- 2026 Academic Year Course Catalog: College of Economics
-
Learning Characteristics and Curriculum (Department of Public and Regional Economics)
CURRICULUM Learning Features and Curriculum
Acquire new ideas and practical skills to realize a society where everyone can live comfortably.
The rapid industrial development of the modern economy has brought about various problems such as unemployment, poverty, widening regional disparities, and environmental destruction, which are evidence that the current socio-economic system is not functioning properly. The concept of "publicness" has become important in solving these problems. Department of Public and Regional Economics believes that the bearers of publicness are not only the government but also the local community, and is developing a unique learning program that aims to create a society where everyone can live comfortably. For example, by learning practically through practical training and seminar courses that make use of GIS (geographic information systems), students will be able to understand the economic theory that considers our lives and corporate activities as something more familiar and realistic. Furthermore, we will develop human resources who understand the roles and interrelationships of the public sector and international and local communities, acquire the ability to discover, analyze, and plan solutions to the problems of an increasingly complex modern society, and propose new socio-economic systems based on the idea of publicness.
Characteristics of learning
In order to scientifically approach the various problems facing society and propose new system designs, students will study public economics and regional economics as the two pillars of their studies. Students will also acquire practical skills in utilizing data analysis with GIS (Geographic Information System) as an analytical tool.
COURSE MODELS ?
Public Course (Public Design)
With public economics as the core of the program, students will gain a deeper understanding of "government" and "publicness," and will tackle various issues related to the management of the public sector, such as tax systems, social security, and the third sector.
Regional Course (Regional Design)
With regional economics as its core, this course will deepen understanding of "regions and communities," incorporate international perspectives, and examine a wide range of issues, including those facing local communities and the policies that are required.
*The course model introduced here is just an example.
COURSE FEATURES Features of major courses
Public Course
| Subject Name | Features |
|---|---|
|
Game Theory: Application
|
When the actions of one entity depend on the actions of other entities, competition, conflict, and cooperation arise between the entities. This course provides a simple explanation of the concept of game theory as a tool for analyzing interdependence in economic transactions, and examples of its application to public policy and international relations in particular.
|
|
Economics of Information
|
We will explain the possibility of designing mechanisms for ensuring normal economic transactions, taking up specific examples of problems that arise when there is imbalance in "information" between the parties involved in various transactions that occur in modern economic activity.
|
|
Public Economics II
|
This is one of the courses that students who select the Public Economics course must take. Following Public Economics I, this course explains the characteristics of an ideal "perfect market," the concept of "market failure," and the possibility of designing methods to eliminate market failure.
|
|
Local Public Economics
|
Economics of Local Government Finance I and II focus on the activities of local governments and explain the relationships between local governments and the division of roles between the national and local governments. Part I mainly deals with expenditures such as education and welfare, while Part II mainly deals with revenues such as local taxes and local financial transfers.
|
|
Economics of Public Policy
|
Understand the public policy systems in Japan and consider the economic basis of the systems that are actually implemented. Mainly in the relationship between the national and local governments, we will examine topics such as local finance, municipal mergers, decentralization, and town development in the context of a declining birthrate and aging population.
|
|
Public Choice
|
Public choice theory is a research field that derives theories or hypotheses from actual phenomena (such as social issues) based on the state of politics and economics, and examines and validates their validity. It uses economics to explain how public policies are coordinated among various actors and how they are decided.
|
Regional Course
| Subject Name | Features |
|---|---|
|
GIS and Spatial Analysis I
|
This is a course that all students who choose the Regional Studies course must take. Students will gain practical experience in basic operations and spatial analysis techniques using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a system that overlays statistical data and other information onto digital maps on a computer to analyze the real world.
|
|
Regional Economics I
|
This course will provide an overview of the basic theories of regional economics, such as "spatial competition" and "agglomeration," based on microeconomics. Rather than discussing the economy of a specific region, we will develop the ability to analyze and consider various regional issues by expanding economic theory by introducing the element of "space."
|
|
Urban Economics
|
When economic activity is not evenly distributed across space, but rather concentrated in a specific location, it is called a "city." This course explains why cities are formed, how to elucidate economic activity in urban spaces, and how much of the real-world "urban" phenomena and problems can be clarified.
|
|
Basic Regional Demography
|
Regional demographic theory is a field that explores regional differences in various population phenomena (distribution, increase/decrease, migration, structure, birth, death, marriage, etc.). In order to understand the mechanisms of these population phenomena, we will explain how to accurately interpret various demographic statistics and how to think about them.
|