[Research Trends]
[New Research Projects]
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Research Institute: Architects, Regional Planners & Associates (Kyoto) and six other research institutes (joint research)
Research Period: October 2004 - December 2005
Background and Purpose of the Project
Based on the current situation in which the progress of globalization accelerates the movement towards regionalization, this research project aims to explore the way towards regional rejuvenation. This project aims at a style of regional rejuvenation that assumes an openness to the international community, while at the same time making optimal use of each region's unique characteristics.
If the development of the uniqueness of regions' histories and culture as well as that of the individual cities constituting those regions is limited to the regional level, it would be hard to say that their value is fully utilized. It is necessary to evaluate value relatively and objectively from connection to and association with the outside world. Further, individual regions should identify their own strong and weak points and strategically promote regional development.
This project will consider models that will enable regions to realize small (or large) global cities by establishing international networks and new regional communities with an internationalized perspective, while they resolve their individual issues and view their further development. In addition, this project will consider appropriate systems to support efforts that will enable Japanese regions with various strengths to use their ingenuity and display their uniqueness in global competition. In doing this, the project will actively introduce local input.
Specifically, this project will formulate "model strategies" and policy proposals to realize communities that are internationally open and are suitable for the "great exchange era" based on the following five activities:
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(1) Implement various kinds of questionnaire surveys. The project will conduct interviews with the pertinent organizations to grasp case examples of strategies to establish communities open to foreign nations.
(2) Analyze success factors drawn from the examples, establish themes, and consider the patterns of activating models.
(3) Propose comprehensive strategic package models based on theme-specific model patterns.
(4) Improve the existing systems to support comprehensive strategies or to propose new strategies.
(5) Hold theme-specific meetings in each region and regional joint conferences.
[NIRA Topics]
New Publications
Almanac of Think Tanks in Japan 2005
(Available only in Japanese)
The Almanac of Think Tanks in Japan 2005 presents an outline of 326 Japanese policy research organizatons (including policy research institutes attached to universities and local public groups) and the research results of 4,237 projects completed in fiscal 2003. In this year's edition, the "Survey of Think Tank Trends" (the results of which are presented in the almanac's first chapter) was conducted with a special focus on "dissemination and utilization of information in think tanks" in addition to the annual "fixed-point survey."
The almanac provides useful information for policy-making, establishing research plans, selecting research organizations to which to grant projects and searching for employment opportunities.
"Information on Japanese think tanks" is also disseminated on NIRA's website. Information on policy research institutes listed in the Almanac of Think Tanks in Japan 2004 and the research results presented to date by the almanac of approximately 71,000 projects are available. We hope that these data will be utilized together with the new almanac.
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