Research on public policy issues by private-sector research institutions is highly advanced in the Western developed countries but considerably less so in Japan, where the government bureaucracy administers with little input from the private sector on general policy issues. The increasing complexity of Japanese society and the problems it faces have generated a growing need for information analysis and longer-term planning. Accordingly, in 1979 the Japan Center for International Exchange, under commission by the National Institute for Research Advancement, initiated a project to identify, catalogue, and describe the policy research efforts of major research centers in North America and Europe on international political and economic issues. This report, with text in English and Japanese, is the result.

The report is the third in a series, and covers research activities in the years 1983–1984. It provides information on policy-oriented research and publications in politics, economics and global issues. Bilingual subject index and index by research institute names (alphabetical order).