Institute of Social Science The University of Tokyo

the University of Tokyo

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Kenneth Mori McElwain

Division Department of Comparative Contemporary Politics
Research Fields Comparative Political Institutions and Public Opinion
E-mail mcelwainiss.u-tokyo.ac.jp
CV McElwain CV Mar 2024
Homepage https://www.kennethmcelwain.com/
Researchmap https://researchmap.jp/kennethmcelwain?lang=en

Teaching and Research Appointments

1999 AB, Princeton University
2005 PhD, Stanford University
2005 - 2006 Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University
2006 - 2008 Lecturer, Stanford University
2008 - 2015 Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
2015 - 2019 Associate Professor, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo
2019 - Professor, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo

Topics of Research

1Comparative Constitutional Design
Using data on the textual content of 900 constitutions since the 1700s, I explore 1）why constitutional content varies between countries and over time, 2）whether and why there are regional and temporal commonalities, 3）whether this content influences the lifespan and adaptability of constitutions, and 4）whether constitutional longevity generates any benefits or costs, such as economic stability and regime survival.
2The Political Economy of Deflation
Since the late-1990s, Japanese governments have advocated anti-deflationary policies as a necessary public good. However, rising prices can be a “private bad” to many citizens, particularly those who earn lower wages and have fewer assets. This can pose a challenge to “good governance”, given that elected officials are disincentivized from advocating unpopular policies. Using public opinion and price data from the 1970s, this project explores 1）how citizens’ subjective perceptions of prices （past, current, future） are formed, and 2）how citizens evaluate anti-deflationary policies in general.

