Hugh Whittaker

Hugh Whittaker is professor in the economy and business of Japan at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, and a fellow of St Antony’s College, Oxford University. He gained his Ph.D from Imperial College, London, and after postdoctoral research at Harvard University, he taught at Cambridge University, Doshisha University, Kyoto, and Auckland University, NZ,where has was also Director of the New Zealand Asia Institute.

Project

Building a new economy: Japan’s digital and green economic transformations

A short presentation of the research project

The postwar ‘Japanese model’ began to unravel in the 1980s leading to a quarter century of fitful growth, institutional conflict and a quest for a new model.  The project presented explores the possibilities of a new model emerging with institutional and ideational coherence – at macro and micro levels –from Japan’s current digital and green transformations, with labels such as ‘Society 5.0’ and ‘sustainable/new capitalism.’  For this to happen a fault line needs to be confronted, between continued financialization on the one hand, and the new digital and green visions on the other.

Keywords

Entrepreneurship, management of innovation, corporate governance and employment relations in Japan, political economy and economic development in East Asia.

Selected publications

• Whittaker, D.H., T. Sturgeon, T. Okita and T. Zhu (2020), Compressed Development: Time and Timing

in Economic and Social Development.

• Whittaker, D.H. and S Deakin ed.s (2009), Corporate Governance and Managerial Reform in Japan.
• Whittaker. D.H. (2009), Comparative Entrepreneurship: The UK, Japan and the Shadow of Silicon Valley.
• Whittaker, D.H. and R. E. Cole ed.s (2006), Recovering From Success: Innovation and Technology Management in Japan.