The Strategy of ‘Scale’ in Policy-Making Process: A Case Study of Eco-Town Project, Kitakyushu City

Efforts to implement sustainability-oriented policies through environmental governance have become increasingly critical across the globe, during the past 20 years. This article analyzes the policy-making process of an Eco-Town project, a support policy for the development of the recycling industry in Japan, based on a case study in Kitakyushu City. Contrary to the majority of literature on Eco-Towns, which primarily examines economic factors, this article aims to illustrate the struggles, negotiations, and collaboration necessary between the local government and actors at different scales. In order to implement a recycling scheme in the post-steel era, the Kitakyushu City Government coordinated with various actors through the strategy of scale. The local government initiated a local recycling scheme to address global environmental issues and to persuade other actors to change their attitudes. The local government contacted national actors to seek support and stretch its influence. Similarly, facing protests by citizens and civic organizations, it emphasized environmental issues on a global scale in order to legitimize its claims and seek understanding. Furthermore, it cooperated with actors in other countries to continue to stretch its influence on a transnational scale. As a result, consensus was established and a cooperative relationship emerged among the actors participating in the policy-making process. The recycling scheme was then successfully implemented as an Eco-Town project, and the Eco-Town concept spread to the transnational scale indicating that the strategy of scale is useful in the policy-making process and in expanding the influence of the policy.