政策決定過程の概観

抄録

The author begins with the assumption that the conservative fusion gave rise to the present pattern of policy-making. He first attempts to distinguish the differences between the preand post-fusion patterns, and then sketches present trends. He emphasizes the following in analyzing the post-fusion pattern: the weakening of the Diet function; the evolution of the “planning” function for policy-making in the bureaucracy; the strengthening, “institutionalization”, and openly-avowed nature of the ties between the conservative party (Liberal Democratic), the bureaucracy, and big business; and the corresponding deterioration in the government's political leadership and policy-coordination function. These developments result from the conservative party's lack of intrinsic organizational strength and party discipline and its alignment into a “grand coalition of conservative factions” rather than a single, unitary party. The author also points to the strengthening of the government's public relations efforts as a direct result of the 1960 Japan-U. S. Security Treaty problem.