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Group Solidarity and Social Order in Japan

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  • Michael Hechter
  • Satoshi Kanazawa

Abstract

This paper seeks to explain why Japan has attained a higher level of social order than comparably developed western national societies. To do so, it distinguishes the attainment of local order in social groups from the global order in national societies. Recent models of spontaneous, self-organizing order are insufficient to account for global order. In contrast to the more popular normative explanation of order in Japan, which holds that a consensus on fundamental values derived from Confucian roots is an essential cause, this paper proposes a solidaristic theory built on rational choice premises. This new theory views global order as a by-product of dependence and visibility mechanisms within key social groups such as families, schools and firms. A wide range of comparative evidence reveals that the solidaristic theory provides a superior explanation of the high level of social order in Japan than the normative one.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Hechter & Satoshi Kanazawa, 1993. "Group Solidarity and Social Order in Japan," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 5(4), pages 455-493, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jothpo:v:5:y:1993:i:4:p:455-493
    DOI: 10.1177/0951692893005004002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Scharpf, Fritz W., 1990. "Games Real Actors Could Play: The Problem of Connectedness," MPIfG Discussion Paper 90/8, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    2. Michael Hechter, 1992. "The Insufficiency of Game Theory for the Resolution of Real-World Collective Action Problems," Rationality and Society, , vol. 4(1), pages 33-40, January.
    3. Ostrom, Elinor & Walker, James & Gardner, Roy, 1992. "Covenants with and without a Sword: Self-Governance Is Possible," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 86(2), pages 404-417, June.
    4. Martin Kenney & Richard Florida, 1988. "Beyond Mass Production: Production and the Labor Process in Japan," Politics & Society, , vol. 16(1), pages 121-158, March.
    5. Fritz W. Scharpf, 1990. "Games Real Actors Could Play," Rationality and Society, , vol. 2(4), pages 471-494, October.
    6. Toyohiro Kono, 1984. "Strategy and Structure of Japanese Enterprises," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-17627-4.
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