"A Comparative Gender Analysis of Livelihood Security Systems - Faces of the Global Knowledge Economy and Social Exclusion"

OSAWA, Mari  Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo - Professor

What is the current state of social exclusion issues such as poverty, unemployment, informalization of the labor market and difficulties in reproduction?
What are current trends in Livelihood Security System reforms that fight against social exclusion?

This project carries out comparative gender analyses for Japan, Korea, Germany, and Sweden through combining approaches of “livelihood security system” and “social exclusion”.

Since the mid 1970s the economy has become more and more globalized and post-industrialization has been progressing particularly in advanced industrial nations, where the importance of the service sector has increased and production bases of the manufacturing sector been increasingly transferred abroad.Under such circumstances, it has been recognized that capitalism per se is not uniform or monolithic and the theory of “Varieties of Capitalism” has been developed, distinguishing two major types of market economy, the “liberal market economy” and the “coordinated market economy”.On the other hand, the conventional livelihood security system relying on the welfare state is said to have reached a deadlock.Welfare states cannot cope with newly emerging social risks, and “social exclusion” that makes it hard for many people to make a living and participate in society has been observed.

Against such backdrop this project will pick up the above-mentioned four countries among those classified as coordinated market economies in the theory of varieties of capitalism, and identify the reality of social exclusion, including poverty, unemployment, shrinking full-time employment, and difficulty in fostering the next-generation workforce as well as the trend of innovations introduced in the livelihood security system with a view to overcoming social exclusion. Furthermore, we also look at the institutions and practices of social economy or the third sector that are considered as effective actors for livelihood security.We will conduct surveys and research through field work in the United Kingdom, Italy and some other countries, and by other means to discover the relative importance in the economy of social economy,including community businesses, cooperatives, mutual aid association, social cooperatives, and social enterprises. The surveys and research will also take into account functions of social economy in securing people’s livelihood security (including the job creation effect, the labor market integration effect, and the ripple effect on regional economy).

This project holds a general meeting involving those cooperating overseas on a regular basis to promote an intensive exchange of research outputs and perspectives. Sessions where interim reports on research outcome are presented so as to obtain inputs from outside the project members are also organized as much as possible at conferences of major international academic associations.

In September 2008, we held a panel where main members presented at the Forum of the International Sociological Association held in Barcelona. Also in November, one of the research members presented her research outcome at the “ISS GCOE” seminar. (“The Institute of Social Science COE” seminar is scheduled to be held about once a month.)

We will hold an international symposium in Tokyo in February 28, 2009, and an intensive workshop and public symposium in September 2009 in cooperation with the University of Bremen and the Hanse Institute of Advanced Science. In fiscal 2010, we will hold a public symposium in Seoul and discuss the drafts of outcome reports. Throughout each fiscal year, we are planning to hold sessions at the International Sociological Association, International Association for Feminist Economics, East Asian Social Policy Research Network, American Sociological Association, as well as at the Society for the Study of Social Policy of Japan.

Karen Shire  Universität Duisburg, Comparative Sociology and Japanese Society in the Institutes of Sociology and East Asian Studies - Professor
Karin Gottschall  Universität Bremen, Centre for Social Policy Research - Professor
Margarita Estévez-Abe  Syracuse University, Maxwell School - Associate Professor
MIYAMOTO, Taro  Hokkaido University, School of Law - Professor
KIM, Young  Pusan National University, Department of Sociology - Professor
SOMA, Naoko  Yokohama National University, International Graduate School of Social Sciencs - Associate Professor
TAKAMATSU, Kana  University of Tokyo, Institute of Social Science - Research Associate
KANAI, Kaoru  Saitama University, Faculty of Economics- Lecturer
FUKUSHI, Masahiro  Tokyo Keizai University, Faculty of Economics - Professor
TANAKA, Natsuko  Tsuru University, Faculty of Letters - Professor
SAKURAI, Isamu  JA General Research Institute - Chief Researcher
KURIMOTO, Akira  Consumer Co-operative Institute of Japan - Chief Researcher
YAMAGUCHI, Kohei  Consumer Co-operative Institute of Japan - Researcher
IMAI, Takako  Seikei University, Faculty of Law - Instructor
Park, HeeSook  Asahikawa University - Instructor
SUNG, Eunsoo  University of Tokyo - Ph.D. Student
TATEI, Junko  Research Division, Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office
MIHASHI, Maki