Local institutions and rural development in Japan

The Japanese case is a particularly interesting one, not only because it has so often been cited as a model for other rice-culture nations in Asia and elsewhere, but also because of the existence of a wealth of primary source materials that cover a hundred-year time span of Japan"s modern history. Many of these materials have yet to be exploited to their fullest extent, but scholars have already succeeded in uncovering a great deal regarding Japan"s early developmental history. In describing that history in this study, it will become apparent that many gaps in our analysis still exist, particularly when we attempt to discuss in a systematic fashion the relationship between institutional change, social change, and economic development.