Party politics,elections and (mis-)trust in Japan

Abstract

Trust matters profoundly for many dimensions of political life. In this article we focus on political trust: how the trust or mistrust citizens have toward the political process, politicians and government affects politics. Prior research has shown that political trust influences such crucial dimensions of politics as the basic legitimacy of government, political participation, voting behavior, compliance with government, and reform orientation. In this article, we seek to answer three major questions. First, is political trust declining in Japan? Second, we are interested in exploring the determinants of trust and distrust in politics: why do people lose trust in politics? What kinds of voters lose political trust? Third, we explore the consequences: what happens when people lose trust in government and politics.     

日本的行政改革及启示

日本的行政改革是在经济低迷与政局混乱中启动并完成的.其改革内容是全面的,体现了市场化、分权化与绩效化的趋向,在行政机构重新设置的过程中,完成了对传统官僚制的根本性改造,同时还实现了政府职能的重新清理与定位.改革过程中突出政治领导,充分利用内生动力,并尽力遏制部门利益,以及最终强化了政府首脑及内阁府的行政权力和综合协调功能等做法与结果为各国的行政改革提供了一定的借鉴与参考.