Eiji Yamamura

Seinan Gakuin University · Department of Economics

Grandparents were anticipated to participate in grand-rearing. The COVID-19 pandemic had detached grandparents from rearing grandchildren. The research questions of this study were as follows: How does the change in family relations impact the Subjective well-being (SWB) of grandparents and parents? Using independently collected individual-level pa...

In 1880, Keio, a private school in Japan, was in jeopardy of being closed. To cope with the situation, the school first created a fundraising campaign during the 18801-90 period. The school was established in 1857, and since 1861, the list covering all students academic record has been distributed not only to teachers but also to all students. Indi...

This study examines the influence of grandchildren’s sex on grandparents’ voting behaviour by using independently collected individual-level data. The survey was conducted immediately after the 2016 House of Councillors election in Japan. It was found that individuals who had a granddaughter were more likely to vote for female candidates by a 10 pe...

Using individual-level survey data from 2024, this study investigated how respondent characteristics are associated with a subjective view of generative artificial intelligence (GAI). We asked 14 questions concerning respondents view about GAI, such as general view, faulty GAI, autonomous GEI, GAI replacing humans, and importance of human learning....

The goal of behavioral economics has been achieved to some extent. Behavioral economics has essentially transformed into behavioral science. However, have the various concepts developed in mainstream economics are useless for “modern humans?” My answer is “No.” The vitality for behavioral economics relies on the facts that have been embodied mainst...

Using Japanese professional chess (Shogi) players’ records in the setting where various external factors are controlled in deterministic and finite games, this paper examines how and the extent to which the emergence of technological changes influences the ageing and innate ability of players’ winning probability. We gathered games of professional...

The COVID-19 vaccine reduces infection risk; even if one contracts COVID-19, the probability of complications such as death or hospitalisation is lower. However, vaccination may prompt people to decrease preventive behaviours, such as staying home, washing hands, and wearing a mask. Therefore, if vaccinated people pursue only self-interest, the vac...

Teachers in Japanese schools employ alphabetical surname lists that call students sooner, with surnames appearing early on these lists. We conducted Internet surveys nearly every month from March 2020 to September 2022 with the same participants, wherein we asked participants where the alphabetical columns of their childhood and adult surnames were...

Using a representative sample from Japan and a difference‐in‐differences strategy, we investigate whether the effect of having grandchildren on the happiness of grandparents varies with the gender of their (own) single child. In line with our expectations, we find that maternal grandmothers have more to lose or less to gain from having grandchildre...

Background In Japanese primary schools, students are listed according to their surname's alphabet-ical order. Teachers unconsciously rely on the alphabetical list to call on students during class and at non-academic events. Students with surnames appearing early in these lists tend to be called upon sooner in various school situations, enabling the...

Education plays a critical role in promoting preventive behaviours against the spread of pandemics. In Japan, handwashing education in primary schools was positively correlated with preventive behaviours against COVID-19 transmission for adults in 2020, during the early stages of COVID-19. The following year, the Tokyo Olympics were held in Japan,...

Vaccination has been promoted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccination is expected to reduce the probability of and alleviate the seriousness of COVID-19 infection. Accordingly, this might significantly change an individual’s subjective well-being and mental health. We observed the same individuals on a monthly...

The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is key to reducing the probability of contracting COVID-19. The vaccine is generally known to prevent severe illness, death, and hospitalization as a result of the disease and for considerably reduce COVID-19 infection risk. Accordingly, this might significantly change an individual’s perceived risk of altering ev...

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is key to reducing the probability of contracting COVID-19. The vaccine is generally known to prevent severe illness, death, and hospitalization as a result of the disease and for considerably reducing COVID-19 infection risk. Accordingly, this might significantly change an individual’s perceived risk of a...

Childhood hygiene education has resulted in individuals engaging in hand washing and mask wearing to cope with COVID-19. Individuals can form sustainable development-related habits through childhood education.

