes the usefulness of the idea of the center and the locality as a means of interpreting industrial states, their political integration, development and present situation. The centre-local relation includes the two elements-inter-governmental relations and regional relations which are inseparably interwoven so that it generates the particular dynamics at the crossroad between society, politics and administration.
The centre-local relations have changed overtime in response to the demands and circumstances of particular historical periods. The recent institutional arrangements and new development in the regional policids since 1970s have a profound impact on the traditional pattern of the relationship between center and locality, which is not a one way process, and also on more traditional conception of 'centralization', 'decentralization', 'central control', 'local autorxomy', so on.
The purpose of this research project was to examine some of the recent modifications and problems of centre-local relations and their further theoretical and policy implications from the historical and comparative perspective.