A “confucian” Epaminondas in Meiji Japan

Hybrid Innovation in Meiji Japan

Japan’s hybrid system during the Meiji era of technological modernization provides a useful laboratory for examining whether complementary mechanisms to patents induce innovation. Patents were introduced in 1885 and by 1911 1.2 million mostly non-pecuniary prizes were awarded at 8,503 competitions. Prizes increased patent outcomes by 35 percent, a conservative causal estimate based on the timin...

Public - versus Private - led Industrialization in Meiji Japan , 1868 - 1912 ∗

Weak institutions, capital scarcity, and risk aversion may motivate the state to lead industrialization in developing economies. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether public-led industries differ systematically from those led by private investors. Using a new dataset of firm establishment from pre-war Japan, I compare the development of industries pioneered by either the government or entrepreneu...

The Industrialization and Global Integration of Meiji Japan

For the past several years, I have taught the economic history of Japan, in English, to foreign students comprising mostly of junior civil servants from developing and transition countries in a newlyestablished graduate school in Japan. The students’ greatest interest naturally lies in understanding how Japan was able to catch up to the West from so early on, and what the policy and systemic so...

Epaminondas: Exploring Combat Tactics

Epaminondas is a two-person, zero-sum strategy game that combines long-term strategic play with highly tactical move sequences. The game has two unique features that make it stand out from other games. The first feature is the creation of phalanxes, which are groups of pieces that can move as a whole unit. As the number of pieces in a phalanx increases, the mobility and capturing power of the p...

Assessing the Costs of Fractional Reserve Banking: A Theoretical Exposition and Examination of Post-Meiji Japan