10 years after the collapse of the investment firm Lehman Brothers, a shift in discourses on structural labour market reforms is becoming ever more visible. Whereas before the crash many experts and policymakers had argued that market-oriented reforms were necessary to improve labour market and economic performance, the social costs of liberalisation now seem to attract much more attention.

Yet the jury is still out on whether this discursive shift has prompted a similar change in policy. While policies emphasising social equality appear to have gained in popularity (e.g. minimum wages, equal treatment for non-standard workers), structural reforms echoing liberalisation are also still on the agenda (e.g. French reforms of labour contract law).

This event aims to shed light on this mixed picture of continuity and change by bringing together three renowned scholars from France, Germany, and Japan for a roundtable discussion. They will discuss whether and to what extent the Lehman crisis (a.k.a. the global financial crisis) has indeed led to a lasting reorientation of labour market policy and politics.

Speakers:
Bruno Amable, University of Geneva
Paul Marx, University of Duisburg-Essen
Mari Miura, Sophia University in Tokyo

The lingering scent of food served in small restaurants, the clattering sounds of commuter trains running along the tracks accompanied by a slight shaking of the uneven road — these and many more sensations are transmitted via the medium of public urban space. The (un-)determined shared spaces enable and channel movements and serve as a canvas on which the everyday urban life is painted. Even though this might sound idyllic, the local public sphere is not limited to harmony and sympathy but is also open to conflict, disturbance and unintended contact.

This presentation aims to shed light on the perception and construction of urban spaces and on how these social processes are enacted in Japan. The following questions stand at the center: How does public space as a medium frame perceptions and communication? And how do perceptions and communication construct public space in return?

Speaker:
Florian Purkarthofer, University of Vienna

ドイツ日本研究所は創立30周年を記念して、電通ビジネス・ディベロップメント＆アクティベーション局国際交流室とコラボレーションしたトークセッション「ジャパン・ウォッチャーが目撃した『平成ニッポン30年』」を開催する。

平成の価値観、コミュニケーション、キャリア形成、生産性、働き方、自然災害との向き合い方などについての考察を、会場の参加者と共にセッションしていく。

登壇者：

フランツ・ヴァルデンベルガー
ドイツ日本研究所 所長

上條 典夫
株式会社電通 執行役員

森下 公江
株式会社電通 電通イノベーションイニシアチブ イノベーションインテリジェンス部長

In cooperation with the Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) the DIJ hosted an one-day workshop about work style reform, gender time gap, work-life balance and gender equality regarding Japan and Germany.

Speakers:
Michiko Mae, University of Düsseldorf
Ute Klammer, University of Duisburg-Essen
Yumiko Murao, Associate Professor of Sociology at Toyo University
Elke Holst, German Institute for Economic Research
Kumiko Nemoto, Kyoto University
Fanz Waldenberger, German Institute for Japanese Studies
Machiko Osawa, Japan Women’s University
Ralf Kleindiek, The Boston Consulting Group