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A Casualty of Political Transformation?: The Politics of Japanese Energy Efficiency

A Casualty of Political Transformation?: The Politics of Japanese Energy Efficiency. Phillip Y. Lipscy Department of Political Science & Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University. Politics of Energy Efficiency: The General Puzzles.

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A Casualty of Political Transformation?: The Politics of Japanese Energy Efficiency

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  1. A Casualty of Political Transformation?:The Politics of Japanese Energy Efficiency Phillip Y. Lipscy Department of Political Science & Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University

  2. Politics of Energy Efficiency: The General Puzzles • Cross-National Variation in Energy Efficiency Policies and Outcomes • What Explains Cross-national Variation in Outcomes? • Why are Different Policies Adopted? • What Political Factors Affect the Effectiveness of Policies?

  3. Why Japan? • Strong Energy Efficiency Record • Important component of foreign policy and foreign aid • Not Clear Why Japan has Done So Well • Role of Politics?

  4. Cultural Explanations? • Energy Policy Experts Often Claim: “Japan is Different” • Unique Culture of Frugality?

  5. The Political Context of Japanese Efficiency Policies • Bureaucratic Initiative & Autonomy • Interest Group Politics • Efficiency Clientelism

  6. Bureaucratic Initiative & Independence • Stable Government Policy • Encourages private sector investment in efficiency • vs. US: Carter  Reagan; Clinton  Bush • Public-Private Communication • Depoliticized Policymaking • Top Runner Program • Explicitly designed to prevent perversion of policy through lobbying

  7. Interest Group Politics • Interest Group Politics • Absence of Strong Anti-Efficiency Interest Groups • Early establishment of industry leadership in efficient products • Virtuous Cycle: • Specialization in efficient products  Political support for efficiency  Policy to support efficiency • e.g. Automobile Sector & Fuel Economy Standards • Toyota; Honda strong lobby for stringent standards

  8. Efficiency Clientelism • Efficiency Clientelism: policies that served dual purpose: • Provision of Pork to LDP (Old Ruling Party) Constituencies • Energy Efficiency through Diffuse Costs Imposed on General Public • Efficiency Clientelism matched up well with Japan’s post-World War II political arrangements • MMD-SNTV Electoral System; Rural Overrepresentation • LDP One-Party Dominance • Bureaucratic Initiative • Contributed to Japan’s abnormal transport profile of high costs, low total distance traveled, high rail-share, and low automobile-share

  9. Example: Kei-Cars (軽自動車) • Subsidization of light-weight automobiles through tax incentives and relaxed requirements • Began as part of motorization policy in 1950s • In 1970s, coopted to serve dual purpose: • Energy Efficiency  fuel efficient vehicles for rural areas with limited public transportation • Subsidization of rural residents, small business

  10. Subsidies for Kei-Cars

  11. Kei-Car Ownership by Prefecture

  12. Rural Transportation in US vs. Japan

  13. Other Examples • Highway Tolls • Gasoline Tax • Shinkansen Bullet Train Network • Electricity Prices

  14. The End of Efficiency Clientelism • Political Changes Since the 1990s Undermine Efficiency Clientelism • Electoral Reform • Delegitimization of Bureaucracy • End of LDP Dominance •  Peculiar Position of DPJ (New Ruling Party) • Public Endorsement of Significant CO2 Reductions • Hatoyama 25% Reduction Target from 1990 Levels • Policy Commitments that Run Counter to CO2 Reduction

  15. Conclusion • Political Sources of Japan’s Efficiency Policies • Bureaucratic Initiative & Autonomy • Interest Group Politics • Efficiency Clientelism • New Approach? • Distribution of revenues to efficiency-enhancing activities & R&D rather than pork • Challenge: difficult to implement pro-efficiency policies with diffuse costs without public backlash • Where will political support come from?

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