Periodizing capitalism and the political economy of post-war Japan

Journal of Contemporary Asia

Volumn 26, Issue 4, 1996, Pages 431-451

  Westra, Richard ^a  

^a QUEEN S UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

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[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 33644829512     PISSN: 00472336     EISSN: 17527554     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/00472339680000261     Document Type: Article

References (90)

1. The article by Jessop Bob, Regulation Theories in Retrospect and Prospect Economy and Society May 1990 19 2 163 216
2. See Boyer R., The Regulation School:A Critical Introduction Columbia University Press New York 1990 30 31
3. Aglietta, Michel. 1987. A Theory of Capitalist Regulation, 16–17. London:Verso.
4. See Boyer R., The Regulation School:A Critical Introduction Columbia University Press New York 1990 30 31
5. Buyer. The Regulation School 34–45. is particularly clear on “institutional forms.” Mike Davis, “Fordism in Crisis,” Review, 2 (1978) pp. 207–69 and Simon Clarke, “Overaccumulation, Class Struggle, and the Regulation Approach,” Capital and Class, 38 (1988) pp. 59–92, are extremely helpful reviews of Aglietta's book.
6. Aglietta. A Theory of Capitalist Regulation 113–119. 151–61, 188–98
7. See Aglietta Michel, World Capitalism in the Eighties New Left Review Nov./Dec. 1982 136 5 41 Alain Lipietz, “New Tendencies in the Interational Division of Labor:Regimes of Accumulation and Modes of Regulation”, in A. Scott and M. Storper, Production, Work, Territory (Boston:allen and Unwin, 1986) pp. 16–40. In this book, Alain Lipietz, Mirages and Miracles (London:Verso, 1987) p. 40, declares unequaivocally that in the post-war period, the United States “Forced its model of development on the rest of the world.
8. See in particular Glyn Andrew, Hughes Alan, Lipietz Alain, Singh Ajit, The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age The Golden Age of Capitalism Marglin S., Schor J., Clarendon Press Oxford 1990 39 125 Lipietz, Mirages and Miracles. Kees van der Piji, The Making of an Atlantic Ruling Class (London:Verso, 1984) provides an in-depth analysis of Fordism in Western Europe. And, though not avowedly a Regulationist, Makoto Itoh, The World Economic Crisis and Japanese Capitalism (London:Macmillan Press, 1990) pp. 140–5, 155–8, Supports the Regulation approach to capitalist development in post-war Japan.
9. See Aglietta, World Capitalist in the Eighties 16 16 18; Robert Boyer, “Technical Change and the Theory of ‘Regulation’,” in G. Dosi, C. Freeman, R. Nelson, G. Silverberg, L. Soete, eds., Techinical Change and Economic Theory (London:Pinter Pubklishers, 1988) pp. 67–94; Glyn et al., “The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age,” pp. 55–64.
10. See in particular Kenney Martin, Florida Richard, Beyond Mass Production:Production and the Labor Process in Japan
11. 1988. Politics and Society, 16 (1):121–158. and idem, “Japan's Role in a Post-Fordist Age” Futures (April 1989) pp. 136–51. In their conceptualizing of “Fujitsuism” (post-Fordist production in Japan), Kenney and Florida are strongly influenced by Regulation theory. Also, Mitchell Bernard, Northeast Asia:The Political Economy of a Postwar Regional System. Asia Papers No. 2 (Toronto:Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies, 1989); and Alice H. Amsden, “Third World Industrialization:‘Global Fordism’ or a New Model?,” New Left Review, 182 (1990) pp. 5–31, take Fordism as a benchmark, but Bernard's characterizing of Japan as a “micro-electronic technoeconomic paradigm” and Amsden's view of Japan as reflecting “late industrialization,” display theoretical antecedents other than the Regulation approach.
