000			01941pab a2200193 454500
008			180718b1998 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aJong S. Jun
245			_aWhy is total quality management not popular in Japanese public administration
260			_c1998
300			_ap.275-88
362			_aJun
520			_aThis article aims to find out how Japanese public administration deals with issues of organizational performance. The study begins with a brief analysis of `debureaucratization' through deregulation, privatization and activation of the third sector have been emphasized in governance reform strategies, along with decentralization. While Japan's reform strategies contain some of these strategies, the patterns of change over the past 50 years suggest that political leaders and bureaucrats tend to seek modest incremental changes. In this article, we sketch Japan's decentralization reform efforts by focusing on the historical development of IGR(Wright, 1988). Central-local relations in Japan have not only been highly centralized and controversial; they have also been rational and even cost-saving. Urbanization and rapid economic growth, however, have promoted greater diversity in local politics. They have also contributed to the policy competence of local governments. These political dynamics are becoming a fixed feature of Japanese IGR (Koike, 1990; Muramatsu, 1988). Nevertheless, the promotion of decentralization has been discussed mainly from the standpoint of administrative efficiency rather than political leadership, efficacy and diversity. The administrative emphasis reflects the strong bureaucratic-based character of governance reforms in Japan. - Reproduced
650			_aPublic administration - Japan
650			_aTotal quality management - Japan
650			_aPublic administration
700			_aOsamu Koike
773			_aInternational Review of Administrative Sciences
909			_a38749
999			_c38749 _d38749