Education plays a critical role on promoting preventive behaviours against the spread of pandemics. In Japan, hand-washing education in primary schools was positively correlated with preventive behaviours against COVID-19 transmission for adults in 2020 during the early stages of COVID-19 [1]. The following year, the Tokyo Olympics were held in Jap...

The COVID-19 vaccine reduces infection risk: even if one contracts COVID-19, the probability of complications like death or hospitalization is lower. However, vaccination may prompt people to decrease preventive behaviors, such as staying indoors, handwashing, and wearing a mask. Thereby, if vaccinated people pursue only their self-interest, the va...

This study proposes reciprocity between parents and children to explain the observed matrilineal advantage in grandparent—grandchildren relationships in Europe. On the one hand, maternal grandparents look after grandchildren more than paternal grandparents do. On the other hand, daughters help their parents with personal tasks more than sons do. Th...

This study examines how providing peer information for evaluation of progressive firms changes individuals’ evaluations. From the large sample of two experimental surveys, it was found that providing peer information leads to a higher expectation of increasing stock prices and willingness to buy. The effect on willingness to buy is greater than the...

Using independently collected individual-level data, this study examines the influence of learning in a female teacher homeroom class in elementary school on pupils’ future voting behavior. Furthermore, it evaluates the female teacher’s effect on their preference for women’s participation in the workplace in adulthood. We find that having a female...

I investigated how people’s childhood experiences of involvement in team sports helped them develop non-cognitive skills, which later prompted them to make charitable donations to disaster victims. I independently collected individual-level data from approximately 7000 observations in 2016. The instrumental variable (IV) method was used for the est...

Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is key to reducing the probability of contracting COVID-19. The vaccine is generally known to prevent severe illness, death, and hospitalization as a result of the disease and for considerably reducing COVID-19 infection risk. Accordingly, this might significantly change an individual’s perceive...

Using Japanese professional chess (Shogi) players records in the novel setting, this paper examines how and the extent to which the emergence of technological changes influences the ageing and innate ability of players winning probability. We gathered games of professional Shogi players from 1968 to 2019. The major findings are: (1) diffusion of ar...

Post-World War II , there was massive internal migration from rural to urban areas in Japan. The location of Sumo stables was concentrated in Tokyo. Hence, supply of Sumo wrestlers from rural areas to Tokyo was considered as migration. Using a panel dataset covering forty years, specifically 1946-1985, this study investigates how weather conditions...

We chart the evolution of gender differences in performance across single-sex and mixed-sex environments. Our dataset comprises over one million person-race observations of individuals making their racing debut over the period 1997-2012, and randomly assigned by the Japanese Speedboat Racing Association into single-sex and mixed-sex races. This ran...

Vaccination has been promoted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccination is expected to reduce the probability of and alleviate the seriousness of COVID-19 infection. Accordingly, this might significantly change an individuals subjective well-being and mental health. However, it is unknown how vaccinated people p...

Vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a key measure to reduce the probability of getting infected with the disease. Accordingly, this might significantly change an individuals perception and decision-making in daily life. For instance, it is predicted that with widespread vaccination, individuals will exhibit less rigid pre...

In Chap. 2, I mentioned that, according to previous research in economics of education, the younger the children are, the greater the effect of education is, citing “Oshin” as an analogy.

I put on the radio at mealtime at home. One day, the letters-from-listeners part of the program was on a topic of farcical domestic situations.

As a resident of Fukuoka, I find myself excited being in Tokyo on occasional business trips. The first thing I do on arrival is to find a noodle stand. Noodle stands are small establishments with a long high counter, at which customers consume their orders standing. They are frequented by office workers, freelancers, and other people from different...

“There are a good side and bad to a community life. You are obliged to do favors or be nice to your neighbors all the time, you know…”.

This study applies the difference-in-difference method on panel data collected from internet surveys to investigate changes in the preventive behaviors and mental health of individuals as influenced by the COVID-19 state of emergency declaration between March and June 2020. The key findings are: (1) The declaration led people to exhibit preventive...

