地域間平等の行政学

Abstract

This paper will analyze the Japanese administrative system of post World War II from the view of the spatial equality. The spatial equality needs a careful analysis, because “spaces” are not exchangeable with “persons” or “households”. The spatial equality does not always mean interpersonal equality or inter-household equality. In the Post-War Japan, there are a lot of spatial equalizing mechanisms. This paper will pick up two types of that mechanism.The first type of the equalizing mechanism is arrangement of local government system. Generally speaking, local government system will reproduce the inter-spatial inequality. But, Post War Japan, there are equalizing tools. The first is fiscal equalizing grants system. The second is Metropolitan Government system.The second type of the equalizing mechanism is imbedded in sectional policy areas. We will give three policy areas as representative examples. The first is land development and regional policy. The was strong tendency for equal development all over the land. The second is elementary and secondary education policy. As a national universal education, there is strong support for that policy. The third is welfare policy. In Post War Japan, local governments have big responsibilities for the welfare service. This system was very functional for spatial equality in welfare policy.The Post War Japan is a special type of welfare state. Japan was Space-equality oriented welfare state. It is now in crisis, because of the demographic reasons. Japanese space-equality oriented welfare state will change in the future, but it will be able to survive. It depends on global demographic trends.