1. External ideas or traditional values? A reappraisal of Japanese 'neoliberal' reforms.
- Author
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Sala, Adrienne, Haruna, Nobuo, and Campagnolo, Gilles
- Subjects
MUTUAL aid ,NEOLIBERALISM ,POLITICAL agenda ,REFORMS ,NINETEENTH century ,SELF-help techniques ,IDEOLOGICAL conflict ,CONFLICT of interests - Abstract
In Japan, the so-called neoliberal-inspired transition generally refers to an ideological agenda. However, one should distinguish between neoliberal reforms carried out in accordance with a political agenda and the genuine local evolution of ideas based on the influence of foreign thinkers. By leveraging key notions such as 'individual responsibility' (jiko sekinin), 'self-help' (jijo), 'mutual aid' (kyōjo) and 'public aid' (kōjo), this paper accounts for older roots of Japanese-style neoliberalism. It highlights how, throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, predating current liberal norms, certain notions preceded contemporary liberal ideas and served as a discursive framework, while others became intertwined with 'foreign' ideas as they permeated the political discourse. It illuminates how shorter-term politics characterized by conflicts of interest and political strategies fit within longer-term political notions and their ideological evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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