１．概要・目的
地方自治の制度（中央地方関係や地方政府の政治機構，行政機構）の違いが，どのような政策の違い（たとえば福祉を重視するか開発を重視するか）を生み出し，それがさらに社会や経済にどのような影響や効果（たとえば経済発展の程度）をもたらすかについて理解することを目的とする．
一定の理論的視角にたって，明示的に仮説を導出し，それを経験的なデータに基づいて検証している様々な研究を講読し，それに基づき討論を行うことで，社会科学的に地方自治のあり方について考えるとはどういうことなのかを会得してもらうことが，この講義の目標である．
２．受講要件
第一に，地方自治について関心を持っていること．第二に，テキストは英語であり，毎週20から30頁がアサインされることを覚悟しておくこと．
３．講義計画
（１）イントロダクション：文献リストの配布と以降の回の進め方の説明
（２）集権・分権と経済発展
Montinola, Gabriela, Qian, Yingyi and Weingast, Barry R., 1995 Federalism, Chinese Style: The Political Basis for Economic Success in China. World Politics 48: 50-81.
Qian, Yingyi, and Weingast, Barry R., 1997 Federalism as a Commitment to Preserving Market Incentives, Journal of Economic Perspectives 11: 83-92.
Wibbles, Erik. 2000. Federalism and the Politics of Macroeconomic Policy and Performance. American Journal of Political Science 44: 687-702.
Rauch, James E., 1995 Bureaucracy, Infrastructure, and Economic Growth: Evidence from U.S. Cities during the Progressive Era. American Economic Review 85: 968-79.
Davoodi, Hamid, and Zou, Heng-fu, 1998 Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth: A Cross-Country Study. Journal of Urban Economics 43: 244-57.
Shleifer, Andrei, and Vishny, Robert, 1999 The Quality of Government. Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 15: 222-279.
以下は参考文献．
Persson, Torsten, and Tabellini, Guido, 1999 The Size and Scope of Government: Comparative Politics with Rational Politicians. European Economic Review 43: 699-735.
Treisman, Daniel, 2000 Decentralization and Inflation: Commitment, Collective Action, or Continuity? American Political Science Review 94: 837-58.
Lohmann, Susanne, 1998 Federalism and Central Bank Autonomy: The Politics of German Monetary Policy, 1957-1992, World Politics 51: 401-46.
Rodden,Jonathan, and Rose-Ackerman,Susan, 1997 Does Federalism Preserve Markets? Virginia Law Review,Vol.83,No.7,
de Figueiredo, Rui J. P., Jr., and Barry Weingast. 2002. Pathologies of Federalism, Russian Style: Political Institutions and Economic Transition. Comparative Politics, forthcoming.
（３）地域間競争と政策選択
Volden, Craig. 2002. The Politics of Competitive Federalism: A Race to the Bottom in Welfare Benefits? American Journal of Political Science, forthcoming.
Lowery, David, 2000 A Transactions Costs Model of Metropolitan Governance: Allocation versus Redistribution in Urban America, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 10: 49-78.
Teske, Paul, Schneider, Mark, Mintrom, Michael and Best, Samuel, 1993 Establishing the Micro Foundations of a Macro Theory: Information, Movers and the Competitive Local Market for Public Goods, American Political Science Review 87: 702-13.
（４）地方政治と政策選択
Alt, James E., and Lowry, Robert C., 1994. Divided Government, Fiscal Institutions, and Budget Deficits: Evidence from the States. American Political Science Review 88: 811-828.
Clingermayer, James C., and Wood, B. Dan, 1995 Disentangling Patterns of State Debt Financing, American Political Science Review 89:108-120.
Tweedie,Jack, 1994 Resources Rather Than Needs: A State-Centered Model of Welfare Policymaking, American Journal of Political Science 38: 651-72.
Potoski, Matthew, and Woods, Neal D., 2000. Designing State Clean Air Agencies: Administative Procedures and Bureaucratic Autonomy. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 11: 203-221.
（５）地方政府間の関係：政策の波及
Mintrom, Michael, and Vergari, Sandra, 1998 Policy Networks and Innovation Diffusion: The Case of State Education Reform, Journal of Politics 60: 120-48.
Mooney, Christopher Z., and Mei-Hsien Lee, 1995 Legislative Morality in the American States: The Case of Pre-Roe Abolition Regulation Reform, American Journal of Political Science 39:599-627.