NIRA News, No.8 August 2005

[Research Trends]

[Completed Research Projects]

* Research on the Establishment of a Municipal Administrative Evaluation Forum (tentative title)

In recent years, many local governments have endeavored to introduce evaluation procedures in order to improve the efficiency of administrative management. The evaluation standards, however, are applied independently, and therefore, a common platform whereby local governments are able to exchange their evaluation results is necessary.

With reference to the measures taken by the Center for Performance Measurement (CPM) of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), U.S.A., a proposal for establishing a municipal administrative evaluation forum (tentative title) using the NIRA benchmarking model was designed based on the cooperation of local government officials and researchers in this field.

The forum will serve as a venue for diverse actors to develop discussions on administrative data and the results of their analysis from a wide range of perspectives and also by comparing the municipalities. As a result of the discussions, it is expected to explore clues for improving the services provided and operational procedures taken by local governments. The forum will be composed of local governments, members of the Local Think Tank Council, Japan Institute for Urban Policy and NIRA. Preparations are underway to establish the forum in the fall of 2005. The forum will also accumulate administrative data and analysis results, and collect information on the municipalities that succeeded in improving operational procedures. At the same time, the forum will sponsor conventions and workshops.

[New Research Projects]

* Strategic Vision for Implementing Integration in the East Asian Financial Market

The rapid progress of globalization has facilitated free competition among nations and regions. In this climate, obtaining funds and efficiency in the circulation process have become fundamental to all industries. As a result, there is growing demand for improving the quality of soft infrastructure in the financial market.

The European Union (EU) has made pioneering attempts aiming to establish a common soft infrastrucuture in the financial market by accumulating both consultations and achievements. Similarly, in East Asia the establishment of a common soft infrastrucutre in the region's financial market has become an urgent priority.

The project's study group will be chaired by Professor Hideki Kanda of the University of Tokyo and participated in by researchers and policy specialists from Japan and South Korea. Participants will jointly endeavor to reexamine the importance of a common East Asian financial market.

In addition, with reference to the EU as a pioneering case, an integrated financial market appropriate for the region will be explored. Concurrently, the optimal direction of collaboration essential to establishing an integrated market will be studied. This project aims to present a grand design and action plan for creating a strategic vision for the establishment of a soft infrastructure.

* Confidence Building in the East Asian Sea

In light of the progress of regional integration as exemplified by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU), it is time for the nations in East Asia to implement substantial regional integration and establish the framework necessary for its implementation. This is considered the task which the region must implemlent in the early portion of the twenty-first century. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to shift from the conventional perspective that is land-oriented. A perspective oriented on the East Asian Sea focusing on its history is essential given that the East Asian Sea, the sea of fertility, is shared in common by the nations of the region.

Regarding the strained relations among East Asian nations, which is being aggravated periodically by territorial and historical issues, the necessity and feasibility of building confidence in the region will be explored focusing on the sea shared by the nations, together with measures that will contribute to building confidence. This project will provide a venue for discussions, in which specialists in the field will participate, in pursuit of these objectives. In the first year of this three-year project, socio-economic data will be collected from the nations of the region which will then be analyzed from a macro-economic perspective concentrating on comparative advantage and mutual complementarity. In addition, micro-data quantitative analyses will be developed using the results of existing opinion polls such as the Asian barameter. Also a descriptive analyses will be carried out using the textbooks of each nation. The target areas of the research include Japan, China, South Korea, major ASEAN nations and the Oceania nations.

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