A theoretical nalysis of resale price maintenance in the book trade in Great Britain and Japan

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23730422
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Commerce
Research Institution	Kansai University
Principal Investigator	IWAMOTO AKINORI 関西大学, 商学部, 准教授 (10527112)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2013
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,250,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥750,000) Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000) Fiscal Year 2012: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000) Fiscal Year 2011: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Keywords	再販売価格維持行為 / 再販制度 / 返品制 / フリーライダー / 学説史研究 / 英国 / 日本 / 書籍 / 取次 / 再販売価格維持制度 / 補填理論 / Posner / Fishwick / シカゴ学派
Research Abstract	This theoretical study found out the following facts. Firstly, the theory of resale price maintenance in the Japanese book trade has nothing in common with the general theory of resale price maintenance in Japan which has been developed in the context of Keiretsu. And, Japanese legal restraints in the book trade has servived because it has never been exposed to any fair and intense criticism. Secondly, almost all studies of Japanese return policy do not consider particular conditions accompanied with the book trade and causal connections between resale price maintenance and return policy. As a result, some economic rationales of return policy support the resale price maintenance in the Japanese book trade.