The aim of this paper is to examine the potential and limits of social enterprises as a new sustainable model of modern nonprofit organizations. In reality, social enterprises can be regarded as a new model which utilizes various entrepreneurial and hybridized organizational models and business methods. Nevertheless, several challenges can be identified, including institutional isomorphism.

This article provides an overview of the origins and promises of the concept of social entrepreneurship for theory and practice. Meanings and practices associated with social entrepreneurship across geographies are clarified and compared in order to shed light on debates on whether social entrepreneurship is just a hype or an alternative approach to integrate social and economic value creation.

The extent of the impact that social entrepreneurs bring to society does not end where the issues which they have tackled have been successfully addressed. It goes far beyond the resolutions of individual social problems by (1) proving to the society that the citizen sector can be as competitive and attractive as the business sector, thus, offering a significant growth potential, (2) encouraging everyone to be a changemaker, and (3) demonstrating the new set of qualities that are required of the leaders of new generations. That is why the rise of social entrepreneurs and the citizen sector will hold the key to the successful transformation of Japan into a more dynamic society that encourages and empowers every citizen to make a change for the better of their whole community.

Creating social value through addressing social issues, social entrepreneurs and social enterprises are becoming increasingly important actors in the diffusion process of social innovation. According to the typology of business models based on J. Gregory Dees' Scaling Theory (Dees et al. 2002 & 2004), social innovation cases are divided into cases of which the scaling method is called “Scaling Out” and cases of which the scaling method is assumed to be “Scaling Deep”. However, sometimes cases which somewhat resemble “Scaling Out” in business models are included in the “Scaling Deep” category. These cases are labled “Pre-Scaling Out”. Also, the diffusion process can be divided into 3 main phases: creation of idea, establishment of sustainability, and diffusion. Tsuyuki (2009) showed that business models created by social entrepreneurs of “Pre-Scaling Out” cases seem to be pre-mature compared to those created by social entrepreneurs of “Scaling Out” cases, especially in management of business rather than the business model itself. In addition, social entrepreneurs of social innovation cases often play the role of an access point in the communication network consisting of stakeholders both inside and outside of the social business organization.

Recently local governments face financial difficulties and local public halls (theatrical venues) are required to be effective in their activities. To meet this requirement, the objective and quantitative evaluation for efficient management is needed. However, it is difficult as the halls have various functions; supply of opportunity for appreciations of arts, providing space for art activities, popularization of arts, etc. This study analyzed the overall efficiency of public halls by applying Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) which can determine relative efficiency of units characterized by multiple inputs and outputs. By using the CCR efficiency value and Malmquist index on several models, it can be concluded that DEA provides useful information to improve management of each hall featuring different functions, but it should be noted that the appropriate choice of variables and deliberate interpretation of the results are required.

This research was conducted concerning the effects of child support. Many earlier studies have assumed full employment. However, unemployment exists in the real economy. Our investigation examined the relation between the number of children in the economy and the unemployment rate. In this paper, the overlapping generation model with involuntary unemployment was used because wages were set by labor unions. First, in the analytical research, it was found that wage taxes for child support and unemployment insurance both led to increased unemployment and that the wage tax for child support decreased equilibrium capital stock. Also, the wage tax for unemployment insurance led to a reduction in the number of children in the economy. Second, a simulation was conducted which revealed that there is a tax rate at which the number of the children is maximized. At tax rates for child support higher than this maximum, any increase in the tax rate for child support triggers a decrease in the number of the children! The conclusion showed that tax rates for child support that are too high have a diminishing effect and policy makers should consider the effects of the wage tax for child support and unemployment.

In the future, it is important to consider broadening the administrative sphere for regional planning. Therefore we focused on road improvement in prefectural boundary area as one viewpoint. This paper aims to make clear the direction of road improvement in municipalities with a prefectural boundary.

