Study on "Exit" from Elections
KIMURA Takahiro

This thesis argues about the abstain from voting on House of Representatives elections in Japan. Analyzing the present condition of people’s political participation and trying to acquire the key for promoting the participation.
The reason of deciding the subject is that, in these days, Japanese voters tend not to vote frequently. If their abstention means their satisfaction on the politics, it seems not too bad. But on my study, it appears not to be. The undergoing situation that those who are not satisfied do not express their thoughts may lead to be fatal for the democratic society; the society is formed on people’s participation to express their various kinds of preference.
I find that Hirshman’s "Exit-voice"theory is a big hint to promote voting rate. That theory is focused on the behavior of dissatisfied people. Based on that theory, I define the word "exit-like non-voting." It is the abstain of dissatisfied people, in short.
Regarding their abstain as the "Exit,"I find some hints to improve voting rate. By breaking down concepts of that theory into variables in survey research, I find some factors that have impact on voting behavior.
This thesis points out important factors to promote the participation, especially for people choosing "Exit."

Old Pension Policy and the Advocacy of NPOs
MIZOTA Hiromi

American welfare state has been characterized as "American welfare state for the elderly".During New Deal of the 1930s, Roosevelt administration enacted Social Security Law by responding the demand of pension advocacy groups for income security of retired workers. American social policies, age-based system, made a sharp conceptual distinction between "Social Security"as national contributory old-age insurance and "welfare"as subsidized public assistance.
After World War ?,most of European countries established "full employment welfare state".In the US, however, American welfare state was enlarged by the effort of senior advocacy groups, so-called "Gray Lobby",who implemented Aging policy formation including the health insurance for the elderly.
The largest Gray Lobby in the US is AARP, which was founded in 1958, now has 34 million members fifty years of age and older. AARP’s Board of Directors establishes AARP public policies after considering recommendations of AARP volunteer member. Many professionals working in the AARP Public Policy Institute support AARP member, who testify in the Congress. This Advocacy activity to promote civil participation is termed "Nonprofit Advocacy Model" to pursue public interest and should be separated from profit advocacy model to pursue private interest in the arena of Asing Policy formation.

In Japan, since the government provided most of aging programs as public welfare policy, the Japanese elderly were not active to achieve senior rights. However, due to adopting current situations such as increasing aging population, government financial crisis and the change of family style, Japanese government introduced Long-Term Care Insurance, which is a contract-based system. Now the elderly are facing new system of American style. Japanese NPOs are playing important roles to advocate the elderly.

Social Capital and Policy Evaluation using Macro-econometric Model and Regional I-O Appropach in Decentralization Society
NAKAZAWA Jyunji

The purpose of this study is constructing policy evaluation methods for provision of social capital at a local government. The role of policy evaluation in decentralization society is to offer various information in order to make decisions effectively. With the information and insight that evaluation brings, organization and societies will be better able to improve policy for the well-being all. The contents of each chapter are as follows.
Chapter 1 describes the present condition and problems of policy evaluation in Japan. It also discusses meanings and necessities of policy evaluation at a local government in decentralization society.
Chapter 2 provides a macro-econometric model which can analyze interregional relation focused on export and import. It is possible to offer new information required for decision-making about provision of social capital.
Chapter 3 offers a method of the construction of regional I-O table at a small area level, cities, towns and villages. It deals with policy appraisal using regional I-O approach at a small area level.
Chapter 4 gives a framework which can be evaluated by the common concept about provision of social capital. It appreciates this framework, which is the combination of regional I-O approach and cost-benefit analysis, by making Lake Biwa Museum into an example.
Finally, I sum up the major results in this study.

Reformation of Local Government Hospitals and the Effectiveness of Medical PFI: a Case Study on Kohchi Medical Centre in Kohchi Prefecture
NODA Katsuyasu

The Purpose of this paper is the formulation of the public policy to induce PFI procurement process in the public sector, especially in the reconstruction scheme of municipal hospitals in Japan.
The main purpose of PFI is to make public private partnerships possible and to demonstrate value for money (VFM) for expenditure by the public sector.
The best VFM is the optimum combination of whole life cost (life-cycle cost) and benefits.
The best Value in UK is based on the theory that public service is "for the people"and "Peoples First".
In the public sector in Japan, both in the central government and local government, the most of these governments are not in hard unbalanced finance but in financial difficulties since the 1990’s. So, we have to cutback the public expenditure.
Just same in UK and in Japan it is also necessary to satisfy people’s needs in public service with a reduction of public sector expenditure. And I researched the possibility to make outcome performance in public sector by induction of PFI procurement process.
Because of it, I noticed the theory that PFI is effective in public service investment in Japan.
The method of contractual relationships under PFI has some differences from former public construction in Japan and it is necessary to examine whether or not it is a good tool in Japan. And it is necessary to make some proposals for public private partnerships in Japan.
So, I examined the case of"Kochi clinical center"which is the first case of PFI in medical facilities of Japan.

