Special Issue: Change of Government and Public Policy
Power Shift and Policy-Making
2010 Volume 10 Pages 7-22
Details
2010 Volume 10 Pages 7-22
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the problems that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is facing since its victory in the general election of 2009.
There are few examples of a shift in power in Japan; therefore, this shift offers new empirical information.
First, to analyze this change in power, the past political reforms are considered. Second, the reason for it not being easy for the actual political process to implement the plan of the DPJ government that would alter the policy-making process and then to revise the policy through the reshaped system is considered. Third, if the DPJ plans to completely achieve manifesto politics, it is expected to answer strong criticism that concerns their sources of revenue and extra expenditures. Since the DPJ came to power, its manifesto has taken root. However, it is still incomplete and has much scope for improvement. The party needs to solve problems, such as how to make a manifesto in the party, create a commanding height of the government, and prepare the time schedule to achieve its goals concretely.
There are two important components of a change in government: one is power, and the other is policy-making. The axis of power focuses on a system that establishes “leadership of the Cabinet centering on the prime minister,” ranging from the voters’ choice of government, to the Diet, to the Cabinet, to the Ministers, and to the Ministry. Another axis of policy-making derives from a manifesto-based election, that is, communication with the voters in a general election, and it consists of a policy cycle of a general election, an executive body, implementation, evaluation, and then a general election again. The dynamic relation between the political party and the government meets at the point where “power” and “policy” overlaps. A policy review including a budget screening and a policy change occurs in the axis of policy-making. When change of power and policy change become more common in the future, public policy research has to follow this dynamic.
