The Making of Japanese Democracy

FAIN: FT-54577-06

Mary Alice Haddad
Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT 06459-3208)

Japan is the best example of the transformation of an impoverished authoritarian country into a successful capitalist democracy. However, much of the political science research on Japan has focused on the "successful capitalist" part of that phrase rather than the "successful democracy" part. This project will reexamine the roots of Japanese democracy. Specifically, I seek to discover how traditional civic organizations, such as neighborhood associations and volunteer welfare commissioners, changed from being instruments of an authoritarian government to the strong mechanisms of democratic accountability that they are today.

Associated Products

The Transformation of Japanese Democracy (Book Section)
Title: The Transformation of Japanese Democracy
Author: Mary Alice Haddad
Editor: Mary Malone
Abstract: Brief overview of how Japan democratized looking at its political, social, and economic conditions as part of a comparative volume on democratization.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://www.amazon.com/Achieving-Democracy-Democratization-Theory-Practice/dp/1441181822/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326338968&sr=8-1
Secondary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/achieving-democracy-democratization-in-theory-and-practice/oclc/657602833&referer=brief_results
Publisher: Continuum
Book Title: Achieving Democracy

Volunteer Organizations (Re)making Democracy in Japan (Book Section)
Title: Volunteer Organizations (Re)making Democracy in Japan
Author: Mary Alice Haddad
Editor: Alisa Gaunder
Abstract: Chapter looks at two grassroots organizations have helped build Japanese democracy.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://www.amazon.com/Routledge-Handbook-Japanese-Politics/dp/0415551374/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326339195&sr=1-1
Secondary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/routledge-handbook-of-japanese-politics/oclc/659306335&referer=brief_results
Book Title: The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics

A New State-in-Society Approach to Democratization with Examples from Japan (Article)
Title: A New State-in-Society Approach to Democratization with Examples from Japan
Author: Mary Alice Haddad
Abstract: Article introduces a new theoretical approach to the study of democracy using examples from the Japanese experience.
Year: 2010
Primary URL: http://rsa.informaworld.com/srsa/444489539-59153365/content~content=a927585170~db=all~jumptype=rss
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Democratization

From Undemocratic to Democratic Civil Society: Japan’s Volunteer Fire Departments (Article)
Title: From Undemocratic to Democratic Civil Society: Japan’s Volunteer Fire Departments
Author: Mary Alice Haddad
Abstract: Article examines Japan's volunteer fire departments as a window for helping us understand how undemocratic organizations and countries can democratize.
Year: 2010
Primary URL: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=AEA71A85AB70F423ABFBA649418BCDCF.journals?fromPage=online&aid=7294160
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Asian Studies

Building Democracy in Japan (Book)
Title: Building Democracy in Japan
Author: Mary Alice Haddad
Abstract: How is democracy made real? How does an undemocratic country create new institutions and transform its polity such that democratic values and practices become integral parts of its political culture? These are some of the most pressing questions of our times, and they are the central inquiry of Building Democracy in Japan. Using the Japanese experience as starting point, this book develops a new approach to the study of democratization that examines state-society interactions as a country adjusts its existing political culture to accommodate new democratic values, institutions, and practices. With reference to the country's history, the book focuses on how democracy is experienced in contemporary Japan, highlighting the important role of generational change in facilitating both gradual adjustments as well as dramatic transformation in Japanese politics.
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://www.amazon.com/Building-Democracy-Japan-Alice-Haddad/dp/110760169X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326339884&sr=1-1
Type: Single author monograph

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