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"This book explores the origins of Japan's protectionist agricultural policies through an in-depth historical analysis of Japanese agricultural policies between the Meiji period and the end of WWII. It offers a constructivist account for the rise of protectionism, examining the policies of prewar agricultural bureaucrats who played critical roles in the policymaking process. It argues that protectionist agricultural policy in Japan was not originally generated by the 'iron triangle' (the Liberal Democratic Party, the Agricultural Ministry and farmers' organizations) but by a prewar agricultural bureaucrats' policy idea called shōnō ron (thoughts on small-scale farming). Ultimately the book reveals how, contrary to suggestions of previous scholarship, the protective measures based on shōnō ron forged the necessary conditions for the emergence of 'iron triangle' after the end of WWII, which in turn institutionalized Japan's subsequent protectionist agricultural regime. Examining such topics as the origin of protectionist policy, the formation of actors' preferences, and the broader effects of agricultural policy ideas this book will be valuable reading for scholars and students of Japanese politics, agricultural policy, and political economy"--

Recent changes in Japan's civil society together with the current political and economic environment have created the first opportunity to develop a viable nonprofit sector that represents citizen interests and allows for public participation in Tokyo's urban development scheme. Tokyo's urban environment has failed to meet the social and cultural needs of its citizens due to unprecedented economic and industrial growth from the beginning of the Meiji era until the 1990s. Through this extended period of growth, the goal for urban development was solely to increase Tokyo's economic strength, while social needs were not addressed. While the City Planning Law of 1968 ("CPL") sought to require citizen participation in urban planning, the law was largely ineffective due to its narrow scope and weak legal remedies. During much of the twentieth century, Tokyo's governance was controlled by an iron triangle comprised of bureaucracy, government, and big business, which drove Tokyo's economic growth. This form of governance did not allow citizens to participate in the political process. The iron triangle lost its strength only after the collapse of the economic bubble in the 1990s. With urban development failing to meet the needs of the citizens and the iron triangle having lost its strength, citizens groups began to assert more influence over the city's governance. Successes for the citizens groups and growing media attention prompted the promulgation of the Nonprofit Organizations Law of 1998 ("NPO Law"). The NPO Law created a framework for a nonprofit sector and began to strengthen its legitimacy. Unlike past attempts to introduce a viable nonprofit sector, the NPO Law came at a time when the political and economic environments of the city allowed for outside influence in the political process. While the foundation has now been laid for a viable nonprofit sector, the sector must gain legitimacy and independence before it is a truly viable means to public participation. With increased legitimacy and independence, Japan's ...

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Agency Purpose versus Agency Self- Interest: Conflict in Serving the Vulnerable -- 2. Poverty's Iron Triangle -- 3. Mining Foster Children for Revenue -- 4. Medicaid Money Laundering -- 5. Cost Recovery: Poverty Industry Taking Child Support from Children and Families -- 6. The Expanding Web of the Poverty Industry -- 7. Reeling In the Poverty Industry: Restoring Agency Purpose, and Restoring Fiscal Integrity to the Safety Net -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of figures -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Introduction: Contextualizing White College Students' Views About Privilege -- 1 Exploring How Student Learning Works -- 2 How Social Groups Contextualize Learning About and Our Understanding of Privilege -- 3 Core Ideas About Privilege -- 4 Anchoring Beliefs About Privilege -- 5 Compelling Feelings About Privilege -- 6 An Iron Triangle: How Ideas, Beliefs, and Feelings Collectively Inform Our Understanding About Privilege -- Conclusion: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go? -- Index.

Congressional advocacy towards international organizations -- Enacting a multilateral framework for finance : treasury and congressional compromise -- Building constituencies for the Bretton Woods framework : banks, big business, and the Cold War coalition -- Domestic constituencies speak : the end of fixed parity and the rise of development lending -- Iron triangles go global : the 1982 debt crisis and the end of the Cold War -- Widening the circle, narrowing the outcome : the 1997 Asian financial crisis -- Reviving a role for the Bretton Woods institutions : the financial crisis of 2008 -- Conclusions

The Vaal Triangle is richly endowed with a prehistory that commenced c. 1.5 million years ago, when a succession of Stone Age cultures flourished in the fertile Vaal-Klip valley in the environs of the modern industrial city of Vereeniging. The numerous stone artefacts scattered throughout the area, attest to these ancient settlements. During the Iron Age, the sandstone outcrops in the valley provided a durable surface for engraving – a manifestation of the burgeoning ability of humankind to give pictorial form to experiences and ideas. Due to the efforts of a few concerned individuals, the prehistoric sites in the Vaal-Klip valley received international acclaim and recognition. In 1943 and 1944, the two most important Stone Age archaeological reserves were officially declared national monuments, followed by the Redan rock engraving site in 1971. Over an extended period of time the two bodies responsible for their maintenance, the local government and the official heritage body of the day, conducted extensive negotiations, but failed to save these sites. With the exception of Redan, all the previously listed rock engraving sites, and the two Stone Age archaeological reserves, have been completely obliterated. Redan has become progressively neglected and abandoned. This paper examines the impasse presently surrounding Redan, and the failure of the relevant bodies, to conserve and sustain the non-renewable prehistoric culture remains of the Vaal Triangle.

Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Elites, Policies and State Reconfiguration -- Chapter 3: The Rise and Fall of Old-Fashioned Elites -- Chapter 4: Initiating "Sustainable Social Welfare": Jean Marmot -- Chapter 5: Welfare Elites as Custodians of State Policies -- Chapter 6: Reinforcements to the Developing Role of Custodian -- Chapter 7. Implementing "Sustainable Social Welfare" Program -- Chapter 8: Shaping the Iron Triangle of Governance -- Chapter 9: Consolidating the Custodianship of State Policies -- Chapter 10: The Resilience of Welfare Elites to Crises -- Chaper 11: A Comparative and Theoretical Assessment on the Elite Approach.

The author of the bestseller The Iron Triangle untangles a web of political back scratching in one of the world's most powerful companiesHalliburton-a Texas oil-field company Dick Cheney ran before he became Vice President-has courted controversy for the better part of the twentieth century, but only recently has it received intense media scrutiny. In The Halliburton Agenda, Halliburton and its subsidiaries form the foundation of a fascinating story of influence peddling and behind-the-scenes political maneuvering that has only increased in momentum over the last decade-culminating in a firest

Six books are reviewed: 1. IMF Essays From a Time of Crisis: The International Financial System, Stabilization, and Development, by Stanley Fischer, 2. The Power of Productivity: Wealth, Poverty, and the Threat to Global Stability, by William W. Lewis, 3. High-Tech Protectionism: The Irrationality of Antidumping Laws, by Claude E. Barfield, 4. Unwanted Company: Foreign Investment in American Industries, by Jonathan Crystal, 5. Structural Reform in Japan: Breaking the Iron Triangle, by Eisuke Sakakibara, and 6. Genes, Trade, and Regulation: The Seeds of Conflict in Food Biotechnology, by Thomas Bernauer.

The process through which the Older Americans Act of 1965, enacted to provide social & nutritional services to persons aged 60+ in the US, was amended in 1978 is examined. Attention is given both to the legislative process & to the administrative process that resulted. The perspective of Martin Sicker ("On Targeting Programs for the Elderly," Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 1978, 1, winter), a former associate commissioner on aging, is reviewed. Though the program administered under this act is one of the smallest social services programs, its policy dynamics are typical of those described by the "iron triangle" concept. 13 References. W. H. Stoddard.

Political scientists have often referred to core decision-making groups in American politics as "policy communities" or, more popularly, as "the iron triangle." Invariably, they are describing the interaction patterns of specialists in the executive and legislative branches of government and in the private sector who devote primary attention to the initiation and implementation of public policy in a particular issue area. In large measure the groups are depicted as having close-knit working relationships that result from frequent interaction, similarity in information sources and commonality in ideological predisposition. Perceptive observers such as Hedrick Smith, however, have pointed out that in some policy arenas there are critics who are not part of what is usually regarded as the cozy establishment network. These he has referred to as "dissident triangles" or rival networks that compete with varying degrees of success in the process.

The Dept for the Coordination of Equality Policy (DCE) is the most important Dutch government agency for women's policy. The DCE's 1978 establishment, organization, role in policy formation, & relations with Dutch women's movement are reviewed. Because of the influence of Dutch feminist ideology, the DCE is relatively informal & nonhierarchical in comparison to other agencies. Its ability to initiate new policies on its own is limited; it serves more of a coordinating role. The three-sided network envisioned by feminists -- the "iron triangle" composed of the DCE, the women's movement, & a strong government advisory body -- has never materialized, & the DCE itself is now weakening due to the policy of integration of agencies. M. Pflum

Japan's Paralysis: Causes and Consequences for the World Economy - a Role for Europe, by Jean-Pierre Lehmann
Japan's current disastrous economie, political, social and moral situation appears to be beyond control by the political class and the country as a whole. Japan is suffering from having lived amid myths and untruths about its past. It is also suffering from obsolete structures centered on the "iron triangle" (DLP, senior administration and industry) which controls the country's entire life. Now although this triangle is splitting up, it is not being replaced by another type of power. This is particularly harmful for Japan because it is missing out on the communication and globalization revolutions. It therefore seems possible for reforms and an opening-up to be driven only from outside - notably from Europe - in order to counterbalance the predominant influence of the United States.