A Constructivist Institutionalist Analysis of Agricultural Policymaking Process in Japan

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03460
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Sasada Hironori 北海道大学, メディア・コミュニケーション研究院, 准教授 (90551101)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 農業政策 / 制度発展過程 / 構成主義制度論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Japan's agricultural protectionist policies have been considered to be products of the clientalistic relationship among politicians, bureaucrats, and farmers. However, protectionist policies had existed decades before such relationship emerged in the postwar period. Why were such policies introduced in prewar Japan? This research analyzed policymaking process in prewar Japan applying constructivist institutionalist approach. It argues that prewar Japanese agricultural policies were a product of policy ideas of agricultural bureaucrats. The idea was called “shono shugi,” which was developed by them combining Western academic knowledge and traditional Japanese agricultural philosophy. Also, it was further developed by agricultural bureaucrats reflecting their social construction of economic environment surrounding Japanese agriculture in the later periods. Those policies and institutions based on shono shugi became the foundation of postwar Japanese agriculture.

Free Research Field

政治学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

経済グローバル化や貿易自由化の波を受けて日本農業はいま重大な岐路に立たされている。日本農業の将来について、これまでのように中小農を中心とした保護主義的政策を維持していくのか、競争力強化を目的とした大規模化・商業化を促進していくのかといった議論が激しく交わされている。我々が日本農業の将来を考える上で、日本農業がこれまでたどってきた道を今一度振り返ってみることがこれまでになく重要となっている。こうした観点から、日本の農業政策の起源とその後の発展過程を探る本研究には極めて重要な社会的意義があると考えられる。また本研究は制度発展過程を社会構築に注目して分析する構成主義制度論を応用し理論的貢献を行った。