London Interdisiplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS)
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This project examines the relationship between amakudari (the reemployment of civil servants in the private sector) and regulatory complexity. Using a natural experiment generated by Japan’s 2000 reform on the retirement age and subsequent policy changes, we investigate how random allocation of reemployment opportunities affects the regulatory landscape. Since bureaucrats do not control their cohort’s exposure to these reforms, the variation provides a quasi-random treatment.
We leverage individual-level amakudari data to assess whether civil servants who move to regulated firms or industries contribute to regulatory complexity, testing the argument that regulation creates demand for amakudari personnel to interpret and navigate rules.
The research assistant will contribute to several key aspects of the project. First, they will assist with data collection and processing by extracting amakudari reemployment data from official government reports covering the years 2009–2022. They will cross-reference employment notifications with regulatory data on industry complexity and match individual reemployment records with regulatory outcomes.
In terms of quantitative analysis, the research assistant will help structure a difference-in- differences or event study design to assess the impact of reemployment on regulatory complexity.
They will process data from the natural experiment, which leverages cohort-based variation due to Japan’s retirement age reforms, and examine whether bureaucrats transitioning into regulated industries contribute to increased regulatory complexity.
The role also involves conducting a literature review and legal analysis, summarizing relevant NPA reforms, particularly those from 2007 and 2019, which introduced employment restrictions and established the Reemployment Surveillance Commission. The research assistant will also review existing scholarship on revolving doors and regulatory capture in Japan.
Finally, they will contribute to report writing and presentation by assisting in drafting a summary of the findings. They will also prepare visualizations and summary tables for academic dissemination.
More info: https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/internships/amakudari-and-regulatory-complexity-evidence-from-a-natural-experiment-in-japan-2/