What mechanisms of mutual aid and assistance are at work in the economy, together with markets and governments?

Can we change our policies and institutions so that this mechanism works more?

Center Overview

What mechanisms do mutual aid and assistance use in the economy to work with markets and governments? Can we change our policies and institutions so that this mechanism works more? This mechanism works together with public mechanisms such as the market mechanism based on price and the government based on public authority in a variety of gatherings of people, including families, neighborhoods, friends, NPOs, and even for-profit companies. The Community Mechanism Resarch Center at Keio University conducts scientific research on the workings of community mechanisms, as well as evaluation research on related policies.

Introduction of Center Director

The economic system can be thought of as working through the interaction of three major mechanisms: the public mechanism, the market mechanism, and the community mechanism. As the birthrate declines and the population ages in high-income countries, however, the importance of the community mechanism is expected to increase again. As the birthrate declines and the population ages in high-income countries, however, the importance of community mechanisms is expected to increase again. This is because the cognitive abilities of the elderly, who will make up a large percentage of the population, are expected to decline during the normal aging process, and in some cases, many elderly people will develop dementia. In addition, childcare services will become increasingly important for women’s participation in society to cope with the declining birthrate and aging population. In addition, childcare services will become increasingly important for women’s participation in society to cope with the declining birthrate and aging population. Children and the elderly, whose cognitive abilities are greatly diminished, will not be able to effectively use the market mechanism alone, and the problem of government budget deficits will become more serious due to the declining birthrate and aging population, and power-based public mechanisms such as tax collection will be limited. Furthermore, regardless of the level of economic development, community mechanisms are important in the event of major disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and infectious diseases. While modern economics is dominated by the study of market mechanisms and public mechanisms, the new economics of behavioral economics has produced many studies that contribute to the study of communal mechanisms of social preferences and social capital (e.g., trust). In light of this situation, the purpose of the Community Mechanism Research Center is to contribute to a better and safer life for all people, including those who cannot use market mechanisms effectively alone, especially children and the elderly with reduced cognitive abilities, and to reduce friction and conflict. To this end, the Center will play a central role in theoretical, empirical, and policy research on community mechanisms, as well as in the collection of data for such research. In collaboration with domestic and international researchers and other organizations, we will promote research on behavioral economics and interdisciplinary community mechanisms, and based on the results of that research, we will make recommendations to leaders in the sense of their influence within various communities, ranging from communities of two or more people, such as families, to human communities. This includes, but is not limited to, policy recommendations to the public sector. For example, we will make recommendations for husbands and wives in the family community, and employers and employees of non-profit organizations to consider, as well as CEOs and employees of for-profit companies who are interested in contributing to the SDGs.

Director, Community Mechanism Resarch Center, Keio University Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University
Masao Ogaki

Masao Ogaki’s research is introduced on these pages. Researchmap: Masao Ogaki and Google Scholar: Maso Ogaki

Member

Masami Aki

Faculty of Clinical Education, Ashiya University

Nobuyuki Hanaki

Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University

Takahiro Hoshino

Faculty of Economics, Keio University

Myong-Il Kang

Division of Science and Research, Korea University

Kohei Kubota

Faculty of Commerce, Chuo University

Fumio Ohtake

Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research, Osaka University

Naoko Okuyama

Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University

Nees and Updates