Motoshi Suzuki’s book provides an analysis of government reform in Japan, in connection with changes in the international environment, especially globalization; the analysis consists of three components. The fi rst is a theoretical discussion. In chapter 1 the author offers an overview of approaches to institutional change, particularly those based on rational choice, and presents the main framework that is used to examine Japanese government leaders’ role in adjusting Japan’s economic system to changes in the international environment in order to pursue economic development. The author also incorporates theoretical discussions in other chapters, in particular developing his analysis in conjunction with various discussions of Japanese politics and policymaking. The second component is historical studies. Suzuki uses the framework he has outlined to analyze government reform in Japan in case studies of reforms stimulated by changes in international relations before World War II. The third and fi nal component is the application of his framework to case studies of contemporary government reforms under the infl uence of globalization in Japan. Each of these cases is very important, but they have rarely been examined by scholars outside Japan and the book’s concise overview provides a basic understanding of each. The book thus covers a wide variety of relevant aspects of the issue, including theoretical approaches, historical overview, and case studies on recent government reform. This breadth of coverage is the book’s strongest point. Nonetheless, the analysis includes some signifi cant problems, among which I would include the following. First, the model the author sets up is in need of clarifi cation. Suzuki’s model is straightforward, if not simple. He posits “the extent and process of policy change” as dependent variables

中文翻译：

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全球化与日本制度改革的政治 铃木元志

Motoshi Suzuki 的书结合国际环境的变化，尤其是全球化，对日本的政府改革进行了分析；分析由三个部分组成。首先是理论讨论。在第 1 章中，作者概述了制度变迁的方法，特别是那些基于理性选择的方法，并提出了用于审查日本政府领导人在调整日本经济体系以适应国际环境变化中的作用的主要框架，以便追求经济发展。作者还结合了其他章节中的理论讨论，特别是结合日本政治和政策制定的各种讨论来展开他的分析。第二部分是历史研究。铃木利用他概述的框架来分析日本政府改革，以案例研究二战前国际关系变化所激发的改革。第三个也是最后一个组成部分是将他的框架应用于日本全球化影响下当代政府改革的案例研究。这些案例中的每一个都非常重要，但它们很少被日本以外的学者研究过，本书的简明概述提供了对每个案例的基本了解。因此，本书涵盖了该问题的各种相关方面，包括理论方法、历史概述和最近政府改革的案例研究。这种覆盖面的广度是本书的最大亮点。尽管如此，分析中包含了一些重要的问题，其中我将包括以下内容。第一的，作者建立的模型需要澄清。铃木的模型即使不简单也很简单。他将“政策变化的程度和过程”假定为因变量