In the fall of 1996, JCIE began a multifaceted, long-term study and dialogue project on the theme of “Globalization, Governance, and Civil Society.” The overall objective of the project was to explore the role of civil society in improving domestic as well as international governance and to explore ways of strengthening civil society in Japan and abroad. In the first phase of the project, titled “Governance and Civil Society in Japan,” JCIE assembled a group of leading intellectuals with diverse academic and professional backgrounds to focus on Japan’s case of domestic governance and Japan’s interaction with the world community. After participating in two workshops, the authors presented their preliminary papers at JCIE’s Global ThinkNet Tokyo Conference in February 1998, which brought together representatives of independent policy research institutions, foundations, and other civil society organization from around the world.

This pioneering study produced the publication Deciding the Public Good. Also, based on this study, JCIE conducted three follow-up projects on interrelated themes: “International Comparative Study on Governance and Civil Society,” “Transnational Civil Society and International Governance,” and “Governance and Sustainable Systems of Development.”