Social Inequality in Post-Growth Japan

<p>In recent decades Japan has changed from a strongly growing, economically successful nation regarded as prime example of social equality and inclusion, to a nation with a stagnating economy, a shrinking population and a very high proportion of elderly people. Within this, new forms of inequality are emerging and deepening, and a new model of Japan as 'gap society' (<i>kakusa shakai</i>) has become common-sense. These new forms of inequality are complex, are caused in different ways by a variety of factors, and require deep-seated reforms in order to remedy them. This book provides a comprehensive overview of inequality in contemporary Japan. It examines inequality in labour and employment, in welfare and family, in education and social mobility, in the urban-rural divide, and concerning immigration, ethnic minorities and gender. The book also considers the widespread anxiety effect of the fear of inequality; and discusses how far these developments in Japan represent a new form of social problem for the wider world.</p> <p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><ol> <ol> </ol> <li>After the Banquet: Economic and Demographic Stagnation since the 1990s </li> <ol> <i> </i> <b> </b><p>Creation of Inequality and Its Perception in Japan</p> </ol> <li>Institutions and Actors in the Creation of Social Inequality: A Rational Choice Approach to Social Inequality </li> <ol> </ol> <li>The Gap as Threat: Status Anxiety in the ‘Middle’<i>)</i> </li> <ol> <b> </b><p>Labour Market and Employment System</p> </ol> <li>The "Re-segmentation" of the Japanese Labour Market: Investigating the Impact of Industrial Dynamics </li> <ol> </ol> <li>Does Employment Dualisation Lead to Political Polarisation? Assessing the Impact of Labour Market Inequalities on Political Discourse in Japan </li> <ol> </ol> <li>Are Labour Union Movements Capable of Solving the Problems of the ‘Gap Society’? </li> <ol> <b> </b><p>Welfare State and Family</p> </ol> <li>Economic Inequality among Families with Small Children in Japan: Who Provides Welfare to Children? </li> <ol> </ol> <li>Social Policy Responses to the ‘Gap Society’: The Structural Limitations of the Japanese Welfare State and Related Official Discourses since the 1990s </li> <ol> </ol> <li>The Old and New Welfare Politics in Japan: Persisting Obstacles for Reform </li> <ol> <b> </b><p>Education and Social Mobility</p> </ol> <li>Understanding Structural Changes in Inequality in Japanese Education: From Selection to Choice </li> <ol> </ol> <li>Political Discourse and Education Reforms concerning "Equality of Educational Opportunity" </li> <ol> </ol> <li>Trying to Reduce Inequalities in School: The Academic Discourse and the Concept of ‘Effective Schools’ </li> <ol> <b> </b><p>Urban-Rural Divide</p> </ol> <li>The Urban-Rural Divide in Japan: A Matter of Social Inequality?<i> </i> </li> <ol> </ol> <li>Public and Political Discourse on Socio-Spatial Inequality in Japan</li> <ol> </ol> <li>Understanding the Dynamics of Regional Growth and Shrinkage in 21st Century Japan: Towards the Achievement of an Asian-Pacific ‘Depopulation Dividend’ </li> <ol> <b> </b><p>New Immigration and Ethnic Minorities</p> </ol> <li>Migration and Integration Patterns of New Immigrants in Japan: Diverse Structures of Inequality<i> </i> </li> <ol> </ol> <li>The "Multicultural Coexistence" Discourse in Crisis? Public Discourse on Immigrant Integration in the Gap Society </li> <ol> </ol> <li>Understanding the Gaps Between Immigrant Economic Outcomes: Strategic Action and Meaning Making among Newcomer Immigrants in Japan </li> <ol> <b> </b><p>Conclusion</p> </ol> <li>Reassembling the Pieces: The Big Picture of Inequality in Japan </li> <ol> </ol> </ol>