Quest for Ecological and Sustainable Economies in Eurasia:
Historical Paths and Future Strategies (ESEE) Five-years project: 2014–2018 Projects

Research Objectives

Historical studies have revealed that since ancient times, various regions in the vast continent of Eurasia have sought to achieve a balance between economic growth and the ever-changing ecological and geopolitical landscape of natural resources and population. The methods they relied on to maintain this balance were unique to each region and based on the prevailing conditions during the time. This project analyzes how different regions of Eurasia managed to achieve ecological and sustainable economies over the last 500 years and examines why they failed to do so at times. In addition, by combining theoretical, empirical, and historical approaches, the project aims to provide practical and strategic policy recommendations on building ecological and sustainable economies. Specifically, the primary objective is to determine what Japan can learn from the collective knowledge and past experiences of Eurasia, and to examine how Japan can contribute to Eurasia’s ecological and sustainable economic development. This is an interdisciplinary project, with scholars from five different branches of economics: environmental and resource economics; demography and historical demography; socio-economic history; urban economics and urban planning history; and public finance and financial history. Close academic cooperation among these disciplines is essential for the success of this project.

 

Funding Organization

MEXT*-supported Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities * Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Participants

[Keio Researchers]

[Collaborating Researchers]

  • Yoshiyuki AiharaCenter for Area Studies, National Institutes for the

    Humanities

  • The Toyo Bunko, Documentation Center for China Studies

  • Takeshi AokiKawamura Gakuen Woman's University
  • Shintaro KurachiThe Tokyo Institute for Municipal Research
  • Satomi KurosuSchool of Language Education, Reitaku University
  • Tatsuhiko SakamotoKokugakuin Tochigi Junior College
  • Eiji SawadaFaculty of Economics, Kyushu Sangyo University
  • Tomoki SimanishiDepartment of Economics, Toyo University
  • Leo ShimamuraGraduate Shool of Socieal and Cultural Science, Kumamoto    
  • University

  • Masataka SetobayashiFaculty of Economics, Fukuoka University
  • Emi TamakiFaculty of International Social Sciences,

    Gakushuin University

  • Kensuke HiraiFaculty of Economics, Konan University
  • Seiichiro MozumiDepartment of Economics, Yokohama National University
  • Asuka YamaguchiFaculty of Economics, Nagoya City University
  • Yuichi WatanabeJapan Society for the Promotion of Science    
  • (Host Institute:Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Kyoto University)

  • Minja Kim ChoeEast-West Center Research Program
  • Feng WangSociology, University of California, Irvine
  • Shuangzhi ChengSchool of Foreign Languages JULFE