Program (March 2, 9:00-12:30)

Welcome Speech (9:00-9:10)
 
Part I: Democracy in the World (9:10-10:30)
Can We Sustain Democratic Societies?
(1)  Keynote Speech (15 min)

(2)  Comments

(3)  Discussion
 
Intermission (10:30-10:50)
 
Part II: Democracy and Economy in Japan (10:50-12:10)
Why Is It Difficult to Sustain Democratic Societies?
(1)  Keynote Speech (15 min)

(2)  Comments

(3)  Discussion
 
Closing Speech (12:10-12:20) 

Theme

     In the past 20 years, the population in democratic states has been shrinking to about 30% of the world population, by the rise of authoritarian governments and failure of maintaining democracy in developing and underdeveloped countries.  Sustainability of the democratic societies is now under question.
     This phenomenon suggests that there exists some vulnerability in the democratic system. It may lead to self-destruction of democratic societies and may be targeted by those who try to ruin the democratic regime. Various shocks such as COVID-19 pandemic, Russian aggression against Ukraine, a rise of geopolitical risks in East Asia, and the climate change due to global warming can be factors or triggers to induce further decay of the democratic societies.
　　In this symposium, based on our research in the interdisciplinary project (in Economics, Global Governance and Public Law) “Risk, Network and Democracy: Institutional Designs for Sustainable Society and Economy,” we discuss sustainability of the democratic societies from the following two perspectives:
(1)  Why is it difficult to sustain democratic societies?
(2)  Can we sustain and expand the democratic societies in the world？
     In the discussion, we pay attention to problems and roles of Japan, as an important democratic country in Asia, in improving the sustainability of the democratic societies in the world.
     We start with discussion on the democracy in the world in relation to various risks we are facing now. Then, we ask if democracy can be sustainable in Japan to discuss policies to improve resilience of the democratic societies in the world.

 Brief Profiles of Panelists in Part I

 

Dr. Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. His research focuses on democratic trends and conditions around the world and on policies and reforms to defend and advance democracy. His latest book, Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency (2019) analyzes challenges confronting liberal democracy in the United States and around the world. 

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Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu assumed her position as Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs on 1 May 2017.  Prior to taking on this post, Ms. Nakamitsu served as Assistant Administrator of the Crisis Response Unit at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2014. She has many years of experience within and outside the United Nations system. Ms. Nakamitsu was Professor of International Relations at Hitotsubashi University between 2005 and 2008.
 
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Dr. Maiko Ichihara is a professor in the Graduate School of Law and School of International and Public Policy at Hitotsubashi University. She is a steering committee member of the World Movement for Democracy, East Asia Democracy Forum, and Partnership for Democratic Governance (Japan). She has undertaken research on international relations, democracy support, and Japanese foreign policy. She is the author of Japan’s International Democracy Assistance as Soft Power: Neoclassical Realist Analysis (2017).

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 Brief Profiles of Panelists in Part II

 

Dr. Shinji Yamashige is a professor at School of International and Public Policy, and Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University. He is the principal investigator of the research project “Risk, Network and Democracy: Institutional Designs for Sustainable Society and Economy” funded by Grants‐in‐aid for Scientific Research. The Japanese version of his book, Economic Analysis of Families and Society: The Transformation of Japanese Society and Public Policies (2017), won the Nikkei Prize for Excellent Books in Economic Science in 2013.

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Dr. Jay Rosengard, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, has forty-five years of international experience designing, implementing, and evaluating development policies. He is a Faculty Affiliate of both the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and the Center for International Development.  He has worked for a wide variety of multilateral and bilateral donors. He is the co-author of Economics of the Public Sector, 4th ed. (2015) with Joseph E. Stiglitz.
 
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Dr. Motohiro Sato is a professor at the Graduate School of Economics and School of International and Public Policy, and the director of the Research Center for Health Policy and Economics (Hias-Health), Hitotsubashi University. His areas of expertise include public economics, local public finance and health economics. His book Economics of Local Grant Tax (in Japanese; 2004) won the Nikkei Prize for Excellent Books in Economic Science in 2004 and Reformation of Local Tax (in Japanese, 2011) won the Mainichi Economist Prize in 2011.

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