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Akai-sensai-OSIPP

AKAI, Nobuo

Field of Research

Public Economics

Research Topics

Public Economics, Public Administration, Public Finance, Fiscal Decentralization, Public Governance

Overview of Research

In public economics, the mechanisms underlying “market failures” are theoretically and empirically studied both to consider potential government interventions to correct them and to design systems to correct for “government failures,” when the government unsuccessfully intervenes to correct a market failure. In my research, I specifically study the relationship between the roles of the central (national) and local (prefectural and municipal) governments in Japanese public finance. The national government creates various laws and systems about what should be done by local governments, considering that those actions are carried out locally. In economic terms, the relathionship between national and local governments could be regarded as a principle-agent relationship. Asymmetry in information and externalities among governments can result in a government failure. The bankruptcy of the Yubari government in Hokkaido could be said to have resulted from such a failure. We are conducting theoretical and empirical studies to explore what a governance system within this intergovernmental relationship should be designed. Research promoting the effective systems to navigate governmental behaviors is important given that inefficient financial management results in deficit spending, ultimately passing today’s debts onto future generations. As can be seen from the following figure, compared to the rest of the world, Japan’s public finances are unsustainable, with revenue significantly lower than expenditures. To remedy this situation, it will be important to 1) think of ways to balance revenue and expenditures, 2) limit expenditures to only those that are truly necessary, and 3) secure more financing (tax revenue).

Source: Akai, N. (Editor). (2017). Practical Public Finance: Theory and Policy. Yuhikaku Publishing

 

Message to Students

To design a better governance system, it is essential to theoretically and empirically analyze how the current system incentivizes the relevant entities and what types of behavior it encourages. If, based on game theory, a behavioral hypothesis can be derived and those results can be objectively supported by data, convincing public policy proposals could be made to improve system designs. However, students will frequently encounter cases in which different data lead to different results. That will likely require a revisiting of the original theoretical perspective to explain where the differences are coming from and to propose another hypothesis that integrates new elements to strengthen one’s argument. It is my hope that students will learn this practice as part of their training at OSIPP.

AKAI, Nobuo 
Professor
Degree: Ph.D. in Economics (Osaka University)
akai@osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp

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OSIPP Faculty

AKAI, Nobuo

Professor
Public Economics
Hasao-sensei-OSIPP-Osaka-University

HASUO, Ikuyo 

Professor
Global Governance, International Public Administration

HAWKINS, Virgil

Professor
International Politics, Media Studies

HOSHINO, Toshiya

Professor
International Politics, United Nations Studies

ISHISE, Hirokazu

Associate Professor
Macroeconomics, International Economics

KAMADA, Takuma

Associate Professor
Criminology, Urban Sociology, Social Inequality
Kawamura-professor-OSIPP-Osaka-University

KAWAMURA, Michiya

Associate Professor
Multiculturalism, Liberalism, Migration

KIDO, Eiichi

Professor
Contemporary German Politics, Peace Studies

KIKUTA, Kyosuke

Associate Professor
Political Science, International Relations, Conflict Studies

KITAMURA, Shuhei

Associate Professor
Economic Development, Political Economy, Experimental Economics

KOHARA, Miki

Professor
Labor Economics, Applied Econometrics

MATSUBAYASHI, Tetsuya

Professor
Political Science, Political Economics, Social Epidemiology

MATSUNO, Akihisa

Professor
International Politics, Conflict Studies

MATSUSHIGE, Hisakazu

Professor
Labor Economics, Economics of Education, Human Resource Management

MAYAMA, Akira

Professor
International Law

MINAMI, Kazushi

Associate Professor
Modern East Asia, U.S. Foreign Relations, International History

MURAKAMI, Masanao

Professor
International Law

MUROOKA, Takeshi

Associate Professor
Psychology and Economics, Industrial Organization, Microeconomic Theory

NISUGI, Kento

Associate Professor
International Law

NAKAJIMA, Hiroo

Professor
History of American Foreign Relations, International History

OKUBO, Kunihiko

Professor
Civil Law

OTSUKI, Tsunehiro

Professor
Development Economics

SAIRENJI, Takayuki

Associate Professor
EU Law

SAITA, Yumi

Assistant Professor
Macro Economics

SUNAGA, Miho

Assistant Professor

Macro Economics
takahashi

TAKAHASHI, Hidenori

Associate Professor

Empirical Industrial Organization

TAKII, Katsuya

Professor
Economics of Human Resource Allocation, Economics of Human Capital and Organization, Search and Matching Theory

WANI, Kentaro

Associate Professor
International Law

YAMADA, Yasuhiro

Professor
Contemporary History of U.S. Foreign Relations
OSIPP-Yamauchi-sensei-OU

YAMAUCHI, Naoto

Professor
Public Economics, Policy Evaluation, Empirical Studies on Education, Health, International Cooperation and Social Capital
Assistant-professor-Jiachen-Yang-OSIPP

YANG, Jiachen

Assistant Professor
Software Engineering

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