To begin with, we improved the formula shown in a prior study that estimates of the value of a blockade. Then, the value of a blockade in municipalities with a prefectural boundary in Fukui Prefecture was calculated. Secondly, we gained understandings of road conditions in prefectural boundary areas and the behavior of residents across prefectural boundaries using an awareness questionaire carried out by the local administration office. Next, we showed the relation between the value of a blockade and the important elements of road improvements. Finally, through a case study of Ohno City, we pinpointed some problems and important elements of road improvements in prefectural boundary areas.

Nowadays, various rural areas are in remarkable decline. Toward the comprehensive rejuvenation of the rural areas, innovative, creative, pluralistic approaches are demanded. The purpose of this study is to attract attention to the possibility that social businesses of the CO-OP Union may be possible to approach regional rural problems from the stand point of consumers. Via the case study of the Coop Shizenha Consumer's Cooperative, the mechanisms of social business to create economic and social effects, organizational frameworks, the style of network were considered. Results of this study showed the importance of various factors including (1) Organizational frameworks with characteristics of a cooperative involving economy and sociality, (2) Vast Area-Wide Network coupled with combining power and flexibility, (3) Hybrid characteristics of social enterprise, (4) Emergent mechanisms that encourage social innovation by competition and learning, (5) Each element working together as a driving force.

We conducted a CVM survey of citizens to estimate the social benefits of theatrical activity, based on the case of the Hyogo Cultural Center, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, which opened in 2005. The total willingness-to-pay (TWTP) of the citizens of Hyogo Prefecture is estimated to be at least 5.6 billion yen annually, which far exceeds the present annual budget allocated by the prefectural government to the Center. Non-use values such as bequest value, vicarious value and prestige value are reflected by the WTP. WTP is correlated with age, gender (male) and income, as well as the number of visits to the Center. Roughly one fifth of the citizens have WTP. It would be desirable to establish a scheme to invite those who have large WTP to contribute to the support of the Center's activities

It is difficult to solve social problems by government intervention alone, because of the diversity of public needs. Nowadays, the concept of partnership, in which the government and the public cooperate with each other, is gathering attention as a new approach to social problems, but it has triggered some new issues at the same time. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of independent supporting organizations in such partnerships. In our article, firstly we describe the three elements (common purpose, equality, and transparency) and the structure of a partnership (Fig. 1.2). Secondly, we use one case study and analyze the role of the partnership-supporting organization. The results show that it is possible that the supporting organization can play an important role between the government and the public party in the partnership. But it is important to be aware of two issues; firstly, the supporting organization can work as the screening committee and the organizer who adjusts the partnership proposal rules which apply to every partnership party equally, but cannot directly support each partnership proposal process itself and, secondly, the role of the supporting organization should be regulated in a flexible manner and the organization itself should follow a clearly regulated decision-making process.

In Japan, with the number of elderly people and physically-challenged people increasing, it is important to protect passengers from accidents caused by floor material used in trains and buses and so on. In order to prevent passengers from falling due to slipping or stumbling, we developed a floor material using quartz. We laid the quartz-based floor near a subway entrance and gathered opinions of passengers through a questionnaire after they walked on the floor. 176 out of 500 people surveyed responded to our questions. The effectiveness of the quartz-based floor material we developed was confirmed through favorable responses on the questionnaire and users' requests that the quartz-based floor material be used on station stairs as well as in trains and buses.

This paper seeks to evaluate each household's earthquake risk by using a survey, a seismic hazard map and some other existing data, and analyze the relationship between the earthquake risk and the purchase of insurance. The results show that the vulnerable households facing high earthquake risk or those not carrying earthquake insurance are mainly the households that are elderly, living in old detached houses or having less assets and income. The results also show that it is not the objective information of earthquake risk but the vague information of existing risk or the information of earthquake disasters in other areas which significantly induces the household to purchase earthquake insurance. It is suggested that the household's risk aversive incentive which doesn't meet the objective earthquake risk causes those vulnerable households to remain as they are.