Kenneth Mori Mcelwain
Biographic Data
| ID | 1534440 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kenneth Mori Mcelwain |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kenneth Mori |
| FAMILY NAME | Mcelwain |
| SIGNATURE | MCELWAIN K M |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Tokyo |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9982-4784 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 62 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The Winner of the 2024 ISS-OUP Prize
most significant contribution to research on modern Japan.The main criteria are (a) originality of the research theme, (b) excellence of theoretical framework and empirical
Preferring National Elites or Local Candidates: A Conjoint Analysis of Voter Heuristics
IO Endorsements, Perceived Alignment, and Public Support for Unpopular Policies
Recent research on international organizations (IOs) has highlighted their capacity to influence state behavior by shaping domestic public opinion, a key channel for policy change. This paper investigates an important extension of this mechanism: whether domestic leaders can proactively leverage IO endorsements to bolster support for contentious policies. Drawing on a survey experiment examining attitudes toward a controversial tax increase in Ja…
In Remembrance of Ehud Harari
The Winner of the 2023 ISS-OUP Prize
selects the article that makes the most significant contribution to research on modern Japan.The main criteria are (a) originality of the research theme, (b) excellence of theoretical framework and empirical data
Generational differences in economic perceptions
Historical institutionalists have long argued that major events can shape long-term economic perceptions, but the identification of birth-cohort differences has been stymied by methodological difficulties, notably the APC problem. Taking advantage of unique Japanese data and tailored Bayesian modeling, we identify cohort effects in economic perceptions and show that they follow objective macroeconomic trends countercyclically. Cohorts whose forma…
The Winner of the 2022 ISS-OUP Prize
s International Editorial Board, the SSJJ Editorial Board selects the article making the greatest contribution to research on modern Japan.The main criteria are (a) originality of research theme, (b) excellence of theoretical framework and empirical data, and (c) contribution to future studies in the field.
Narrative premiums in policy persuasion
Survey experiments have shown mixed results about the effect of information provision on attitudes toward controversial policies. We argue that one reason is varied receptiveness to different modes of information. Prior research suggests that people selectively ignore factual, statistical information that contradicts prior beliefs but are more attentive to narrative information that describes individual experiences. We test this in the context of…
Explaining Public Support for Gender Quotas: Sexism, Representational Quality, and State Intervention in Japan
Electoral gender quotas remain contentious among many publics. One hurdle is the “principle-policy puzzle”: those who espouse gender egalitarianism may nevertheless oppose affirmative action measures because of disagreements about their necessity and worries about government overreach. Based on an original survey in Japan, where women’s underrepresentation is particularly pronounced, we identify two dimensions that drive attitudes toward quotas. …
The clash of traditional values: Opposition to female monarchs – Erratum
The clash of traditional values: Opposition to Female Monarchs
The revision of sexist laws is complicated not only by disagreements between progressives and traditionalists but also by opposing views held by different types of traditionalists. We design a two-wave list experiment with information treatments to examine public opinion toward reforming the Japanese monarchy’s male-only patrilineal succession rule, focusing on two strands of traditionalism: conservatism and sexism. We show that conservatism, not…
The Winner of the 2021 ISS-OUP Prize
Mobile health technology as a solution to self-control problems: The behavioral impact of Covid-19 contact tracing apps in Japan
The bright and dark sides of social media usage during the Covid-19 pandemic: Survey evidence from Japan
Social media infodemics and social distancing under the Covid-19 pandemic: Public good provisions under uncertainty
This debate examines the impact of infodemics - an over-abundance of information - on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of its external effects, social distancing behavior (SDB) shares fundamental properties with public goods, whose potential for undersupply has been examined extensively in the social sciences. Although the negative effects of infodemics have been emphasized by governments and international organizations, th…
The proposer or the proposal? An experimental analysis of constitutional beliefs
