National Notions
Globalization in Japan: Tackling the “Galapagos Syndrome”
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Svetlana Vassiliouk
Despite the Japanese government’s efforts aimed at the globalization of the Japanese society since the 1990s, Japan is yet to reach an adequate level of openness and internationalization suitable for the world’s third largest economy and a key global power. The paper argues that, in recent years, Japan has been struggling to reconcile the pressing need to connect globally with the persisting mentality of the so-called “Galapagos Syndrome”, stemming from the legacy of the 250-year-long historical era of “sakoku”, or the self-imposed isolation, during which Japan’s domestic development thrived despite the lack of contact with the rest of the world. Today, it can be observed that in comparison with the other OECD nations, Japan’s society remains largely inward-looking and less competitive across various sectors, particularly in corporate culture, research, and education, English language proficiency, gender equality, and immigration policy. If Japan continues to maintain its insular outlook, it would undermine not only Japan’s economic prosperity, but also its regional leadership and relevance in global politics. In the next two years, the Japanese government will have a great chance to boost its nation’s international profile by hosting several important international meetings, such as the G-20 Summit and the Rugby World Cup in 2019 as well as the Olympics and Paralympics Games in 2020. The paper discusses the most important steps and policies that need to be introduced at the national level to prevent Japan’s further isolation from the global community and to help Japan adapt to globalization more effectively.
Brazil’s Integration in the Capitalist World Economy, 1870-1980 : A Geo-historical and Systemic Perspective
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Larissa Alves De Lira, Alexandre Freitas Barbosa
This paper shows how the “systemic-cycles of accumulation” proposed by Giovanni Arrighi can be combined with Celso Furtado’s historic-structural perspective and with Ignácio Rangel's approach to understanding internal and external changes faced by Brazil throughout the period. In this way, we understand how its structures were affected by the transition from the Britannic cycle to the North Americain cycle of accumulation. Furthermore, during the period, Brazil moved from a peripherical position to a semi-peripherical position to some extent mirroring the reconfiguration of the world system and by profiting off its geographical characteristics and regional differences. The approach of the paper benefits from an intertwining of geohistory, geoeconomics, and geopolitics. Also, most of the classical analyses on the colonial period in Brazil have not fully developed the connections with World-system theory. For this period, Fernand Braudel and Caio Prado Jr. contribute to increasing our understanding of Brazilian economic and social structures in a more systemic fashion. Our paper has the following parts: 1) The structural characteristics of Brazil Colony; 2) Brazilian economy throughout the Britannic and North Americain cycles: from the periphery to an industrialized semi-periphery; and 3) The end of history or a new reconfiguration of the world-system? The rise of China. Our analysis and hypotheses show the possibility of a fruitful dialogue between Brazilian and international political economists, social scientists, and geographers sharing a historical and systemic perspective.
The Passenger Transport Justice Index: A Comparative Study on the Passenger Transport Accessibility in Europe
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Augustyn Duszan
Daily and reliable access to public transport services is necessary for reaching economic prosperity, social justice, social cohesion and sustainability by states. Without access to public transport, people who cannot use individual means of transport are excluded from the full scope of economic and social activities. The problem is present both in densely populated urban areas as well as in peripheral remote rural areas. Accessibility to passenger transport determines the level of transport-related social exclusion, therefore the role of the state is to provide the legal, institutional, and financial framework for establishing and operating a transport network that may answer to the needs of the citizens. Transport policies are valuable instruments that can shape and drive the government to improve the economic, social and civic activities of citizens. The research will analyze the level of transport-related social inclusion in the European countries by taking into consideration the data provided by national transport regulators. On this basis, the concept of the Passenger Transport Justice Index will be developed. This index will be designed as a tool for measuring the level of accessibility to the passenger transport services on the level of national states. The purpose of the research is to identify key features of the transport policies, and economic, social, and geographic characteristics of the states which are the most successful with providing accessible transport for their citizens.
