Revitalizing the Japanese Economy by Socializing Risk
26 Pages Posted: 19 Dec 2010 Last revised: 19 Feb 2011
Date Written: December 5, 2010
Abstract
The almost continuous stagnation of the Japanese economy for the past two decades has had an adverse impact on Japanese households from at least three perspectives: A decline in the standard of living, an increase in risks and uncertainties relating to livelihood, employment, old age, etc., and an increase in income inequality. The majority of economists and policymakers focus their attention on the increase in income inequality. The research discussed here, however, focuses on the increase in risk and uncertainty among households and individuals. Based on this research, we propose a shift to a policy regime centering on the socialization of risk, which will make possible a transition from a society in which individuals bear excessive risks to one in which risk is shared equitably by society as a whole.
Keywords: Japanese economy, Policy regimes, Liberal regime, Social democratic regime, Conservative regime, Economic risks, Risk-coping mechanisms, Risk sharing, Socialization of risk, Social welfare, Redistribution, Government expenditures, Income gap, Income disparities, Income inequalities, Discrimination
JEL Classification: G20, H11, H50, I38, J08, J70, P10, P51
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Is the Japanese Extended Family Altruistically Linked? A Test Based on Engel Curves
-
Are the Japanese Unique? An Analysis of Consumption and Saving Behavior in Japan
-
Bequest Taxes and Accumulation of Household Wealth: U.S. - Japan Comparison
By Thomas A. Barthold and Takatoshi Ito
-
Aging, Saving, and Public Pensions in Japan
By Charles Yuji Horioka, Wataru Suzuki, ...