In many countries, constitutional amendments require the direct approval of voters, but the consequences of fundamental changes to the powers and operations of the state are difficult to anticipate. The referendums literature suggests that citizens weigh their prior beliefs about the merits of proposals against the heuristic provided by the partisanship of the proposer, but the relative salience of these factors across constitutional issue areas …
When candidates are more polarised than voters: Constitutional revision in Japan
The study of mass-elite policy congruence has been limited by the lack of comprehensive data on the preferences and priorities of individual legislators. The University of Tokyo-Asahi Survey fills this lacuna through elite surveys whose response rates exceed ninety per cent. This article applies this data to comparing mass-elite policy preferences on constitutional revision, a core ideological dimension in post-war Japan. It shows that legislator…
Seiji sanka to minshu seiji (Political Participation and Democratic Politics)
The recent surge in populist politics, as evinced by the Brexit vote in 2015 and the rise of far-right parties around Europe, has cast doubts about the stability of democratic governance. Social transformations from immigration and disillusionment with political, economic, and social elites appear to be driving electoral support for anti-establishment politicians. In this context, it is vital to understand how ordinary citizens think about and pa…
What’s Unique about the Japanese Constitution: A Comparative and Historical Analysis
Japan has the oldest unamended constitution in the world. We examine the determinants of its longevity and recent proposals seeking its amendment. While traditional revision attempts have focused on ideological provisions such as Article 9 and the imperial system, changes to political institutions, particularly bicameralism and local governance, have become a focal point since 2005. Our comparative analysis demonstrates that the constitution’s en…
Voters And Parties
This article studies voters and parties, beginning with realignment or dealignment in the party-voter nexus. It discusses changes in the policy preferences of voters and even organizational changes to the party-voter linkage. Electoral competition, performance of traditional parties, and organizational change are discussed as well. This article determines that there are two parallel trends in the linkage between parties and voters. The first is t…
The Nationalization of Japanese Elections
The postwar electoral dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was founded on (1) strong incumbency advantage, which insulated its legislators from declining party popularity, and (2) the malapportionment of districts, which overvalued the electoral clout of the party's rural base. The LDP's demise in 2009 was due to the reversal of both factors, each of which was related to electoral reforms in the 1990s. First, I demonstrate that electio…
Manipulating Electoral Rules to Manufacture Single‐Party Dominance
This article argues that the LDP manufactured its parliamentary dominance in postwar Japan by strategically altering specific facets of the electoral system. More generally, I demonstrate that intraparty politics play a crucial role in determining when and how electoral rules are changed. Despite widespread evidence that the LDP would win more seats under an SMP electoral formula, party leaders were repeatedly blocked from replacing the postwar M…
Manipulating Electoral Rules to Manufacture Single‐Party Dominance
This article argues that the LDP manufactured its parliamentary dominance in postwar Japan by strategically altering specific facets of the electoral system. More generally, I demonstrate that intraparty politics play a crucial role in determining when and how electoral rules are changed. Despite widespread evidence that the LDP would win more seats under an SMP electoral formula, party leaders were repeatedly blocked from replacing the postwar M…
The Nationalization of Japanese Elections
The postwar electoral dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was founded on (1) strong incumbency advantage, which insulated its legislators from declining party popularity, and (2) the malapportionment of districts, which overvalued the electoral clout of the party's rural base. The LDP's demise in 2009 was due to the reversal of both factors, each of which was related to electoral reforms in the 1990s. First, I demonstrate that electio…
Narrative premiums in policy persuasion
Survey experiments have shown mixed results about the effect of information provision on attitudes toward controversial policies. We argue that one reason is varied receptiveness to different modes of information. Prior research suggests that people selectively ignore factual, statistical information that contradicts prior beliefs but are more attentive to narrative information that describes individual experiences. We test this in the context of…
Explaining Public Support for Gender Quotas: Sexism, Representational Quality, and State Intervention in Japan
