The postwar rise of Japan is one of the most dramatic cases of rapid economic development in modern history. While most studies attribute Japan’s growth to domestic institutions and policies, this study argues that it depended upon unique international circumstances; in particular, Japan’s close security relationship with the United States. Using a recently developed statistical tool – the synthetic control method – we show that the acceleration of Japan’s growth coincided with the consolidation of the U.S.-Japan alliance. We corroborate these results with historical evidence that reveals how the alliance put Japan in a privileged economic position.

About the Speaker:
Yusaku Horiuchi is Associate Professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College and holds the Mitsui Chair in the Study of Japan. He is the author of Institutions, Incentives and Electoral Participation in Japan (Routledge 2005), and have published articles in leading journals, including American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, World Politics, among others.