Poverty, Development, and Regeneration of Community-Based Resources
In this paper, we would like to clarify the fact that our society needs poverty referring two cases, that is, the Fukushima nuclear power plants accidents in 2011 in Japan and Genetically Modified Organism.
First, Fukushima nuclear power plants accidents revealed that Japanese society needs unskilled laborers who have routinely worked inside the nuclear reactors in the 54 nuclear power plants in Japan. These laborers definitely belong to the low-income bracket. It is a surprising fact that most Japanese did not recognize that their high standard of living has been heavily depended on the lives of such a small number of laborers.
While the situations seem apparently completely different, the issues on GMOs have almost the same logical structure as that of the Fukushima Case. Since no rich people in the developed countries intend to ingest GM food, GMOs-related companies find markets in the poor which is largely in the developing countries. Throughout the process of penetration of GMOs in the developing countries, the interpersonal relationships among the farmers are cut off. It means that the rich need the poor who can ingest GM food.
Then, we would like to discuss that the key to realize the society which does not need poverty can be found in the regeneration of the community-based resources. While it seems still difficult to find the key in the Fukushima Case, we can find it in sharing the really promising experiences of the development of organic agriculture in the Philippines.
Seminar 14 Slides
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Toru Nakanishi, Ph.D. (Docor of Economics)
Professor
Development Studies
International Relations
the University of Tokyo
1989 Research Associate, International University of Japan
1991 Associate Professer, Faculty of Economics, Hokkaido University
1993 Associate Professer, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo
2001 Professor, International Relations,
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo
Selected Publications
"The Labour Market in the Urban Informal Sector: The Case of the Philippines"，The Developing Economies, Vol.28, No.3，Institute of Developing Economies, 1990.
Economics of Slum, University of Tokyo Press, 1991.(in Japanese)
"Urban Informal Sector in the Philippines," Journal of Economics, vol. 61 no.6, Faculty of Economics, the University of Tokyo, 1995.(in Japanese)
"Comparative Study on Informal Labor Markets in Urbanization Process," Developing Economies, vol.34, no.4., 1996.
The Urban Metropolis in Asia: Manila, Nakanishi,Toru, et. al. eds.,
Nihon-Hyoron-Sha, 2001.(in Japanese)
Metro Manila: In Search of a Sustainable Future, with Tatsuo Omachi and Emerlinda R. Ramon, University of the Philippine Press, 2002.
"Hidden Community Development among the Urban Poor: Informal Settlers in Metro Manila," Policy and Society, vol. 25 no.4., 2006.
Human Security, with Yamakage, Susumu et. al., University of Tokyo Press, 2008.(in Japanese)
"Organic Agriculture and Community-Based Resources," Advanced Social and International Studies, International Relations, University of Tokyo, vol.61.
, 2012 forthcoming (in Japanese)