Electoral gender quotas remain contentious among many publics. One hurdle is the “principle-policy puzzle”: those who espouse gender egalitarianism may nevertheless oppose affirmative action measures because of disagreements about their necessity and worries about government overreach. Based on an original survey in Japan, where women’s underrepresentation is particularly pronounced, we identify two dimensions that drive attitudes toward quotas. …
The clash of traditional values: Opposition to Female Monarchs
The revision of sexist laws is complicated not only by disagreements between progressives and traditionalists but also by opposing views held by different types of traditionalists. We design a two-wave list experiment with information treatments to examine public opinion toward reforming the Japanese monarchy’s male-only patrilineal succession rule, focusing on two strands of traditionalism: conservatism and sexism. We show that conservatism, not…
When candidates are more polarised than voters: Constitutional revision in Japan
The study of mass-elite policy congruence has been limited by the lack of comprehensive data on the preferences and priorities of individual legislators. The University of Tokyo-Asahi Survey fills this lacuna through elite surveys whose response rates exceed ninety per cent. This article applies this data to comparing mass-elite policy preferences on constitutional revision, a core ideological dimension in post-war Japan. It shows that legislator…
The proposer or the proposal? An experimental analysis of constitutional beliefs
In many countries, constitutional amendments require the direct approval of voters, but the consequences of fundamental changes to the powers and operations of the state are difficult to anticipate. The referendums literature suggests that citizens weigh their prior beliefs about the merits of proposals against the heuristic provided by the partisanship of the proposer, but the relative salience of these factors across constitutional issue areas …
Manipulating Electoral Rules to Manufacture Single‐Party Dominance
This article argues that the LDP manufactured its parliamentary dominance in postwar Japan by strategically altering specific facets of the electoral system. More generally, I demonstrate that intraparty politics play a crucial role in determining when and how electoral rules are changed. Despite widespread evidence that the LDP would win more seats under an SMP electoral formula, party leaders were repeatedly blocked from replacing the postwar M…
The Nationalization of Japanese Elections
The postwar electoral dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was founded on (1) strong incumbency advantage, which insulated its legislators from declining party popularity, and (2) the malapportionment of districts, which overvalued the electoral clout of the party's rural base. The LDP's demise in 2009 was due to the reversal of both factors, each of which was related to electoral reforms in the 1990s. First, I demonstrate that electio…
Voters And Parties
This article studies voters and parties, beginning with realignment or dealignment in the party-voter nexus. It discusses changes in the policy preferences of voters and even organizational changes to the party-voter linkage. Electoral competition, performance of traditional parties, and organizational change are discussed as well. This article determines that there are two parallel trends in the linkage between parties and voters. The first is t…
What’s Unique about the Japanese Constitution: A Comparative and Historical Analysis
Japan has the oldest unamended constitution in the world. We examine the determinants of its longevity and recent proposals seeking its amendment. While traditional revision attempts have focused on ideological provisions such as Article 9 and the imperial system, changes to political institutions, particularly bicameralism and local governance, have become a focal point since 2005. Our comparative analysis demonstrates that the constitution’s en…
Seiji sanka to minshu seiji (Political Participation and Democratic Politics)
The recent surge in populist politics, as evinced by the Brexit vote in 2015 and the rise of far-right parties around Europe, has cast doubts about the stability of democratic governance. Social transformations from immigration and disillusionment with political, economic, and social elites appear to be driving electoral support for anti-establishment politicians. In this context, it is vital to understand how ordinary citizens think about and pa…
When candidates are more polarised than voters: Constitutional revision in Japan
The study of mass-elite policy congruence has been limited by the lack of comprehensive data on the preferences and priorities of individual legislators. The University of Tokyo-Asahi Survey fills this lacuna through elite surveys whose response rates exceed ninety per cent. This article applies this data to comparing mass-elite policy preferences on constitutional revision, a core ideological dimension in post-war Japan. It shows that legislator…
