Studies in Regional Science
Online ISSN : 1880-6465
Print ISSN : 0287-6256
ISSN-L : 0287-6256
Current issue
Displaying 1-10 of 10 articles from this issue
Articles
  • Yingjie GE, Lily KIMINAM, Shinichi FURUZAWA
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 93-118
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

      In recent years, China’s rapid urbanization has had a major impact on traditional social and human relationships, and urban communities have weakened, making community restructuring an important issue. In Shanghai, efforts to start urban agriculture such as community gardens and rooftop farms that emphasize social functions such as exchanges between urban residents are increasing. For example, the spread of community gardens may create a virtuous cycle for building new communities as well as improving the satisfaction of residents’ community life (Ge et al. 2022). Also, these new types of urban agriculture are promoted by social entrepreneurs as a creative class and solve urban social problems through the creation of shared value (Kiminami et al., 2022b). However, few studies have focused on the relationships between the creative class and communities in urban agriculture (Exner and Schützenberger 2018).

      Therefore, the purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanisms by which social entrepreneurs as a creative class solve social problems of community restructuring in huge cities through urban agriculture, targeting Shanghai, China. To achieve the purpose of this study, we used mixed methods. Specifically, we introduced three urban agriculture cases;community gardens, organic farms and rooftop gardens, and used a trajectory equifinality model (TEM) for the case studies. The results indicated that the three social entrepreneurs have sensitive insight into social problems and are able to understand the needs of residents. After starting their social businesses, they further increased their level of social entrepreneurship by constantly refreshing their awareness and actions through communication and interaction with residents. In addition, we introduced latent class analysis (LCA) and cross-tabulation analysis into a questionnaire survey of local residents. The results showed that the relationships between Shanghai residents and their community can be divided into four classes. The class with the highest awareness of the community showed very high evaluations of involvement in urban agriculture and can be described as a creative class. In conclusion, we contend that to achieve sustainable urban development city policy makers need to comprehend the true needs of urban residents, foster citizen engagement and prioritize creative classes and civic power in their approaches.

    JEL Classifications:Q1

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  • Kosuke SAITO, Lily KIMINAMI, Shinichi FURUZAWA
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 119-132
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

      In recent years, food loss has been regarded as an important problem worldwide that adversely affects society and the environment. Reducing food loss is also one of the goals of SDGs:“Sustainable Consumption and Production.” Due to policy and institutional factors for producers and related industries, safety required by consumers, and food shipping standards, it is generally difficult to reduce business food losses immediately. On the other hand, reduction of household food loss is considered easy to realize because it is influenced by consumer awareness and behavior.

      Therefore, the purpose of this study was to clarify the cognitive status of food loss for junior high school students, and to explore the effect of organizational learning by games suitable for each developmental stage on cognition of food loss and habit formation. Specifically, we clarified the recognition status of food loss among junior high school students through a questionnaire survey, and the relationship between goal intention and action intention for food loss reduction by introducing covariance structure analysis. In addition, we verifiedy the effect of organizational learning by games according to the developmental stage by questionnaire surveys. The results of the empirical study revealed that organizational learning through educational games can transform tacit knowledge for food waste reduction to explicit knowledge, and bring about changes in the surrounding environment. Therefore, if stakeholders cooperate with each other, food loss can be expected to be reduced.

    JEL Classifications:Q1

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  • Masashi HIROTA, Shinichi FURUZAWA, Lily KIMINAMI
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 133-154
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

     In Japan, approximately 5.7 million tons of food waste occurs annually, 46% of which is generated from households. Therefore, it is important to raise consumer awareness and encourage actions to reduce food waste. However, behavioral change is not easy because consumer decisions and actions toward food waste are influenced by factors related to their cognitive, economic and social conditions. Furthermore, since the pandemic of COVID-19, restrictions on socio-economic activities may have caused changes in consumer awareness and behavior towards food waste in Japan.

     Therefore, the purpose of this research was to clarify processes in the formation of consumer intensions in food waste reduction by focusing on the impacts of COVID-19. Covariance structure analysis was applied to the results of WEB questionnaire surveys of consumers. We obtained the following analytical results.

