12th Jan 2008 LORC Symposium
Bridging between the actual and
desirable social image
- Experiences and Challenges of a
paradigm shift propounded by LORC
Fumihiko SAITO,
Katsutaka SHIRAISHI,
Kimie TSUCHIYAMA
Topics of the presentation

Starting point of LORC: “public” policy and human
resources in Japanese society

A paradigm shift propounded by LORC

Shared recognitions derived from LORC research activities


Setting up a “social image” that we should aim to achieve with the
paradigm shift
The gap between the desirable social image and the reality

Experiences and challenges in Japan (presented by Dr. Tsuchiyama),
developed countries (by Prof. Shiraishi), and developing countries (Prof.
Saito)

Good practices and outcomes that should be shared, and challenges from
now on
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１）Starting point of LORC: ”public” policy and human
resources in Japanese society

“Decentralisation Reform in 2000” and “publicness” in local society
(1) Decentralisation Reform in 2000 and the present

Historical background


Social change and the expansion of the public policy sphere derived from the
Japan’s high-growth era of 1960’s
Direct drives :

Financial collapses of the central government and local municipalities

Long-term debt outstanding as much as 150% of GNP

“Crisis of retirement allowance” brought by the retirement of “baby boomer”

Exhaustion of the high-growth society/ political structure

A definition of “equal” relationships between central/local governments, and
institutional reforms such as the abolition of the imposed administrative work by
central government and to local governments

Point is whether local municipalities can utilise this reform and become
“governments”
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１） Starting point of LORC: ”public” policy and human
resources in Japanese society

“Decentralisation Reform in 2000” and “publicness” in local society
(2) ”Publicness” in local society

Clear signs of “decay” of traditional community organisations that existed and
continued long before the high-growth period.

Importance of shared challenges and “association?” in a “locality”

Focus on NPOs/ NGOs as “new actors” in service development and delivery

Cut of the work of local governments due to the financial crisis

Reconsideration of the structure and actors of supply and demand of
“public services”

Reconsideration of relationship between the stakeholders in public
policy
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２）A paradigm shift propounded by LORC

Difficulties in Japan Today




The wall between sectors -> Lack of mutual
understanding and collaboration
Thick Wall between sectors
Social Sector
Government Sector

Closed career path, lack of job
moving to another

Lack of mutual understanding

Lack of collaboration experience
Strong government, social sector and
market sector’s CSR are in germ
Confliction / obstruction / opposition
between sectorial activities
The lack of human resource and
system of collaboration for public
policy
Market Sector
Confliction / obstruction /
opposition
Characteristic sphere of
activities of each sector
The image of society before paradigm
shift
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２）A paradigm shift propounded by LORC

Diversification of the actors of policy development and implementation –
the concept of cross-sectoral and “socially-oriented human resources”

Public policy process by diverse “socially-oriented human resources”

Actors’ spheres of activities are extended and interwoven– multistakeholder partnership is required

Systems that create the public policy process driven by multistakeholder partnership are required
→ Such systems should be main factors that constitute the core of
governance

Recognition and redefinition of the roles and characteristics of each
sector
→what is a good government/ citizen/ company as an actor for a
good governance?
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３） Shared recognitions derived from LORC research
activities: a desirable social image

Common objectives of a society:
(1)securing environmental, economic,
and social sustainability, and (2)
developing a “policy and system
network” that contribute to a wellbalanced improvement of individual’s
quality of life
Independence and autonomy of each actors
Council and
Mayor
Social Sector
A vision for achieving the objectives is
needed, and for challenging them…
collaboration


The existence of diverse “sociallyoriented human resources”and activation
of social energy.
Creating a society where there is an
environment and systems in which the
work of socially-oriented human
resources in public policy can be vitalised
–social energy will be pooled as social
capital
Government Sector
Market Sector
Overlap of actors’ sphere of activities : area for
colabolation
Characteristic sphere of
activities of each sector
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4) The gap between the desirable social image and the
reality： Challenges in Japan and LORC

Many challenges in the current Japanese situation



Has the foundation of the civil society sector as “an actor of publicness” been firmly
developed?

Little spare time and severe work environment: Will the actors be increased?

Difficult to be financially self-reliant as a full-time worker of an NPO

Exhaustions caused by contracts with the public sector in which they are exploited as a
cheap workforce (this can be as a result of misinterpretation of “partnership” by the
public sector)
Are local municipalities maximising this opportunity for reform?

Impacts: decentralisation reform, municipal merger, fiscal crisis etc.

Impacts treated as something frighting rather than reforming opportunity
Business sector


Gap between the sectors, lack of exchange and transfer of human resources


Can the sector itself develop a self-definition as a main actor in local society?
Difficult to establish a multi-stakeholder partnership
Although the need for change is recognised, no vision for a desirable social image
has yet been developed – developments of tools and systems have not caught up
with the current situation
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4) The gap between the desirable social image and the
reality： Challenges in Japan and LORC

Notion of and search for socially-oriented human resources


Set the aspect for human resources and their function beyond the sectoral
divided view
Approach of Group 2 ,3 and related WG: precondition of
social change, seeking a definition and cultivation of a layer
of “human resources”

Visualisation of a way and actors of public policy

Development of a common language and recognition that decrease
conflicts in “partnership” working

Sharing the resources of education and training as social resources

A social accreditation system by Group 3: recruitment of human
resources, career plans, creating social understanding and support for
SOHR.
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4) The gap between the desirable social image and the
reality： Challenges in Japan and LORC

Notion of socially-oriented human resources
Getting career/professionalize
for Highly skilled expert SOHR
Highly Skilled
Expert
Highly skilled
and abillity
through the job
experiences
Cross sector moving / sharing
High Education,
before getting
job
Basic ability for
professional SOHR
Compulsory
Education,
Daily Life
Basic realization for
citizen/ potential
SOHR
ability of SOHR
Reccurent
education /
Training
Profession
NPO/NGO
staff
Council
staff
Professionality
People on Civil
Society :
potential SOHR
Various Political Actor
on Civil Society
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4) The gap between the desirable social image and the
reality： Challenges in Japan and LORC

Development process of socially-oriented human resources and the
Getting career/professionalize for
target of LORC
Highly skilled expert SOHR
Highly skilled and
abillity through the
job experiences

Searches and case studies

Seeking desirable training/
education programmes


Case studies
Reccurent
education /
Training
High
Education,
before getting
job
Compulsory
Education,
Daily Life
Cross sector moving / sharing
Basic ability for
professional SOHR
Basic realization
for citizen/
potential SOHR
The target
area of LORC

Partnership-oriented training

Trends of public policy departments/ courses of universities/ graduate
schools

NPO and Regional Government Study Course, Ryukoku University
Case studies in relation to social accreditation

Spatial “seats” in the officer employment of Tokyo Metropolitan
Government

Framework of socially-oriented human resources (Group 3)
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4) The gap between the desirable social image and the
reality： Challenges in Japan and LORC


Case of Takashima city in Shiga Prefecture

Trial of making local citizens network for social sector

Trial of making multi-stakeholder partnership between social sector and new
local government which made by municipal merger

Difficulties on ground : membership, discussion and agreement, trust and
understanding

Making trial and error for new relationship
Reality from objectives, objectives from reality

Severe gaps between the sectors -> difficult to develop a multi-stakeholder
partnership without a common language/mutual understanding

Walls between organisations and recognitions within a sector -> importance and
difficulties of discussions and consensus buildings

Germination of new actors

Trial and error experiences with partners on the ground -> very hard, awkward
and difficult, but may lead to the next stage -> the framework for social energy
which leads social capital
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