11 pages, via online journal article, This study of Japan's electoral geography focuses on the outcomes of the 2014 General Election for the House of Representatives. It reflects on the political power of segmented policy communities involved in international free trade and domestic agricultural policy reform and the way they interact with each other. The capability of these policy communities to negotiate behind-the-scenes trade-offs, in order to facilitate reform without disrupting the status quo, is identified as a major determinant of the power structure in contemporary Japan. Also, as low-information and low-participation elections tend to result in a high rate of re-election of incumbents, the depoliticisation of the citizenry is in the interest of these policy communities. Therefore, specific policies and the differentiation among political parties played only a minor role during the 2014 electoral campaign. The paper demonstrates that the strong force of the agricultural policy community to resist transformational change is still deeply rooted in the proportional overrepresentation of agricultural interests built into the electoral system. It concludes that within the context of an increasing deficit of legitimacy and an aggravating depoliticisation trend, commitments to fundamental polity reform are integral to voters' perceptions of the fairness of Japan's democratic institutions. Significant structural reforms that embody federalist and direct democracy principles are discussed as an alternative to the unitary state model in order to seriously tackle issues of proportional misrepresentation and adequately accommodate rural interests.
Jackson, Janine (author / Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) and Vallas, Rebecca (author / Center for American Progress)
Format:
Interview
Publication Date:
2017
Published:
USA: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, New York City, New York
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 129 Document Number: D11274
Notes:
Online from FAIR website. June 9 episode of CounterSpin. 7 pages., Interview inviting analysis of a series in the Washington Post newspaper. Focused on receivers of disability benefits in rural America. It identified inaccuracies and "deeply offensive allegation" in reporting.
Khan, Md. Anowarul Arif (author), Khan, Md. Mostafizur Rahman (author), Hassan, Mahmudul (author), Ahmed, Firoz (author), and Haque, Shah Md. Rauful (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2017
Published:
Bangladesh
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 133 Document Number: D11377
9 pages., Online via Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Authors examined the history, role, potentials, and challenges of community radio in Bangladesh, especial serving those in rural and hard to reach areas. Emphasis on principles of access and participation, volunteerism, diversity, independence, and locality.
