review 1 in 2006 in the electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies - book review of Sche... more review 1 in 2006 in the electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies - book review of Scher, Mark J. and Naoyuki Yoshino (eds) (2004), Small Savings Mobilization and Asian Economic Development: The Role of the Postal Financial Services, An East Gate Book, Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe
This article analyses the neglected European concept of Cameralism and its effect upon the public... more This article analyses the neglected European concept of Cameralism and its effect upon the public nances (in particular, the special money) of Japan’s Meiji government. The Postal Savings System (PSS) on the one hand and the Deposit Fund on the other— both of which were (and continue to be) operated by the Ministry of Finance (MOF)—constitute a special linkage between privately saved money and publicly invested assets. Analysing the PSS and the Deposit Fund as one state-managed network offers new perspectives and methodologies for the study of public investment. Instead of relying on static cultural or rational explanations, this paper shows ‘why’ and ‘how’ privately deposited assets were co-opted to serve state-de ned ‘public’ goals. As Viviana Zelizer argues in her seminal work on modern money, ‘culture and social structure set inevitable limits to the monetization process by introducing profound controls and restrictions on the ow and liquidity of money’. Zelizer lists four extraeconomic factors which shape and constrain the uses of money: the allocation of money, the control of money, the users of money, and the sources of money. The adoption of the PSS and the creation of the Deposit Fund represent a special linkage between the private use of money (thriftiness and frugality) and the state’s role in manipulating private attitudes towards money for the sake of the public interest. ‘A stable monetary framework is not something that the market can provide itself’; therefore, creating a state-centralised asset which would be based upon individually saved money mirrors the state’s crucial role in the emerging monetary market of the Meiji period. In the rst two decades of the Meiji period, the government fought for stable monetary and scal systems which could nurture the expanding economy’s need for liquid capital. Due to the strongly articulated national economic interests that shaped the Meiji vision, a peculiar monetary and scal structure emerged. This structure served the state’s developmental goals well, but was part of an authoritarian political system where the regular distribution of private assets by ‘public’ bureaucrats took place outside the minimum social consensus in Japanese society. Beginning with the issue of ‘why’, the rst part of the article will discuss the Cameralist science and its adoption by the Meiji government. Next, the article will
in the United States, where the low number of African-bom people from a very early date made it m... more in the United States, where the low number of African-bom people from a very early date made it most difficult for specific African cultural traits to survive. The 'Africanist' school has usefully focused attention on persisting African influences and 'survivals', but, as earlier generations were inclined to acknowledge, the assimilationist theme is an important part of this story. Many African American leaders a century or so ago were inclined to see their past as a balance sheet, with the horrors of slavery on one side and on the other the benefits they perceived in Christianity, education, and other opportunities. Many in Africa have also been inclined to emphasize the positive aspects of the Atlantic encounters.
All those who in the past five years have engaged in research concerning the transitional economy... more All those who in the past five years have engaged in research concerning the transitional economy will probably reconsider their findings after reading this book. A collection of conference papers, it deals with one central question: which measures and &dquo;reforms&dquo; have led to the dissolution of the Party-state and the termination of the planning system. One part of the essays deal with the transformation of the &dquo;mixed&dquo; Hungarian economic and political system, while the other part addresses the economic and socia consequences of the Chinese economic reforms. While the dissolution of the Hungarian planning system already started, according to some economic historians, with the stabilization following the repression uf the 1956 Revolution, the real in-depth reforms in China only started after Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power. A comparison between Hungary and China (at least according to Andrew Widcr, the author of the introductory study) is possible mainly because of the economic reforms in these countries.
electronic journal of contemporary japanese …, 2002
The book is a useful text for scholars because it raises the most important of scholarly topics ... more The book is a useful text for scholars because it raises the most important of scholarly topics the effect of "change" on a nation's economy. However, while the book is a very well written and extensive volume, it largely fails to address some of the major issues facing the ...
electronic journal of contemporary japanese …, 2007
This particular book, Reviving Japan's Economy: Problems and Prescriptions, was born in 2002... more This particular book, Reviving Japan's Economy: Problems and Prescriptions, was born in 2002 in Tokyo. It soon became a project coordinated by Columbia University and the University of Tokyo and, after several workshops and revisions, the manuscript was completed in ...
electronic journal of contemporary japanese …, 2004
Scholars rarely analyse the decision making of financial and monetary authorities. If they choose... more Scholars rarely analyse the decision making of financial and monetary authorities. If they choose this complicated topic, their research usually results in two different outcomes. Some scholars target a large, non-expert audience and books in this category usually enjoy quick but ...
