HAZAMA Yasushi
Previous research
I have studied problems common to emerging democracies, focusing mainly on Turkey. I am interested in three main themes. The first theme is the political system, and I consider questions such as how populism can be sustained, why democracies decline, whether omnibus bills under a parliamentary system differ from those under a presidential system, what political conditions promote income equality in developing countries, and whether constitutional courts are an opposition force to elected governments. The second theme is voting behavior, and I consider questions such as whether voters punish their government for corruption, why many voters continue to support the same incumbent party even when recent economic conditions are unfavorable, and whether nationalism stabilizes support for the government. The third theme is the shaping of public opinion and I consider questions such as who seeks economic equality in developing countries and what factors increase the level of satisfaction with public health services.
Current research projects
I analyze reasons why the predominant party system continued in Turkey for the last 20 years from the perspectives of (1) the organization and ideology of the ruling party, (2) branding of the regime, (3) pragmatic social welfare, and (4) the leader’s power of discourse and also analyze its decline from the perspectives of (5) increased authoritarianism in the wake of the attempted coup, (6) the diminished role of the ruling party due to the introduction of a centralized presidential system, and (7) weakening of the economy due to prioritization of vested interests. I am also studying what factors influence society’s attitudes toward accepting refugees and whether social networks promote COVID-19 infection prevention behavior.