Papers by Mary Alice Haddad
Civil Society and the State in Democratic East Asia, 2020
East Asia is a region dominated by developmental states that favour business and constrain advoca... more East Asia is a region dominated by developmental states that favour business and constrain advocacy organizations, yet Japan has been leading the world in emissions standards for decades, China has recently become the world’s largest producer of photovoltaic panels and a world leader in renewable energy, and Korea and Taiwan have both embarked on major green initiatives that involve green business development, the creation of national parks, widespread energy conservation and comprehensive recycling efforts. This chapter discusses environmental organizations’ networking strategies to find allies within governmental and business echelons in order to affect pro-environmental changes. Focusing on the issue area of the environment, it argues that non-profit organizations play important roles in developing the coordinating networks that facilitate policymaking in challenging and diverse political contexts.
The four major countries of East Asia—China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan—form one of the most ... more The four major countries of East Asia—China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan—form one of the most densely populated regions on earth, and through the course of the late 20th and early 21st centuries the region experienced some of its fastest economic growth, propelled by the policies of state-led developmentalism. As a result of this density and these policies, the four countries in turn became some of the most environmentally degraded. As each achieved middle-to-high income status, however, the populace and then the regime in each country realized that they could not sustain either rapid economic growth or popular legitimacy without addressing the environmental consequences of this fast growth. The four states thus changed their fundamental economic policies from pure developmentalism to what we call ecodevelopmentalism, an attempt to reconcile economic prosperity with environmental sustainability. Although success so far has been mixed, this turn to eco-developmentalism has allowed...
Political Science, 2020
Civil society in East Asia emerged from two community-generated needs: Rural villages relying pri... more Civil society in East Asia emerged from two community-generated needs: Rural villages relying primarily on rice farming had to work together to manage collective water supplies, and urban residents in densely packed housing similarly required neighborhood-based associations to fight fire, promote public health, and alleviate intense poverty. Mutual aid organizations rooted in these premodern traditions have not died off and continue to thrive across the region in the form of neighborhood associations, volunteer fire departments, and the like. With the introduction of Christian churches, democratic thought, and the increasingly diverse and complex lifestyles associated with capitalist development, the region has also seen the introduction of other forms of civil society organizations emerge, such as charity groups, reading circles, hobby groups, nonprofit welfare service organizations, ethnic and identity-based mutual aid groups, and advocacy organizations. Because East Asia did not ...
Asian Journal of Political Science, 2017
Environmental advocacy in East Asia takes place in a context where there are few well-funded prof... more Environmental advocacy in East Asia takes place in a context where there are few well-funded professional advocacy organisations, no viable green parties, and governments that are highly pro-business. In this advocacy-hostile environment, what strategies are environmental organizations using to promote better environmental outcomes? Using an original database of environmental organizations and interviews with activists and officials throughout the region, this paper investigates which strategies are most common and compares them to the advocacy strategies found in the United States. It finds, perhaps surprisingly, that (a) environmental organizations across East Asia employ similar advocacy strategies even though they are operating in very different political conditions, and (b) the strategies most favoured in East Asia are also the strategies most often utilized in the United States. It then argues that new theories of advocacy should be developed to pay closer attention to certain actors (academics and artists), and particular processes (organizational networking, government collaboration, and culturemaking), that appear to play important roles in advocacy in countries around the world, irrespective of political context.
The Journal of Environment & Development, 2015
How can activists and policy makers encourage better environmental behavior in a context of poor ... more How can activists and policy makers encourage better environmental behavior in a context of poor governmental enforcement? This article examines the case of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, a Chinese nonprofit organization, to show how a transparency-based platform can encourage brand-sensitive multinational corporations, their suppliers, their investors, local governments, and consumers to behave in more environmentally responsible ways, even in a context of low governmental enforcement. Using Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs as its model, this article argues that a transparency-based platform can serve an important coordinating function across multiple sectors, creating a mechanism through which market forces are channeled in pro-environmental ways. Transparency-based platforms can help develop new norms about public disclosure, corporate governance, and consumer responsibility, but they only function in places with sufficient state monitoring capacity, ...
