Disability and Economy: Creating a Society for All
Hosted by Research on Economy and Disability (READ), the University of Tokyo (Todai)
In association with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
PROGRAMME on TODAI FORUM 2009 by READ-TODAI & MMU
I. Objectives
Our theme, one of the three themes of the Todai Forum 2009 (Former name: UT Forum 2009), is “Economy and Disability: Creating a Society for all”. Until recently, the problems of disability such as disability-based-discrimination, social inequality and human rights abuse were trivial in mainstream society around the world. Now we are recognizing that impairment “is a natural part of the human experience” (U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701(a)), and that “disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006, Preamble (e)). In this sense, it is necessary to tackle the disability issues as the important social, economical and political agenda in order to create a more comfortable society for all of us to live in. Disability problems are without doubt a primary topic for human existence and all mankind.
Traditionally social science researches in disability field have been limited to social welfare or criminal law. It is the emergence of the disability studies in the United Kingdom that was the turning point which changed the approach of the traditional social science researches. Disability studies, to which political science and sociology etc. have contributed is a new area of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary academic study. According to "the social model of disability" in the British disability studies which emerged in 1970s, the difference between impairment which is an attribute of individuals (intrinsic biological characteristics) and “disability” which is a socially created and constructed problem is significant. Persons with actual or perceived impairments become “disabled persons” by society's failure to accommodate their needs. Disability studies have had a great impact around the world including Japan.
Recognizing, emphasizing and reaffirming the huge contribution by disability studies, we should further explore and develop new approaches, on the basis of the studies, to measuring how our society interacts with "disable persons" in order to elucidate the very complex problems of disability caused by various barriers. One of such approaches is the "Disability and Economics". Economics has developed tools to study customs and institutions as endogenous outcomes of economies. Economists investigate human behavior, shedding light on incentives and their interdependence. In particular, game theory is useful for this purpose. With these theoretical methods we can examine and analyze the issues relating to disability as endogenous institutions. Furthermore, by solving incentives of individuals, we investigate effective policies for “disabled persons”. As an analytical tool the economic viewpoint is indispensable and essential for assessing and analyzing disabling factors and providing a new perspective to create a more inclusive and decent society for all .
In disability studies, economic perspective is being ignored even at today. Now, it is the time for disability studies to utilize the framework and knowledge of modern economics, especially in the fields such as income security, anti- discrimination and disability employment policies. Our theme of the Todai Forum 2009 focuses on the results of research, conducted in the READ Project (“A study on disability in a socio-economic context: toward a unified social science”) of the Graduate School of Economics at the University of Tokyo (http://www.read-tu.jp/english/). The Project is to develop a new field of social science focusing on various barriers in socio-economic contexts by introducing economics into disability studies. In order to present to the world this new multidisciplinary approach and some added values by it and promote international exchange between researchers and students, our Forum is held at the birthplace of disability studies, the United Kingdom on April 29 (Wednesday) and 30 (Thursday), 2009.
Mored details and the programme see: http://www.read-tu.jp/english/Forum2009/program.html
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