12. In his study of automobile production, for example, Kaplinsky Raphael, Restructuring the Capitalist Labor Process:Some Lessons from the Car Industry
13. 1988. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 12:451–470.
14. See Kenney, Florida, Japan's Role in a Post-Fordist Age 146 148
15. Following Regulation theory, Kenney, Florida, Beyond Mass Production… 122 129
16. There is an actual “debate” being referred to here which was set off by Kenney, Florida, Beyond Mass Production:Production and the Labor Process in Japan Politics and Society 1988 16 1 121 158 and can be found in Kato Tetsuro and Rob Steven (ed.), An International Debate. Is Japanese Management Post-Fordism? (Japan:Mado-sha, 1993). However, Fordism vs. post-Fordism and Japan is also debated in a growing literature including” Andrew Sayer, “Postfordism in Question,” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 13, 4 (Dec. 1988) pp. 666–95; Stephen Wood, “The Transformation of Work?,” in Stephen Wood (ed.), The Transformation of Work? (London:Unwin Hyman, 1989) pp. 1–43; Richard Hyman, “Plus ca change? The theory of Production and the Production of Theory,” in Anna Pollert (ed.), Farewell to Flexibility (Oxford:Basil Blackwell, 1991) pp. 258–83.
17. See Sayer Andrew, Walker Richard, The New Social Economy:Reworking the Division of Labor Blackwell Oxford 1992 200 203
18. Wood. The Transformation of Work? 27–27.
19. There is an actual “debate” being referred to here which was set off by Kenney, Florida, Beyond Mass Production:Production and the Labor Process in Japan Politics and Society 1988 16 1 121 158
20. Tetsuro, Kato, and Steven, Rob. “ Is Japanese Capitalism Post-Fordist? ”. In An International Debate Edited by:Tetsuro and Steven. 78–84. 98
21. See Tomaney John, The Reality of Workplace Flexibility Capital and Class 1990 40 Spring 33 38
22. Sayer and Walker. The New Social Economy 175–177.
23. See Williams Karel, Cutler Tony, Williams John, Haslam Colin, The End of Mass Production? Economy and Society Aug. 1987 16 3 405 439 Steven Wood, “Towards an Accurate Evaluation of Fordism” in Tetsuro and Steven (ed.), An International Debate pp. 163–72; and Tetsuro and Steven, “Is Japanese Capitalism Post-Fordist?,” 77, 91–2.
24. Tetsuro and Steven. Is Japanese Capitalism Post-Fordist?
25. See Pollert Anna, Dismantling Flexibility Capital and Class 1988 34 57 58 Wood “The Transformation of Work?,” pp. 29–30.
26. On the “crisis” see Aglietta, A Theory of Capitalist Regulation 119 130 165–9; Glyn et al., “The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age,” pp. 88–97; also Annemieke J.M. Roobeek, “The Crisis in Fordism and the Rise of a New Technological Paradigm,” Futures (April 1987) pp. 129–54.
27. See Clarke Simon, What in the F—'s Name is Fordism Fordism, and Flexibility Gilbert N., Burrows R., Pollert A., Macmillan Press Ltd. London 1992 19 20 in
28. See Sayer, Postfordism in Question 669 670
29. Hirst, Paul, and Zeitlin, Jonathan. 1991. Flexible Specialization versus Post-Fordism:Theory, Evidence and Policy Implications. Economy and Society, 20 (1) Feb.:1–56.
30. Hirst, Paul, and Zeitlin, Jonathan. 1991. Flexible Specialization versus Post-Fordism:Theory, Evidence and Policy Implications. Economy and Society, 20 (1) Feb.:21–21.
31. Hirst, Paul, and Zeitlin, Jonathan. 1991. Flexible Specialization versus Post-Fordism:Theory, Evidence and Policy Implications. Economy and Society, 20 (1) Feb.:28–32.
32. Aglietta. A Theory of Capitalist Regulation 380–380.
33. Aglietta. A Theory of Capitalist Regulation, 37–37. 46
34. Aglietta. A Theory of Capitalist Regulation 20–20.
