Dynasties and Democracy in Japan
February 1, 2019
Colloquium
Speaker:
Daniel M. Smith, Associate Professor, Harvard University
Political dynasties exist in all democracies, but have been conspicuously prevalent in Japan, where over a third of legislators and two-thirds of cabinet ministers come from families with a history in parliament. In his new book, Dynasties and Democracy: The Inherited Incumbency Advantage in Japan, Daniel M. Smith introduces a comparative theory to explain the persistence of dynastic politics in...