Steven Vogel

Biography: 

Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley.

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Recent Commentary

LAND OF THE SETTING SUN? The Future of Japan

with Toshio Nishi, Steven Vogelvia Uncommon Knowledge
Tuesday, January 6, 2004

From the 1950s through the 1980s, Japan experienced dramatic economic growth as it transformed itself from a defeated militaristic empire into a democratic, high-technology powerhouse. The Japanese economy became so dynamic that, by the late 1980s, some American experts were arguing that Japan would overtake the United States as the world's dominant economic power. And then the Japanese economy collapsed. And for nearly fifteen years, the economic malaise has continued. Why? What does Japan need to do to snap out of its doldrums? And what are the risks and benefits to American interests of a reinvigorated Japan?

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DIRE STRAITS: Whither Japan?

with Steven Clemons, T.J. Pempel, Steven Vogelvia Uncommon Knowledge
Friday, August 31, 2001

Following World War II, Japan reinvented itself both politically, as it adopted the institutions of democratic government, and economically, as it became a dominant producer and exporter of consumer goods. These reforms were so successful that, ten years ago, experts were predicting that Japan would overtake the United States as an economic superpower. Instead, Japan experienced a decade of recession and economic stagnation that continues still. What happened? Is this a sign of serious structural problems in Japan's political and economic institutions? In other words, is it time for Japan to reinvent itself once again? If so, how should the United States alter its relationship with a new Japan?

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