35. Psychopedis, Kosmas. 1991. “ Crisis of Theory in the Contemporary Social Sciences ”. In Post-Fordism and Social Form, Edited by:Bonefeld, W., and Holloway, J., 185–185. London:Macmillan Press Ltd. in
36. Boyer. The Regulation School 31–31.
37. Uno, Kozo. 1980. Principles of Political Economy, Sussex:Harvester Press.
38. For the Unoist membership roster and research directions however, see Mawatari S., The Uno School:A Marxian Approach in Japan History of Political Economy Journal 1985 17 3 403 418 R. Albritton and T. Sekine (ed.), A Japanese Approach to Political Economy:Unoist Variations (Macmillan, forthcoming).
39. Uno. Principles of Political Economy xxii–xxiii.
40. The crowning achievement of Thomas Sekine (Uno's student) is the publication of The Dialectic of Capital:A Study of the Inner Logic of Capitalism Toshindo Publishing Co. Ltd. Japan 1986 2
41. Uno. Principles of Political Economy also Sekine, The Dialectic of Capital, Vol. 1, pp. 37–9; and Robert Albritton, A Japanese Reconstruction of Marxist Theory (London:The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1986), pp. 10–12, 36–9.
42. See Sekine, The Dialectic of Capital 1 39 40
43. See Sekine, The Dialectic of Capital 1 61 63
44. The advantages of periodizing capitalism in this fashion are discussed with respect to some other approaches in Albritton, A Japanese Reconstruction of Marxist Theory 112 114
45. See Sekine, The Dialectic of Capital 1 64 70
46. The development of stage theory in this paper draws heavily upon Albritton Robert, A Japanese Approach to Stages of Capitalist Development Macmillan Press Ltd. London 1991
47. This and other key stage-theoretic concepts are elaborated upon by Albritton, A Japanese Reconstruction of Marxist Theory 112 114
48. See Sekine, Uno-Riron 854 854
49. See Albritton Robert, Levels of Analysis in Marxian Political Economy:An Unoist Approach Radical Philosophy 1992 60 Spring 16 21 also on historical analysis, idem, A Japanese Approach to Stages of Capitalist Development, chapter 4; and idem, A Japanese Reconstruction of Marxist Theory, chapter 5.
50. See for example, Robles Alfredo C., Jr. French Theories of Regulation and Conceptions of the International Division of Labor Macmillan Press, Ltd. London 1994
51. See Hirst Paul, Zeitlin Jonathan, Flexible Specialization versus Post-Fordism:Theory, Evidence and Policy Implications Economy and Society Feb. 1991 20 1 1 56
52. What follows here is drawn exclusively from Albritton, A Japanese Approach to Stages of Capitalist Development
53. What follows here is drawn exclusively from Albritton, A Japanese Approach to Stages of Capitalist Development 249 249
54. See Albritton, Levels of Analysis in Marxian Political Economy
55. See Hoffman K., Kaplinsky, Driving Force Westview Press Boulder 1988 76 76
56. See Takenaka Heizo, Contemporary Japanese Economy and Economic Policy The University of Michigan Press Ann Arbor 1991 14 14
57. Hart, Jeffrey A., 1992. Rival Capitalists:International Competitiveness in the United States, Japan, and Western Europe, 14–14. Ithaca and London:Cornell University Press.
58. See Glyn Andrew, Sutcliffe Bob, Global But Leaderless? The New Capitalist Order New World Order? Socialist Register 1992 Miliband R., Panitch L., The Merlin Press London 1992 87 90 in
59. See, for example Pfaller Alfred, The Changing North-South Division of Labor Kyklos 1986 39 85 108
60. See Hart, Rival Capitalists 24 24
61. See for example, Abegglen James C., Stalk George, Jr. Kaisha:The Japanese Corporation Basic Books U.S.A. 1985
