Choice Analysis: Policy and Daily Life
Choice Analysis: Policy and Daily Life
The purpose of this seminar is to examine various policy issues from a bottom-up approach known as “case studies”. By looking into each individual within his/her “everyday life” context, one can see how that individual life is constructed in a large whole, a community and/or society, where s/he belongs, which in return helps generate feedbacks to the existing policies. The concepts that the seminar focuses on include “risk,” "choice" and “everyday life”. While “risk” as a concept has received considerable attention from different disciplines, “everyday life” is usually taken for granted and treated more as a descriptive term, rather than an operational concept. However, without understanding what constitutes one’s “everyday life”, we fail to see that people’s thoughts and behaviors are in fact subject to changes, if and when there is a change in their physical and social environment. However, these changes may not necessarily alter the consistency in the way people live, and reflect the values s/he attaches to his/her life, for which s/he may change his/her behaviors upon situations. Case Study, with aides from different tools from cognitive sciences, psychology, behavioral theories, and narratives, would provide a “thick” description of people’s actual living in his/her everyday life in order to understand why s/he behaves the way s/he does and where s/he needs facilitation from the environment in order to act efficiently in the face of risks. Throughout the semester, 1) the students will be provided with “concept” reading materials for discussions on Risks, decision making (behavioral economics) theories, field approaches, and research-problem definition; 2) the students will have opportunities to “get their hand dirty” by participating in two ongoing projects: School Space for Handicapped children in Vietnam and Communities under Volcanic Risk (Fuji-san area, Japan); 3) the students are required to examine their everyday life through "blogging" as an intellectual exercise; and 4) The students are encouraged to develop their own topics on “risks in life.” Given this overall topic, the seminar will draw on advice from Dr. Michio Umegaki, Professor Emeritus, a Political Scientist and the former President of Human Security Association of Japan.
Keywords: Risks, Everyday Life, Policy Analysis, Decision Making theories, Narratives, Case Study