Purpose

It has been quite rare to have a serious dialogue between scholars doing practical studies on social development & assistances and theoretical studies on institutional designs & norms, while they share core research interests on individuals’ well-beings under various risks and adversities. In this joint project with HIAS and IPSP, we would like to focus on interaction between “reciprocity” and “publicness,” with a perspective of integrating knowledge of social sciences. They are crucial aspects in both social development & assistance and institutional design & norms.

For example, the Great Tohoku Earthquake on March 11^th, 2011, triggered an unprecedented attention to the ‘reciprocal’ relationship such as bonds, connections and supports among residents including those with severe sufferings and disadvantages. Another social concern is the official introduction in 2022 of the Public Studies (on public spirits), to the national high school curriculum. However, the relation between these two is far from obvious. There is a risk of increased reciprocity diminishing the role of the public, or of the expanding public eroding reciprocity in local contexts. On what conditions can they complement each other? How do they relate to individual freedom, responsibility and capabilities? These are indeed underlying problems based on which we have to reexamine the conception of the welfare state.

This project will be a fruitful occasion for public discussion to critically reexamine social progress and provide a vision toward future.

Message from IPSP

The IPSP is an independent association of top research scholars with the goal of assessing methods for improving the main institutions of modern societies. The IPSP has produced a report consisting of twenty-two chapters in three volumes that distills the research of these scholars and outlines what the best social science has to say about positive social change. Written in accessible language by scholars across the social sciences and humanities, these volumes assess the achievements of world societies in past centuries, the current trends, the dangers that we are now facing, and the possible futures in the twenty-first century. It covers the main socio-economic, political, and cultural dimensions of social progress, global as well as regional issues, and the diversity of challenges and their interplay around the world. The authors offer a cautious optimistic conclusion: multiple ideas for social progress and better policies are already available and deserve to be tested and implemented.

• Provides a comprehensive synthesis of social science on how to pursue social progress, useful for students, researchers, think tanks, administration experts, politicians, or NGOs who seek ideas and arguments
• Avoids disciplinary limitations and goes beyond the usual Western perspective to offer many insights about the rest of the world and give perspectives from varying schools of thought
• Offers a balanced assessment of the positive and negative aspects of current trends, with many ideas for improving institutions and policies

Program

November 11, 2018

Directions to the Venue

2-1-2, Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
National Center of Science Building
Jinbocho st. (Exit A8 or A9), Takebashi st. (Exit 1b) 4min, walk

参考文献 / References

1. International Panel on Social Progress 2018 Report “Rethinking Society for the 21st Century” Summary. Click here.
2. Hiroshi Ono, “Social Jutice and Well-being: Lessons for Asia”. Click here.