System Design and Policy Perspective of a Resource Circulating Society

Abstract

This paper reviews my recent research on system design and policy perspectives of a resource circulating society, showing that the research is based upon three approaches; economic analysis, legal and institutional analysis, and data analysis. In the research, economic analysis is utilized to show, for example, how extended producer responsibility (EPR) can be justified from a theoretical viewpoint. It is also a powerful tool in demonstrating the relative nature of goods and bads of materials, which is the core of analysis of a resource circulating society. Institutional analysis is indispensable for explicating the relationship between the legal structure of recycling related laws and market performances. Most of the results obtained by the analyses used are reinforced by data analysis. For example, the law for recycling of end-of-life-vehicles (ELVs) in Japan is considered to adopt a physical responsibility type of EPR, which is justified by the above theory. Furthermore, the data analysis shows how free take-back of ELV shredder residues by manufacturers affects ELV body shell transactions.