Selected Publications

  • Cato, Susumu, Ryuichi, Tanaka, and Kenneth Mori McElwain (eds). 2024. Pandemics and Social Science: Insights from Post-COVID Japan. Keisō Shobō
  • “Constitutional Revision—Why It Failed", Yoichi Funabashi and Koji Nakakita (eds.), Critical Review of the Abe Administration: Politics of Conservatism and Realism. Routledge，2024, pp. 212-232
  • (Co-authored with Tomoshi Yoshikawa) “Japan: Manipulating (On) the Margins”, Netina Tan and Kharis Templeman (eds.), Electoral Malpractice in Asia: Bending the Rules. Lynne Rienner Publishers，2023，pp. 27-42．
  • (Co-authored with Keisuke Kawata and Masaki Nakabayashi)“Narrative Premiums in Policy Persuasion” Political Psychology, Vol. 45, No. 2，September 2023，pp. 383-405．
  • (Co-authored with Saki Kuzushima and Yuki Shiraito) "Public Preference for International Law Compliance: Respecting Legal Obligations or Conforming to Common Practices?” Review of International Organizations, Vol. 19，May 2023，pp. 63-93．
  • “Explaining Public Support for Gender Quotas: Sexism, Representational Quality, and State Intervention in Japan”, Politics & Gender, 1-25 (with Mari Miura and Tomoki Kaneko), December 2022.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X22000617
  • “The Clash of Traditional Values: Opposition to Female Monarchs”, European Political Science Review, Vol. 15(2), pp. 291-310, (with Guoer Liu and Yuki Shiraito), September 2022．
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773922000418
  • "Mobile Health Technology as a Solution to Self-Control Problems: The Behavioral Impact of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps in Japan," Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 306, (with Susumu Cato, Iida Takashi, Kenji Ishida, Asei Ito, Hiroto Katsumata, and Masahiro Shoji), August 2022.
  • “Constitutional Revision in the 2021 Election”, in R. J. Pekkanen, S. R. Reed, and D. Smith, eds. Japan Decides 2021. Palgrave Macmillan, 319-331
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11324-6_21
  • 日本国憲法の普遍と特異―その軌跡と定量的考察』（千倉書房、2022年）［第34回アジア・太平洋賞特別賞］
    The Universality and Originality of the Japanese Constitution in Quantitative Perspective. (Chikura Shobo, 2022)
  • 「憲法改正ーーなぜ実現できなかったのか」アジア・パシフィック・イニシアティブ編『検証　安倍政権ーー保守とリアリズムの政治』（文藝春秋、2022）、346-383頁
  • “Vaccination and altruism under the COVID-19 pandemic.” Public Health in Practice, Volume 3 (June), 100225, (with Susumu Cato, Takashi Iida, Kenji Ishida, Asei Ito, Hiroto Katsumata, Masahiro Shoji), June 2022.
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2022.100225
  • “Variations in Early-Stage Responses to Pandemics: Survey Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.” Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, (with Susumu Cato, Takashi Iida, Kenji Ishida, Asei Ito, Masahiro Shoji), 6, pp.235–258, June 2022.
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41885-021-00103-5
  • “Social media infodemics and social distancing under the COVID-19 pandemic: Public good provisions under uncertainty.” Global Health Action, 14:1 (with Susumu Cato, Takashi Iida, Kenji Ishida, Asei Ito, Hiroto Katsumata, Masahiro Shoji), 2021.
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2021.1995958
  • “The Proposer or the Proposal? An Experimental Analysis of Constitutional Beliefs.” Japanese Journal of Political Science 22 (1):15-39 (with Shusei Eshima, and Christian G. Winkler), 2021.
  • “The bright and dark sides of social media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic: Survey evidence from Japan.” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 54:102034 (with Susumu Cato, Takashi Iida, Kenji Ishida, Asei Ito, Hiroto Katsumata, and Masahiro Shoji), 2021.
  • “Social distancing as a public good under the COVID-19 pandemic.” Public Health 188:51-53 (with Susumu Cato, Takashi Iida, Kenji Ishida, Asei Ito, and Masahiro Shoji), 2020.
  • “The Japanese Constitution.” In The Oxford Handbook of Japanese Politics, edited by Robert J. Pekkanen and Saadia M. Pekkanen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
  • “When Candidates Are More Polarised than Voters: Constitutional Revision in Japan." European Political Science. 2020.
  • “The Perils and Virtues of Constitutional Flexibility: Japan’s Constitution and the Liberal International Order." In Y. Funabashi and J. Ikenberry (Eds). The Crisis of Liberal Internationalism: Japan and the World Order. Brookings Institution Press. 2020, pp 303-323.
  • “Japan and the Liberal International Order: A Survey Experiment." In Y. Funabashi and J. Ikenberry (Eds). The Crisis of Liberal Internationalism: Japan and the World Order. Brookings Institution Press. 2020, pp 359-376 (With Adam P. Liff.)
  • “Constitutional Revision in the 2017 Election”, In Robert J. Pekkanen, Steven R. Reed, Ethan Scheiner, and Daniel Smith, eds. Japan Decides 2017: The Japanese General Election. Palgrave Macmillan. 2018.
  • “Party System Institutionalization in Japan”. In A. Hicken & E. Kuhonta (Eds.), Reexamining Party System Institutionalization through Asian Lenses. Cambridge University Press. 2014, pp. 74-107.
  • “Parties and Elections”. In J. Babb (Ed.), The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japanese Studies. London: SAGE Publications. 2014, pp. 367-391.
  • “What's Unique about Japan's Constitution? A Comparative and Historical Analysis”. (with Christian Winkler) Journal of Japanese Studies, 41(2), 2015.
  • “The Nationalization of Japanese Elections”. Journal of East Asian Studies, 12(3), 2012, pp. 323-350.
  • “Party Democratization and the Salience of Party Leaders”. (with Michio Umeda) Journal of Social Science (Shakai Kagaku Kenkyu), 62(1), 2011, pp. 173-193.
  • Political Change in Japan: Electoral Behavior, Party Realignment, and the Koizumi Reforms. (Co-Edited Steven R. Reed and Kay Shimizu) Palo Alto: Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. 2009.
  • “Manipulating Electoral Rules to Manufacture Single Party Dominance”. American Journal of Political Science, 52(1), 2008, pp. 32-47.

Educational Activities

Graduate School of Law and Politics,
The University of Tokyo		 Comparative Politics Field Seminar
（Autumn Semester）
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