The Politics of Oligarchy (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions): Ramseyer/Rosenbluth: 9780521636490: Amazon.com: Books

The Politics of Oligarchy (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions): Ramseyer/Rosenbluth: 9780521636490: Amazon.com: Books





This book examines a key question of modern Japanese politics: why the Meiji oligarchs were unable to design institutions capable of protecting their power. The authors question why the oligarchs chose the political institutions they did, and what the consequences of those choices were for Japan's political competition, economic development, and diplomatic relations. Indeed, they argue, it was the oligarchs' very inability to agree among themselves on how to rule that prompted them to cut the military loose from civilian control--a decision that was to have disastrous consequences not only for Japan but for the rest of the world.

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The Politics of Oligarchy

John Ramseyer (ramseyer@law.harvard.edu) and Frances McCall Rosenbluth

in Cambridge Books from Cambridge University Press

Abstract: In the latter-half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, Japan underwent two major shifts in political control. In the 1910s, the power of the oligarchy was eclipsed by that of a larger group of professional politicians; in the 1930s, the focus of power shifted again, this time to a set of independent military leaders. 

In this book, Ramseyer and Rosenbluth examine a key question of modern Japanese politics: why the Meiji oligarchs were unable to design institutions capable of protecting their power. The authors question why the oligarchs chose the political institutions they did, and what the consequences of those choices were for Japan's political competition, economic development, and diplomatic relations. Indeed, they argue, it was the oligarchs' very inability to agree among themselves on how to rule that prompted them to cut the military loose from civilian control - a decision that was to have disastrous consequences not only for Japan but for the rest of the world.

Date: 1998

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The Politics of Oligarchy (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions) Paperback – January 12, 2008
by Ramseyer/Rosenbluth (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 1 rating

Editorial Reviews

Review
"What do Ramseyer and Rosenbluth contribute to our knowledge with this work? Two things merit attention in our opinion. First, they offer striking data to support their contention that politcal parties demonstrably affected the path of bureaucratic careers during the 1920's and 1930s....Second, we believe that Ramseyer and Rosenbluth are asking some of the right systematic-level questions. How did the system function, and what mechanisms supported its function? How was change achieved in the system? " Joseph Gownder and Robert Pekkanen, Journal of Japanese Studies

"This book will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand modern Japan. It should be in all college and university libraries. The book is accessible to undergraduates, but will be of most use when read in conrast to more conventional treatments of modern Japan." Bernadette Lanciaux, Review of Radical Political Economics

"The combination of a simple and clear economic model of politics with a carefully researched, detailed and nuanced array of empirical evidence makes this book both a compelling volume and a good read. ...a compelling account of why Japanese politics was not so very different after all...." Ellen Comisso, Jrnl of Comparative Economics

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Book Description

This book examines a key question of modern Japanese politics: why the Meiji oligarchs were unable to design institutions capable of protecting their power. The authors question why the oligarchs chose the political institutions they did, and what the consequences of those choices were for Japan's political competition, economic development, and diplomatic relations. Indeed, they argue, it was the oligarchs very inability to agree among themselves on how to rule that prompted them to cut the military loose from civilian controloa decision that was to have disastrous consequences not only for Japan but for the rest of the world.

From the Back Cover

In the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, Japan underwent two major shifts in political control. In the 1910s, the power of the oligarchy was eclipsed by that of a larger group of professional politicians. In the 1930s, the locus of power shifted again, this time to a set of independent military leaders. In The Politics of Oligarchy, J. Mark Ramseyer and Frances M. Rosenbluth examine a key question of modern Japanese politics: Why were the Meiji oligarchs unable to design institutions capable of protecting their power? Using an analytical framework for oligarchic governments not specific to Japan, the authors ask why the oligarchs chose the political institutions they did, and what consequences those choices engendered for Japan's political competition, economic development, and diplomatic relations. Ramseyer and Rosenbluth argue that understanding these shifts in power may clarify the general dynamics of oligarchic government, as well as theoretical aspects of the relationship between institutional structure and regime change.

Product details

Publisher : Cambridge University Press (January 12, 2008)
Language : English
Paperback : 248 pages


Customer reviews
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ひらりん
5.0 out of 5 stars 日本政治史研究の必読書Reviewed in Japan on December 15, 2003
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本書は、アメリカ政治学会が1997年度比較政治学部門の最優秀賞に選んだほど、評判の一冊です。他国との比較において、しばしば「日本例外論」が言われますが、彼らは、近年政治学で主流となりつつある、合理的選択の立場から戦前の日本政治の権力構造を描いており、これまでの研究を覆す主張を行っています。より具体的には、明治憲法などの制度的要因を中心にして、1900年代のはじめにオリガーク（藩閥エリート）→政党政治家、1930年代に政党政治家→軍と、二度のパワーシフトが生じた背景を明らかにしようとしています。天皇の役割を軽視しすぎているなどの批判も可能でしょうが、日本政治史に関心のある人にとっては、必読の書ではないかと思います。

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이 책은 미국 정치 학회가 1997 년도 비교 정치학 부문 최우수상에 선택한만큼 명성의 한권입니다. 타국과의 비교에서 종종 "일본 예외 론 '이 알려져 있지만, 그들은 최근 정치학에서 주류가되고있는 합리적 선택의 입장에서 전쟁의 일본 정치의 권력 구조를 그리고있어 지금까지 연구를 뒤집는 주장을하고 있습니다. 보다 구체적으로는 메이지 헌법 등의 제도적 요인을 중심으로 1900 년대 초에 오리가쿠 (번의 파벌 엘리트) → 정당 정치가, 1930 년대 정당 정치 → 군과 두번의 파워 시프트가 생긴 배경을 밝혔다하려고합니다. 천황의 역할을 너무 경시하는 등의 비판도 가능 하겠지만 일본 정치사에 관심이있는 사람에게는 필독서가 아닐까 생각합니다.

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