Research Interests

Social Policy, Economic Sociology, Social Security Policy, Regional Creation Policy

“Social policy” as an academic discourse reveals the causes and measures of various social issues in the economic society.
Today, “Social Policy” is often interpreted as “a combination of Social Security Policy and Labor Policy”, but that academic activities revealed the essential issues of the economic society from the end of the 19th century until the first half of the 20th century. It was aimed to clarify its structural factors.
In my research, I cherish the origin of the academic term “Social Policy”, and as a new academic field, we have “Economic Sociology”. The development from Social Policy to Economic Sociology will be a research focusing on the whole economic society.
However, in order t understand the structure of society as a whole, it is necessary to tackle concrete institutional and policy issues as well.
“Social Security Policy” has various systems such as a “Social Insurance System” (pension, medical care, nursing care), and “social welfare system” (disabled welfare, child welfare, elderly social welfare), etc. In the seminar, each person freely selected a theme and have been studying various Social Security Systems.
And, with the Aging Society becoming superficial, the financial problem of “Medical Security and Nursing Care Security” is the focus of Social Issues. In this few years, we have in collaboration with the National Association of Prefectural Insurance Association, taken over a large-scale questionnaire survey, health checkup data, and the reception data were matched in order to clarify medical cost problems and health policy issues.

Lectures and Seminars

Teaching Experience

(Undergraduate)
“Social Policy”, “basic theory of economic policy”, etc. I’m planning to open “Economic Sociology ” in the near future.

In “Social Policy”, we will discuss the following three pillars.

1. History of social policy: (1) History of academic policy as Social Policy, (2) “social issues” and qualitative and structural change of economic society, (3) “social problem” in present
2. Necessity of social security: (1) “Solidarity Principle and Complementarity Principle”, (2) “Market Failure” and Social Security, (3) Expenses of Social Security System
3. From Social Policy to Economic Sociology: (1) “Economic Society to divide”, globalization and regionalization, the possibility of IoT · AI technology, population policy, and immigrant labor force, (2) Sustainability of Modern Industrial Civilization, (3) Human as “creatures” and Economic Society

(Graduate/Postgraduate)
“Social policy”: Using the original literature, I will remake the contents of undergraduate lectures to more advanced and sophisticated content.

“Economic Sociology”:

1. “Genealogy of social essence theory”, (1) Social Nominalism and Social Realism, (2) Utilitarianism and communitarianism, (3) Phenomenological Sociology
2. Economic Social Issues in Modern Industrial Civilization, (1) Market Failure, (2) Government Failure, (3) Community Failure
3. Issues of the local community, (1) “Administrative and Community”, (2) “Small Multifunction Autonomy”, (3) Freedom and Self-Realization of Personality

Seminars (Undergraduate)

Seminar students will freely choose themes related to social policy and social security. In the course of research guidance, we provide guidance on literature surveys and field surveys.

Seminars (Graduate/Postgraduate)

Seminar students will freely choose themes related to social policy and social security. In the course of research guidance, we provide guidance on literature surveys and field surveys.

Publications

1. “Regional Welfare Plan and the Activity of a New Community,” The Kokumin-Keizai Zasshi, Vol.194, No.6, 2006.
2. “The Long-Term Care Insurance and Issues of Local Government: Result from “the Adjustment Project of Long-Term Care Insurance Services”,” The Annals of Economic Studies, No.51, 2004.
3. “Problems and Possibilities of Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly in Japan,” The Kokumin-Keizai Zasshi, Vol.185, No.1 (Special Issue: Economic and Social Analysis of Ageing Population), 2002.

Message

Every month, we will carry out more than 2 days of fieldwork at the weekend.
For those entering the seminar, this fieldwork is compulsory, but students taking lectures can participate freely.

Contact

E-mail

fujioka(at)econ.kobe-u.ac.jp

Office hours

Please make an appointment in advance.