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This book offers a novel and wide-ranging interpretation of Japanese economic policy, using the historical analysis of Japanese economic development to shed light on current objectives, trends and possibilities. Sheridan criticizes the argument that, as Japan reaches economic maturity, its ability to make deliberate national choices backed by government action will give way to market forces. Sheridan offers a very different interpretation based on the existence of a sequence of policy cycles, discernible in the historical development of Japan's economy. Only by reconstructing this sequence of policy cycles over the last two centuries can we make sense of the "Japanese secret" and understand the significance of recent policy shifts.
List of contents
List of Tables. List of Figures and Charts.
List of Material Appearing in the Appendix.
Introduction: The Past and Potential Role of Government in Japanese Economic Life.
1. Feudalism and Modernisation, 1800-1880.
2. Deciding the Principles of Japanese Capitalism, 1881-1900.
3. Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth, 1901-1936.
4. Social Policy in Economic Policy, 1901-1936.
5. Economic Conduct of the Pacific War, 1937-1945.
6. Reconstruction, 1946-1955.
7. High-Speed Economic Growth, 1956-1972.
8. A Decelerated Economy, 1973-1990.
9. Explanations: The Nature and Government of Japanese Capitalism, 1868-1990.
10. Neglected Producers.
Appendix: Statistical Tables.
Bibliography.
Index.
About the author
Kyoko Sheridan is the author of two books on the Australian economy as well as
Australian Economy in a Japanese Mirror, (University of Queensland Press, 1993).
Summary
This book provides a wide-ranging historical account of the development of the Japanese economy, from the 17th century to the present day. The author presents an alternative theory to the traditional western view of Japan's economic development, emphasising the role of the state.