The bright and dark sides of social media usage during the Covid-19 pandemic: Survey evidence from Japan
Social media infodemics and social distancing under the Covid-19 pandemic: Public good provisions under uncertainty
This debate examines the impact of infodemics - an over-abundance of information - on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of its external effects, social distancing behavior (SDB) shares fundamental properties with public goods, whose potential for undersupply has been examined extensively in the social sciences. Although the negative effects of infodemics have been emphasized by governments and international organizations, th…
The proposer or the proposal? An experimental analysis of constitutional beliefs
In many countries, constitutional amendments require the direct approval of voters, but the consequences of fundamental changes to the powers and operations of the state are difficult to anticipate. The referendums literature suggests that citizens weigh their prior beliefs about the merits of proposals against the heuristic provided by the partisanship of the proposer, but the relative salience of these factors across constitutional issue areas …
The Winner of the 2021 ISS-OUP Prize
Mobile health technology as a solution to self-control problems: The behavioral impact of Covid-19 contact tracing apps in Japan
The Winner of the 2022 ISS-OUP Prize
s International Editorial Board, the SSJJ Editorial Board selects the article making the greatest contribution to research on modern Japan.The main criteria are (a) originality of research theme, (b) excellence of theoretical framework and empirical data, and (c) contribution to future studies in the field.
Narrative premiums in policy persuasion
Survey experiments have shown mixed results about the effect of information provision on attitudes toward controversial policies. We argue that one reason is varied receptiveness to different modes of information. Prior research suggests that people selectively ignore factual, statistical information that contradicts prior beliefs but are more attentive to narrative information that describes individual experiences. We test this in the context of…
Explaining Public Support for Gender Quotas: Sexism, Representational Quality, and State Intervention in Japan
Electoral gender quotas remain contentious among many publics. One hurdle is the “principle-policy puzzle”: those who espouse gender egalitarianism may nevertheless oppose affirmative action measures because of disagreements about their necessity and worries about government overreach. Based on an original survey in Japan, where women’s underrepresentation is particularly pronounced, we identify two dimensions that drive attitudes toward quotas. …
The clash of traditional values: Opposition to female monarchs – Erratum
The clash of traditional values: Opposition to Female Monarchs
The revision of sexist laws is complicated not only by disagreements between progressives and traditionalists but also by opposing views held by different types of traditionalists. We design a two-wave list experiment with information treatments to examine public opinion toward reforming the Japanese monarchy’s male-only patrilineal succession rule, focusing on two strands of traditionalism: conservatism and sexism. We show that conservatism, not…
In Remembrance of Ehud Harari
The Winner of the 2023 ISS-OUP Prize
selects the article that makes the most significant contribution to research on modern Japan.The main criteria are (a) originality of the research theme, (b) excellence of theoretical framework and empirical data
Generational differences in economic perceptions
Historical institutionalists have long argued that major events can shape long-term economic perceptions, but the identification of birth-cohort differences has been stymied by methodological difficulties, notably the APC problem. Taking advantage of unique Japanese data and tailored Bayesian modeling, we identify cohort effects in economic perceptions and show that they follow objective macroeconomic trends countercyclically. Cohorts whose forma…
The Winner of the 2024 ISS-OUP Prize
most significant contribution to research on modern Japan.The main criteria are (a) originality of the research theme, (b) excellence of theoretical framework and empirical
Preferring National Elites or Local Candidates: A Conjoint Analysis of Voter Heuristics
IO Endorsements, Perceived Alignment, and Public Support for Unpopular Policies
Recent research on international organizations (IOs) has highlighted their capacity to influence state behavior by shaping domestic public opinion, a key channel for policy change. This paper investigates an important extension of this mechanism: whether domestic leaders can proactively leverage IO endorsements to bolster support for contentious policies. Drawing on a survey experiment examining attitudes toward a controversial tax increase in Ja…
Political science (13 works) · Economics (12 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Politics (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Democracy (4 works)