     First, we clarified that consumer behavior of food waste reduction was affected by lifestyle, dietary orientation, social capital and awareness of food waste. Secondly, it became clear that evaluation of social norms strongly contributed to the formation of altruistic behavior (involving others) in loss reduction. Thirdly, the impacts of the epidemic on consumer intensions on food waste reduction were different. In particular, differences in dietary habits, lifestyle and dietary orientations produced differences in responses to the spread of infectious diseases.

     Therefore, to promote food waste reduction, it is necessary to work on improvements in consumer internal factors (changes in lifestyle, food orientation and altruism) and social capital that is linked to behavioral intentions, as well as working to improve cognition. In addition, it is important to have discussions based on the fact that consumers have different reactions to social factors (such as the impacts of COVID-19).

    JEL Classification:D11, O10

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  • Manabu MORITA, Yoshifumi ISHIKAWA, Ryohei NAKAMURA
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 155-172
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

     Urabe (2019) clarified that a difference in the location of trading companies, whether urban or rural, is not significant to the strengths or profit trends of those exporting firms. However, it is not clear what services rural wholesalers whose exports are smaller than those of urban wholesalers offer, and what methods they use to make profits.

     In this paper, we analyze whether wholesaler services and trade characteristics make a difference in profits from exports, and clarify regional differences in services wholesalers can offer to consider ideal indirect export methods for rural areas.

     Results of the analyses show that export profit margins are high for wholesalers who can offer “product planning” services. In addition, the highest ratio of wholesalers who can offer “product planning” services to all wholesalers in the region is Hokuriku, and the scope of services that can be offered by wholesalers in urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka is wider than that of rural wholesalers.

     These results indicate that wholesalers with smaller export volumes should obtain and take advantage of information about their export destinations if they want to increase profits.

    JEL Classifications:F14, L81, R58

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  • Yoji KUNIMITSU, Mitsuru OKIYAMA, Maria IKEGAWA, Suminori TOKUNAGA
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 173-184
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

     Japan’s agricultural policies focus on enhancing exports and domestic production through removal of non-tariff barriers (NTB). However, few studies have quantitatively evaluated such effects. This study aims to clarify the effect of removing NTB on trade and domestic production in agriculture and food sectors with Southeast Asian countries using a global CGE model and ad valorem equivalent rates (World Bank, 2019). Based on the simulation results, we show policy implications for the future export promotion of Japan’s agriculture and food products. The characteristics of the analysis are as follows:(1) we focus on Southeast Asian countries, where many Japanese companies are located with relatively little political friction and much room for the spread of Japanese cuisine exists;(2) targeting non-technical factors of NTB other than food quarantine and sanitary inspection, we compare and analyze the effects of the elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and (3) we conduct a comparative static analysis to compare the effects of trade policy for 2030.

     The analytical results revealed, first, removal of NTB (non-technical factors other than food quarantine and sanitary inspection) from Southeast Asian countries increased exports of Japanese agriculture and food products by 22 billion yen. Second, although the export-enhancing effect was almost the same whether removing NTB only in the partner country or in both Japan and the partner, but the domestic production in the latter case was only 2/3 of the former. Third, if both tariffs and NTB were eliminated, exports doubled, but imports increased more than exports. The export-enhancing effect of removing NTB (non-technical factors) was 36.1% of that by tariffs. Fourth, in addition to the direct effect on Japan export-enhancing with the partner where NTB was removed, there was a negative substitution-effect in which exports countries switched to partner countries from other countries. Based on the above results, several policy and academic implications are discussed.

    JEL Classifications:F17, Q17, Q18, R15

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  • Shingo YOSHIDA, Daisuke KUNII, Mitsuyuki HIRABAYASHI, Yosuke SATO, Ato ...
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 185-202
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

     Farmland consolidation, clustering of farmlands to eliminate dispersion so agricultural operations can be carried out continuously and without hindrance, is imperative for achieving enhanced efficient land use. Thus far, no comprehensive approach has been available to assess the current state of nationwide farmland consolidation. However, the recent introduction of an open-source database, encompassing the geographical distribution and ownership details of farmland parcels, has paved the way for the development of a corresponding indicator. Hence, the objective of this study was to construct a land clustering index utilizing recently released Geographic Information System (GIS) data of the location and utilization of farmland. Additionally, regression analysis was employed to identify variables associated with farmland consolidation. The following results were obtained.

