OSIPP student group wins Grand Prize at ISFJ Thesis Competition

Over two days starting on Saturday, December 11, 2021, the Inter-University Seminar for the Future of Japan (ISFJ) Japan Student Forum was held online.

Of the theses entered into this thesis competition by 98 groups from 20 universities from around Japan, the thesis on the promotion of private finance initiatives (PFIs) from the viewpoint of private business operators written by the Mitsubayashi Group, a group of students under the supervision of Professor AKAI Nobuo of the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), received the Grand Prize.

Their thesis is be posted on the ISFJ Thesis Library. (link in Japanese)

The prize-winning thesis by the Mitsubayashi Group, “Promotion of Private Finance Initiatives from the Viewpoint of Private Business Operators,” focused on PFIs, a method for building, managing, and maintaining public services using the power of the private sector, and pursued a vision of appropriate maintenance and improvement of social capital in cooperation with bureaucracy and the private sector.

Their research revealed that despite the upward trend in PFIs, the number of private operators participating in a PFI project is on the decline. Since competitiveness of the private economy may not be fostered under these circumstances, this group clarified an issue, namely, effective PFIs through market mechanism could not be achieved in current PFI systems.

They analyzed data to find how the number of private business operators were affected by the length of the PFI, private and government relationships regarding rights, and the financial effects of PFIs initially calculated by the government. Based on results from their data analysis and interviews, they proposed policies for eliminating obstructive factors in private sector participation in PFI projects.

Their winning thesis was highly evaluated in the following points:

・They raised an issue to discuss and developed a consistent argument, and
・They made a policy proposal supplemented by data analysis and interviews.

Through writing their thesis, the students cultivated a sharp intellect and logical thinking power to persistently discuss the difficult issue of PFI from various angles. Writing this thesis with an awareness of problems and creating bonds among students in different years through group activity became a precious experience for them.