review 1 in 2006 in the electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies - book review of Sche... more review 1 in 2006 in the electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies - book review of Scher, Mark J. and Naoyuki Yoshino (eds) (2004), Small Savings Mobilization and Asian Economic Development: The Role of the Postal Financial Services, An East Gate Book, Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe
This article analyses the neglected European concept of Cameralism and its effect upon the public... more This article analyses the neglected European concept of Cameralism and its effect upon the public nances (in particular, the special money) of Japan’s Meiji government. The Postal Savings System (PSS) on the one hand and the Deposit Fund on the other— both of which were (and continue to be) operated by the Ministry of Finance (MOF)—constitute a special linkage between privately saved money and publicly invested assets. Analysing the PSS and the Deposit Fund as one state-managed network offers new perspectives and methodologies for the study of public investment. Instead of relying on static cultural or rational explanations, this paper shows ‘why’ and ‘how’ privately deposited assets were co-opted to serve state-de ned ‘public’ goals. As Viviana Zelizer argues in her seminal work on modern money, ‘culture and social structure set inevitable limits to the monetization process by introducing profound controls and restrictions on the ow and liquidity of money’. Zelizer lists four extraeconomic factors which shape and constrain the uses of money: the allocation of money, the control of money, the users of money, and the sources of money. The adoption of the PSS and the creation of the Deposit Fund represent a special linkage between the private use of money (thriftiness and frugality) and the state’s role in manipulating private attitudes towards money for the sake of the public interest. ‘A stable monetary framework is not something that the market can provide itself’; therefore, creating a state-centralised asset which would be based upon individually saved money mirrors the state’s crucial role in the emerging monetary market of the Meiji period. In the rst two decades of the Meiji period, the government fought for stable monetary and scal systems which could nurture the expanding economy’s need for liquid capital. Due to the strongly articulated national economic interests that shaped the Meiji vision, a peculiar monetary and scal structure emerged. This structure served the state’s developmental goals well, but was part of an authoritarian political system where the regular distribution of private assets by ‘public’ bureaucrats took place outside the minimum social consensus in Japanese society. Beginning with the issue of ‘why’, the rst part of the article will discuss the Cameralist science and its adoption by the Meiji government. Next, the article will
in the United States, where the low number of African-bom people from a very early date made it m... more in the United States, where the low number of African-bom people from a very early date made it most difficult for specific African cultural traits to survive. The 'Africanist' school has usefully focused attention on persisting African influences and 'survivals', but, as earlier generations were inclined to acknowledge, the assimilationist theme is an important part of this story. Many African American leaders a century or so ago were inclined to see their past as a balance sheet, with the horrors of slavery on one side and on the other the benefits they perceived in Christianity, education, and other opportunities. Many in Africa have also been inclined to emphasize the positive aspects of the Atlantic encounters.
All those who in the past five years have engaged in research concerning the transitional economy... more All those who in the past five years have engaged in research concerning the transitional economy will probably reconsider their findings after reading this book. A collection of conference papers, it deals with one central question: which measures and &dquo;reforms&dquo; have led to the dissolution of the Party-state and the termination of the planning system. One part of the essays deal with the transformation of the &dquo;mixed&dquo; Hungarian economic and political system, while the other part addresses the economic and socia consequences of the Chinese economic reforms. While the dissolution of the Hungarian planning system already started, according to some economic historians, with the stabilization following the repression uf the 1956 Revolution, the real in-depth reforms in China only started after Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power. A comparison between Hungary and China (at least according to Andrew Widcr, the author of the introductory study) is possible mainly because of the economic reforms in these countries.
electronic journal of contemporary japanese …, 2002
The book is a useful text for scholars because it raises the most important of scholarly topics ... more The book is a useful text for scholars because it raises the most important of scholarly topics the effect of "change" on a nation's economy. However, while the book is a very well written and extensive volume, it largely fails to address some of the major issues facing the ...
electronic journal of contemporary japanese …, 2007
This particular book, Reviving Japan's Economy: Problems and Prescriptions, was born in 2002... more This particular book, Reviving Japan's Economy: Problems and Prescriptions, was born in 2002 in Tokyo. It soon became a project coordinated by Columbia University and the University of Tokyo and, after several workshops and revisions, the manuscript was completed in ...
electronic journal of contemporary japanese …, 2004
Scholars rarely analyse the decision making of financial and monetary authorities. If they choose... more Scholars rarely analyse the decision making of financial and monetary authorities. If they choose this complicated topic, their research usually results in two different outcomes. Some scholars target a large, non-expert audience and books in this category usually enjoy quick but ...
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