コプロダクション論に基づく「協働」概念の内実化

―学校統廃合をめぐる住民と行政の関係性に着目して―

抄録

  The theory of collaboration (kyodo) with local residents has been commonly used in local government administration since the 1990s, but inadequately understood in the study of adult and community education.

  This paper indicates that this theory lacks a substantive framework for the balance of the relationship between local residents and local government administration. In order to restructure this framework, we focus on local residents' participation and learning. Accordingly, this study adopts two approaches.

  First, the study offers a new perspective on the framework of coproduction in the study of public administration. Although coproduction was translated into Japanese as kyodo (Araki, 1990), most studies in the area of adult and community education have thus far overlooked this terminological adoption. Second, this study analyzes the local residents' consideration process about school consolidation. An appropriate case is that of Ashimori in Okayama city. A mail-in survey was administered to 34 local education boards after reviewing a database of 1,251 newspaper articles. Ashimori was then selected on the basis of this survey.

  In conclusion, the theory of collaboration has helped local residents and local government administration (1) realize their goals by using insights gained into the other side's internal objectives, and (2) absorbing the limited information from the other side and independently seeking alternatives.