Changes in Welfare-employment Regime and their Impact on Group Politics in Japan

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The purpose of this project is to clarify how changes in the welfare-employment regime have impacted on the reconstruction of group politics in Japan, and conversely, how this very reconstitution of the political process has accelerated changes in the welfare-employment regime. By a cross-national examination of studies on institutional change, interest groups study, and public opinion polls, this project aims to demonstrate that recent developments in the welfare-employment regime have reduced the influence of construction industry associations and trade unions which has in turn, due to the dependence of the Japanese employment regime on the activity of these groups, led to the further destabilization of the employment regime. In addition, this project sees the possibility of a new group politics in some local areas, where non-profit social enterprises are playing important roles in the realization of social inclusion.