A Study on the Transition of China Market Economy and Environment Policy
RYO Syuzan

With the transition towards market economy, a new situation of environment issue in China appeared. By applying a new approach of decentralization of government and economy, the paper analyzes and discusses the internal relation among the transition of China market economy, the market economy regulation and the environment. It also expounds that the environment policy in China can be characterized as government being the leading factor and administration being dominated. The problems existing in the environment policy in China are analyzed in theory. The author points out that the environment policy in China should be more active to speed up the decentralization in policy and regulation. In this way the policy system can be more fitful to the condition of China and face the new situation of environment issue in the system of market economy. At the end of the paper, a new approach from environment protection to environment creation is put forward. Environment and economy should be developed simultaneously. The approach provides new theoretical basis to the formulation of environment policy and economic policy in developing countries.

The Development of Circulate Processing System for the Wood Disposal (CIPSWOOD) and its Possibility: Basic Study of Recycling Industrial Scheme for the Wood Disposal (RISWOOD)
SHIBATA Akira

The development of a Recycling Industrial Scheme for the Wood Disposal (RISWOOD) using a Circulate Processing System for the Wood Disposal (CIPSWOOD) as its core technique, is a converting method for Wood disposal into charcoal, wood vinegar and biomass energy by pyrolysis as an alternative to burning. The following issues and experiments were studied and investigated:
(1) Basic planning for the CIPSWOOD.
   1. Process planning
   2. Planning of production facilities and analysis of standard cost
   3. Energy calculation
(2)Economical analysis of the processing system for wood disposal using CIPSWOOD.
(3)Basic experiments and analysis to measure the efficiency of the CIPSWOOD.
  1) Measuring the production ratio of pyrolyligneous products for the process of wood disposal:
   1. Water content ratio of wood raw materials
   2. Pyrolyligneous products ratio of wood disposal materials with hard bark
   3. Pyrolyligneous products ratio of normal wood materials
   4. Productions ratio of pyrolyligneous liquid (wood vinegar and wood tar/pitch)
  2) Carbon fixed ratio and retaining carbon ratio of wood pyrolyligneous products
(4) Experiments and analysis for efficacy of utility for agricultural product to use wood pyrolyligneous products produced with CIPSWOOD:
   1. Rice production
   2. White cabbage production
   3. Radish production
(5)Feasibility analysis for efficient utility of wood pyrolyligneous products produced with CIPSWOOD(investigation by questionnaire of local government officers).
(6)Feasibility study for RISWOOD (investigation by questionnaire of local government officers).
(7)Basic planning model of RISWOOD

At the final chapter, using these results of above studies as the basic knowledge, the developing trend(targets) and possibility are explained clearly as "The effects and issues at the future developments of RISWOOD"

Nurturing Civil Society: A Study of Civil Society in Singapore
TANAKA Yoshinori

At present it is quite common to analyze the state of civil society in the countries other than western countries by adopting the concept of civil society in western countries .Nevertheless, this tendency is likely to obscure what is actually occurring in civil society in a particular country.
Likewise, many observers of civil society in Asia analyze civil society in Asian countries by referring to western concept of civil society and thus neglect some problems. The most prominent problem is the fact that many observers tend to ignore the debate over the concept of civil society in each country in Asia. Also, their analysis of civil society in Asia tends to neglect the effect of nation building process in the state of civil society in each Asian country.
Given the above tendency of research on civil society in Asia, the purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to establish a new perspective of civil society in Asia, which aims to overcome the problems associated with the existing literature of civil society in Asia. Therefore, this dissertation aims to analyze the state of civil society in Singapore, where the two important problems mentioned above feature.
The dissertation comprises five chapters. First, the introduction surveys three typical literature on civil society in Asia and highlights the two problems mentioned above, which existing literature confront. Secondly, the chapter 1 analyses the transformation of the regime in Singapore and contends that the policies of the Singapore government have changed from the material-oriented ones to policies, which appeal to the mentality of aspirant Singaporeans. In chapter 2, the current state of civil society in Singapore is analyzed. And the existence of the two versions of civil society namely "Civic Society" promoted by the government and "Civil Society" prompted by civil society organizations is identified. In chapter 3, the author attributes the factor in the current state of civil society in Singapore to a particular content of nation building in Singapore by comparing the state of civil society in Singapore with the one in Malaysia.
In conclusion, the author concludes that the complex state of civil society in Singapore indicates that analyzing the state of civil society in Asian countries by using western concept of civil society is rather inappropriate. Also, the conclusion foresees that the present complex state of civil society in Singapore is likely to continue for the time being.