62. See Okumura Hiroshi, Japan's Corporate Capitalism in Peril Japanese Economic Studies Summer 1993 21 4 8 9 Ryutaro Komiya, The Japanese Economy:Trade, Industry, and Government (Japan:University of Tokyo Press, 1990), pp. 160–2; also “A Survey of Corporate Governance,” The Economist (January 29, 1994), p. 4, where it is displayed that despite differing configurations of institutional investors, Britain and Germany are close runners-up to Japan in the diminution of individual ownership.
63. Varying assessments appear in:Komiya, The Japanese Economy Abegglen and Stalk, Kaisha, pp. 166–7; and Rob Steven, Classes in Contemporary Japan (London:Cambridge University Press, 1983), pp. 46–58.
64. See Takenaka, Contemporary Japanese Economy 140 141 and “A Survey of Corporate Governance,” p. 8, where it is pointed out for example that the auto giant Toyota has itself become a financier!
65. See, Komiya, The Japanese Economy 118 120
66. These figures are taken from Healey Derek, Japanese Capital Exports and Asian Economic Development OECD Paris 1991 51 53
67. See, Beyond Mass Production
68. Steven, Rob. 1990. Japan's New Imperialism, 100 ff.–100 ff. London:The Macmillan Press, Ltd. Healey, Japanese Capital Exports, p. 209.
69. Yamazawa, Ippei. 1990. Economic Development and International Trade:The Japanese Model, 216–216. Honolulu, Hawaii:East-West Center Resource Systems Institute.
70. See Germidis Dimitri, Michalet Charles-Albert, International Banks and Financial Markets in Developing Countries OECD Paris 1984 32 32
71. Steven. Japan's New Imperialism 20–21.
72. See Kato Tetsuro, The Age of ‘Japamerica’ — Taking Japanese Development Seriously Hitotsubashi Journal of Social Studies 1989 21 61 78
73. McCormack, Gavan. 1990. Capitalism Triumphant? The Evidence from ‘Number One’ (Japan). Monthly Review, 42 (1) May:11–11. See also idem, “The Price of Affluence:The Political Economy of Japanese Leisure,” New Left Review, 188 (July–August 1991), pp. 121–34. For the discount revolution in Japan a-la-Wal-Mart, see Far Eastern Economic Review (May 5, 1994), pp. 62–6.
74. See Kato, The Age of ‘Japamerica’
75. Cumings, Bruce. 1987. “ The Origins and Development of the Northeast Asian Political Economy:Industrial Sectors, Product Cycles and Political Consequences ”. In The Political Economy of the New Asian Industrialism, Edited by:Deyo, Frederic. 67–67. Ithaca and London:Cornel University Press. in
76. Itoh. The World Economic Crisis and Japanese Capitalism 142–142.
77. See Hart, Rival Capitalists 60 60
78. This argument is made in, Creating Single-Party Democracy:Japan's Postwar Political System Tetsuya Kataoka, Hoover Institution Press Stanford, California 1992
79. See both Eccleston Bernard, State and Society in Post-War Japan Polity Press Cambridge 1989 92 94 and Kent E. Calder, Crisis and Compensation:Public Policy and Political Stability in Japan (Princeton:Princeton University Press, 1988), pp. 280–89.
80. See Far Eastern Economic Review September 1993 58 59 30
81. See for example Koh B.C., Japan's Administrative Elite University of California Press Berkeley 1989 204 215
82. For a dramatic indictment see van Wolferen Karel, The Enigma of Japanese Power Papermac London 1990
83. See Itoh, The World Economic Crisis and Japanese Capitalism 118 118
84. See Kitschelt Herbert, Industrial Governance Structures, Innovation Strategies, and the Case of Japan:Sectoral or Cross-National Comparative Analysis International Organization Autumn 1991 45 4 453 493
85. See The Economist October 1993 71 77 16
86. 1994. Business Week, January:33–33. 14
87. See Okumura, Japan's Corporate Capitalism in Peril
88. See Business Week December 1993 56 59 13
89. See Calder Kent E., Japanese Foreign Economic Policy Formation:Explaining the Reactive State World Politics July 1988 40 4 517 541
90. See Itoh Makoto, Japan in a New World Order Socialist Register 1992 197 211