Amakudari: The Hidden Fabric of Japan's Economy Contributor(s): Colignon, Richard A. (Author), Usui, Chikako (Author) |
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ISBN: 0801440831 ISBN-13: 9780801440830 Publisher: Cornell University Press OUR PRICE: $62.32 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: May 2003 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Business & Economics | Corporate & Business History - General - Business & Economics | Government & Business - History | Asia - Japan |
Dewey: 322.309 |
LCCN: 2002152814 |
Series: Ilr Press Books |
Physical Information: 0.85" H x 6.6" W x 9.2" (1.06 lbs) 240 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: The widespread migration of civil servants to high-profile positions in the private and public sectors is known in Japan as amakudari, or descent from heaven. Recent media stories associate the practice with corruption as the former officials seek government favors for their new employers. In their timely book, Richard A. Colignon and Chikako Usui offer the first systematic exploration of this influential yet poorly understood Japanese institution.Colignon and Usui analyze amakudari as a ministry-level phenomenon that is consciously constructed and reproduced with intricate networks in many political and corporate spheres. Drawing on five decades of qualitative and quantitative data delineating the post-retirement careers of leading bureaucrats, they examine changes in traditional job patterns. Although not as strong a force as in the 1960s and 1970s, amakudari, in their view, remains a critical feature of Japanese society and heavily shapes the relationship between government and business.The authors warn that despite the Japanese media criticism of amakudari, it comprises a power structure resistant to radical change. Most important, their book demonstrates that a gradual weakening of this practice may not lead to a more democratic, meritocratic society. |
Contributor Bio(s): Usui, Chikako: - Chikako Usui is Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Graduate Program in Gerontology, and Center for International Studies, University of Missouri-St. Louis.Colignon, Richard A.: - Richard A. Colignon is Professor in the Department of Sociology and The Center for Social and Public Policy, Duquesne University. He is the author of Power Plays: Critical Events in the Institutionalization of the Tennessee Valley Authority. |