國立臺灣大學政治科學論叢

Abstract / Chinese PDF Download

Through in-depth interviews, field observations, and historical document analysis, this research uses the perspective of institutionalism to examine how private corporations applied public interest capitalism to revitalize the Setouchi Islands via contemporary art festivals. The results of the research show that the characteristics of Japanese capitalism, namely strong ties between businesses and the government, and the conception of property rights inherited from semi-feudalism, affected the thoughts and behaviors of the government, private corporations, and citizens. Adding the characteristics of rural communities, further resulted in a top-down and outside-in revitalization approach when the private corporations intended to address rural social problems through the power of capital. Supported by the government, the private corporation then created the profit-oriented revitalization model and dominated the interpretation of local culture, which led to an increasing divergence between social stratums on the islands. At the same time, islanders bore the external cost of tourism without deriving sufficient benefits for the island economy. The Setouchi Islands, which are a so-called example of successful revitalization, have been suffering from population loss. To conclude this research, three principles are provided to reduce limitations of applying public interest capitalism to rural revitalization.