Economic Dev. of Japan

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course treats Japan as a case of a highly successful, modern, growing economy with non-Western traditions. Following a brief review of Japan's pre-modern economic conditions and performance, the course concentrates mainly on Japan's economic development from the Meiji Restoration to the postwar period of high economic growth, with some attention given to current problems and prospects. Two important questions are addressed throughout the course. Firstly, why has Japan succeeded in its economic development despite its non-Western background? And, secondly, what are the "roots" of the "Japanese" socio-economic system, such as lifetime employment, seniority-based wages, and high savings ratio? An understanding of the nature and characteristics of the current Japanese economy requires the ability to provide an answer to these questions.