The Development of Research on Nonprofit Organizations in Japanese Political Science: A Review of the Literature Since 1998

Abstract

This paper identifies an agenda for future research on nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in Japanese political science, based on a literature review of 115 articles on NPOs published from 1998 to the present. The review demonstrates that relevant research seeking to bridge political science and NPO studies is scarce. Both theoretically and empirically, existing research on the cooperatives, social enterprises, voluntary associations and volunteers is insufficient. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive quantitative information on NPOs in Japan. Therefore, this paper recommends addressing these issues through collaboration between scholars in political science and NPO studies.