Production Organizations in Japanese Economic Development: Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy

Abstract

‘Comparative Institutional Analysis’ (CIA) is increasingly being used in studies on Japanese economic history. According to this book, CIA offers a framework by which the history of institutions and organizations can be analyzed, focusing on coordination and motivation as the major factors constituting the economic system. This volume is the output of an analysis of production organizations in various industries using CIA. CIA can be seen as an axis in the study of Japanese economic history in the period up to World War Two. As mentioned in the Introduction, the purpose of this volume is to examine why certain production organizations emerged in certain historical contexts, and what role those organizations played with respect to coordination and motivation. Historical studies on production organizations have developed focusing on two topics: one is the choice between the factory and the putting-out system; the other is, as Alfred Chandler stressed, the emergence of large corporations integrating multiple functions. Essentially, in historical studies the problem of production organizations is analyzed from the viewpoints of coordination and motivation. This book consists of seven chapters by seven economic historians: Hashino Tomoko, Kanbayashi Ryo, Nakamura Naofumi, Nakabayashi Masaki, Tanimoto Masayuki, Kagami Kazuaki and Okazaki Tetsuji, who is also the editor of the volume.