Hugh WHITTAKER
Professor
University of Oxford
Hugh Whittaker is Professor in the Economy and Business of Japan at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, and Fellow of St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. He previously taught at Cambridge, Doshisha and Auckland Universities. An economic sociologist by background, his research interests include entrepreneurship, management of innovation, corporate governance, and employment relations in Japan, as well as political economy and economic development in East Asia. His Ph.D is from Imperial College, London.
Research themes: Digital and green economies, institutions, corporate governance and strategy, state-business relations, employment
| Academic page |
Collaboration with FFJ
2022 FFJ/Banque de France Fellow
Stay: March - December 2022
Theme 1
This research project looks at the emergence of the digital and green economies in Japan from the perspective of institutional change and coherence. Japan’s institutional coherence was progressively eroded from the mid 1980s, contributing to the country’s economic malaise; this project looks at attempts to regain it under the banners of ‘Society 5.0’ and ‘sustainable capitalism’ at the macro level, and digital transformation and ESG corporate governance at the micro level. The research includes interviews of government officials, business leaders, and representatives of NGOs, labour unions, and smart city and regional revitalization projects. While Japan is sometimes seen as a digital and green laggard, its attempt to steer a ‘people centred’ course between market and state over-reach may resonate with the EU, and offer lessons beyond Japan.
| FFJ/Banque de France Fellowship | Research Statement |
Main publications
Whittaker, D.H. and S. Deakin ed.s (2009), Corporate Governance and Managerial Reform in Japan, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 305pp.
Whittaker, D.H. and R. E. Cole ed.s (2006), Recovering From Success: Innovation and Technology Management in Japan, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 335pp.