The Journal of Japanese Studies, 2016
Going to Court to Change Japan uses six fascinating case studies to investigate the diverse ways ... more Going to Court to Change Japan uses six fascinating case studies to investigate the diverse ways that Japanese citizens and their organizations use the legal system to advocate for social change. Not since Frank Upham’s Law and Social Change in Postwar Japan (Harvard University Press, 1987) and John Haley’s Authority without Power (Oxford University Press, 1991) has there been such a detailed and compelling book illuminating both the diffi culties and the creative advantages of legal advocacy in Japan. In case after case, from human rights cases aimed at protecting groups facing discrimination, to labor and consumer rights, to the quiet and committed work of trial support groups, Going to Court to Change Japan demonstrates that legal advocacy has been a viable and successful tactic utilized by advocates across Japan seeking to right wrongs they see in society and government and among corporations. Going to Court to Change Japan is a highly coherent edited volume, with all of the chapters speaking directly to the central question of how Japanese use the courts as one aspect of their advocacy strategies and highlighting similar themes related to institutional barriers, creative problem solving, and networking with other organizations. They all demonstrate the importance of persistence and contribute to the important fi nding that lost lawsuits can be as powerfully effective as victories. In her opening chapter, Patricia Steinhoff provides the important historical and political context for subsequent chapters, rooting all of the cases against the background of the tumultuous and sometimes violent protest
SpringerPlus, 2016
As global sea levels and natural resource demands rise, people around the world are increasingly ... more As global sea levels and natural resource demands rise, people around the world are increasingly protesting environmental threats to their lives and livelihoods. What are the conditions under which these peaceful environmental protests are violently repressed? This paper uses the random forest algorithm to conduct an event analysis of grassroots environmental protests around the world. Utilizing a database of 175 grassroots environmental protests, we found that: (1) a large proportion (37 %) of the protests involved violent repression; (2) most of the violence (56 %) was directed against marginalized groups; and (3) violence was geographically concentrated the global south in Latin America and Asia. The primary predictors of violence were political empowerment, GDP per capita, industry type, the presence of marginalized groups, and geographic region. Our analysis reveals a complex relationship between governance, resource extraction, and international funding that often resulted in ...
The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics, 2010
VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2010
This article uses the case of Japan to advocate for a new theoretical approach to the study of th... more This article uses the case of Japan to advocate for a new theoretical approach to the study of the nonprofit sector. In particular, it examines how theoretical models based on the European and North American experiences have difficulty explaining the relationship between the nonprofit sector and the state in Japan, and argues that a state-in-society approach is better suited to explaining complex state-society relations in diverse cultural contexts. It does this by examining the evolution of social welfare service provision in Japan. This article is motivated to explain an apparent paradox: Japan's recent efforts toward greater government decentralization and privatization of services have empowered and enlarged the nonprofit sector even as they have also expanded the scope of state authority and enhanced its legitimacy. Résumé le présent article prend l'exemple du Japon pour préconiser une nouvelle approche théorique dans l'étude du secteur sans but lucratif. Il examine, notamment, comment les modèles théoriques qui reposent sur les expériences en Europe et en Amérique du Nord ont des difficultés à expliquer le lien entre le secteur non lucratif et l'É tat du Japon; en outre, il fait valoir que l'approche de l' «É tat dans la société» est mieux adaptée pour expliquer les relations complexes entre l'É tat et la société dans des contextes culturels différents. Son argumentation repose sur l'étude de l'évolution des services sociaux au Japon. Cet article s'efforce d'expliquer un paradoxe apparent: les efforts récents du Japon en faveur d'une décentralisation plus poussée de l'É tat, ainsi que la privatisation des services, ont développé et accru l'influence du secteur non lucratif, comme ils ont également étendu les limites de l'autorité de l'É tat et renforcé sa légitimité.