     First, the degree of farmland consolidation exhibited regional variations. For instance, while the agglomeration of farmland preceded its consolidation in the Tohoku and Hokuriku Regions, the hilly terrains of the Chugoku Region witnessed concurrent agglomeration and consolidation. Second, the tobit regression models illustrated a statistically significant positive correlation between farmland consolidation and the percentage of farmland area cultivated by large farmers. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a stronger positive relationship between the percentage of farmland area cultivated by large farmers and farmland consolidation in mid-mountainous areas where community-based farms are more prevalent. Additionally, the findings indicated that an increase in the farmland managed by farmers through the utilization of farmland banks has the potential to facilitate farmland consolidation, particularly in flatland regions.

     This study not only exemplifies the effectiveness of employing open-source data to quantify farmland consolidation but also emphasizes the importance of focusing on community-based farms and the role played by farmland banks in fostering farmland consolidation.

    JEL Classifications:N55, Q15, Q18

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  • Mingzhu LI
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 203-220
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

     This paper constructs an overlapping-generations model with endogenous growth fueled by human capital accumulation to explain why public education policies, represented by the public education subsidy ratio, differ among countries. To show this, we construct one model where the government maximizes the growth rate and one where it maximizes the objective function, the weighted sum of the utility of targeted generation and economic growth rate along the steady growth path. The main results of this paper are as follows. First, if individuals can survive longer and conversely, if the individuals’ weight of education investment for utility and the share of capital becomes smaller, the education subsidy ratio becomes higher when the government maximizes the long-run growth rate. Second, when the government maximizes the objective function for the targeted generation, the further the targeted generation is from the present, the higher the education subsidy ratio is, so the growth rate becomes. Third, it is shown how the education subsidy ratio can be determined dependent on the targeted generation. Fourth, the growth rates of the above two cases become the same when government targets the generation in an eternal future period.

    JEL Classifications:E61, I25, R13, R28

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  • Takaharu TAKIKAWA, Yuna SEO
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 221-236
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

     In Japan, digital transformation (DX) is currently underway in a variety of fields, and business efficiency is being improved using AI and other digital technologies. Among them, online resident autonomy platforms that provide residents with encounters with local DX are attracting attention to realize DX in local governments. The online platform for resident autonomy would allow residents to share their opinions and vote on community issues. However, currently, the platform is still under development and its implementation and validation are still under consideration. New technologies are introduced through an adaptive process that needs to consider user attitudes and perceptions that influence user behavior. Therefore, it was deemed necessary to examine what conditions would enhance user satisfaction when using online platforms, and what aspects should be considered when introducing new platforms, a new form of citizen participation that utilizes digital technology. Therefore, this study conducted a survey on the status and reality of municipal DX and the users’ (residents’) awareness of online platforms and used structural equation modeling (SEM) to clarify the users’ awareness of online platforms.

     The results suggest that residents’ potential positive attitude toward the adoption of municipal DX platforms may be enhanced by their daily interest in application design, i.e., their commitment to the UI/UX and usability of the applications. It was also suggested that low satisfaction with local services may increase proactiveness toward the adoption of a municipal DX platform.

     Based on these results, this study describes two policy recommendations for municipalities with low satisfaction with local services:enhancing digital education for residents and introducing a consensus-building platform with simple application design.

    JEL Classifications:N55, Q15, Q18

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  • Keisuke MATSUSHIMA, Sakae MITSUI
    Article type: Article
    2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 237-249
    Published: 2023
    Released on J-STAGE: March 13, 2024
    JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

     Damage to the manufacturing industry causes serious problems, including damage to the supply chain. Recovery requires an understanding of the types of industries that have suffered damage, but at present analyses are limited to qualitative analyses.

     Therefore, in this study we investigated the impacts of COVID-19 using the industrial production index and seasonal adjustment method.

     As a results of the analysis showed the spread of COVID-19 infection had the strongest impact on transportation equipment, whereas production of pharmaceuticals, masks, electrical equipment, etc. increased.

     First, the areas damaged during the early stage of infection were calculated at the prefectural level. Second, the degree of impact on the manufacturing industry was quantitatively determined. Third, these results enabled comparison with past external shocks.

     In addition, the spread of COVID-19 has caused supply chains to deteriorate due to the concentration of production at specific bases, and production activities in those regions have sharply declined. Therefore, to mitigate the impact of external shocks on a region, it is necessary to diversify the local industries.

    JEL Classifications:E32, R11, R15

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