Democratization, 2010
How does an undemocratic country create democratic institutions and transform its polity in such ... more How does an undemocratic country create democratic institutions and transform its polity in such a way that democratic values and practices become integral parts of its political culture? This article uses the case of Japan to advocate for a new theoretical approach to the study of democratization. In particular, it examines how theoretical models based on the European and North American experiences have difficulty explaining the process of democratization in Japan, and argues that a state-in-society approach is better suited to explaining the democratization process' diverse cultural contexts. Taking a bottom-up view of recent developments in Japanese civil society through the close examination of two cases-one traditional organization dating from the prewar era (neighbourhood associations) and one new-style group formed in 2000 (Association of New Elder Citizens)-this article illustrates how Japanese citizens have democratized their political culture at the grassroots. The state-in-society approach to democratization is particularly useful for the study of democratization processes in non-Western countries where the development of democracy requires not only the modification of a traditional political culture but also the development of new, indigenous, democratic ideas and practices.
Comparative Political Studies, 2006
This article seeks to explain why different types of volunteer organizations are prevalent in dif... more This article seeks to explain why different types of volunteer organizations are prevalent in different countries. It hypothesizes that patterns of volunteer participation are a function of citizen attitudes toward governmental and individual responsibility for caring for society. Those countries (e.g., Japan)—where citizens think that governments should be responsible for dealing with social problems—will tend to have higher participation in embedded volunteer organizations, such as parent-teacher associations. Those countries (e.g., the United States)—where citizens think that individuals should take responsibility for dealing with social problems—will tend to have more participation in nonembedded, organizations, such as Greenpeace. These hypotheses are tested statistically using membership data from eight organizations in 68 countries. Alternative explanations, such as levels of income, education, urbanization, and prevalence of working women, are also tested. Citizen attitudes ...
The Journal of Asian Studies, 2010
How do undemocratic civic organizations become compatible with democratic civil society? How do l... more How do undemocratic civic organizations become compatible with democratic civil society? How do local organizations merge older patriarchal, hierarchical values and practices with newer more egalitarian, democratic ones? This article tells the story of how volunteer fire departments have done this in Japan. Their transformation from centralized war instruments of an authoritarian regime to local community safety organizations of a full-fledged democracy did not happen overnight. A slow process of demographic and value changes helped the organizations adjust to more democratic social values and practices. The way in which these organizations have made the transition offers important lessons for emerging democracies around the world.
Civil Society and the State in Democratic East Asia, 2020
East Asia is a region dominated by developmental states that favour business and constrain advoca... more East Asia is a region dominated by developmental states that favour business and constrain advocacy organizations, yet Japan has been leading the world in emissions standards for decades, China has recently become the world's largest producer of photovoltaic panels and a world leader in renewable energy, and Korea and Taiwan have both embarked on major green initiatives that involve green business development, the creation of national parks, widespread energy conservation and comprehensive recycling efforts. This chapter discusses environmental organizations' networking strategies to find allies within governmental and business echelons in order to affect pro-environmental changes. Focusing on the issue area of the environment, it argues that non-profit organizations play important roles in developing the coordinating networks that facilitate policymaking in challenging and diverse political contexts.
Journal of East Asian Studies, 2007
Japan's civil society is being transformed as more people volunteer for advocacy and professi... more Japan's civil society is being transformed as more people volunteer for advocacy and professional nonprofit organizations. In the US context, this trend has been accompanied by a decline in participation in traditional organizations. Does the rise in new types of nonprofit groups herald a decline of traditional volunteering in Japan? This article argues that while changes in civil rights, political opportunity structure, and technology have also taken place in Japan, they have contributed to the rise of new groups without causing traditional organizations to decline, because Japanese attitudes about civic responsibility have continued to support traditional volunteering.
The Journal of Japanese Studies, 2009
How is democracy made real? How does an undemocratic country create new institutions and transfor... more How is democracy made real? How does an undemocratic country create new institutions and transform its polity such that democratic values and practices become integral parts of its political culture? These are some of the most pressing questions of our times, and they are the central inquiry of Building Democracy in Japan. Using the Japanese experience as a starting point, this book develops a new approach to the study of democratization that examines state-society interactions as a country adjusts its existing political culture to accommodate new democratic values, institutions, and practices. With reference to the country's history, the book focuses on how democracy is experienced in contemporary Japan, highlighting the important role of generational change in facilitating both gradual adjustments as well as dramatic transformation in Japanese politics.
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Papers by Mary Alice Haddad