A summer high school baseball tournament is held every mid-summer in Koshien Stadium. “Koshien Baseball” is very popular in Japan; however, it faces the problem of extremely high temperatures during games. Thus, high school players are threatened by harsh environmental conditions. For this reason, two Internet surveys were distributed to the same i...

“Culture” is an amorphous and ambiguous concept that is difficult to pin down. In economics, the target of analysis is influenced by culture. Economics, even though it is a social science, uses methods similar to those of hard sciences.

“A novel coronavirus disease is said to be spreading in other countries.” This onlooker-mentality had suddenly to change on February 27, when the Japanese government announced a call for temporary closure of schools. Since then, our everyday life has undergone a palpable change, and three months have passed.

The ceiling fan was rotating in this cheap lodging house as I lay down on a bed feeling heavy as lead. I had a splitting headache. Locals were flirting and quarrelling at the adjacent outdoor bar. In the fall of 1993, I was in Accra, the capital of Ghana in West Africa.

A summer high school baseball tournament is held every mid-summer in Koshien Stadium. “Koshien Baseball” is very popular in Japan; however, it faces the problem of extremely high temperatures during games. Thus, high school players are threatened by the harsh environment. For this reason, Internet surveys were conducted twice to purposefully engage...

This study investigates how people in Japan perceived the severity of and probability of infection from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and how their willingness to purchase a hypothetical vaccine depends on these perceptions and their risk attitudes. We conducted a large-scale panel survey three times between 13 March to 13 April 2020 in Japa...

The slogans of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were “symbol of resilience from the Great East Japan Earthquake” and “Compact Olympics”. The Olympics were also expected to demonstrate “gender equality” and to enhance sustainability in modern society. However, in practice, the cost of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 was far greater than estimated. The slogan was cha...

The spread of the novel coronavirus disease caused schools in Japan to close to cope with the pandemic. In response to the school closures, parents of students were obliged to care for their children during the daytime, when children usually were at school. Did the increase in the burden of childcare influence parents’ mental health? Based on short...

In Japan, teacher and student is randomly matched in the first year of elementary school. Under the quasi-natural experimental setting, I examine how learning in female teacher homeroom class in the elementary school influence pupils’ smoking behaviour after they become adult. I found that pupils are unlikely to smoke later in life if they belonged...

A tailor-made internet survey experiment provides individuals with information on their income positions to examine their effects on subjective well-being. In the first survey, respondents were asked about their household income and subjective well-being. Based on the data collected, three different respondents' income positions within the resident...

This study analyzes the altruistic and selfish motivations that underlie the payment made toward Japan’s Hometown Tax Donation system by the citizens, whereby they can pay the tax to municipalities other than the ones in which they reside and receive reciprocal gifts. Using the local government level panel data for 2008–2015, we find that the Great...

A customized internet survey experiment is conducted in Japan to examine how individuals' relative income position influences preferences for income redistribution and individual perceptions regarding income tax burden. I first asked respondents about their perceived income position in their country and their preferences for redistribution and perc...

Internet survey experiment is conducted to examine how providing peer information of evaluation about progressive firms changed individual's evaluations. Using large sample including over 13,000 observations collected by two-step experimental surveys, I found; (1) provision of the information leads individuals to expect higher probability of rising...

This paper attempts to investigate how information transparency affects human behavior. Thus, we empirically examine the influence of information disclosure ordinances on the income of mayors and chief executives in local governments in Japan. For the estimation, we use panel data of local governments covering 1999–2010, during which time many loca...

COVID-19 has led to the closure of various schools in Japan to cope with the pandemic. This study explores how school closure influences parents’ work style based on short panel data for the period of school closure from mid-March to mid-April 2020. Specifically, we analyze how the presence of their children influences parents’ work at home and exa...

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-021-09548-9

This study examines the influence of grandchildren's gender on grandparents' voting behavior using independently collected individual-level data. The survey was conducted immediately after the House of Councilors election in Japan. I observed that individuals with a granddaughter were more likely to vote for female candidates by around 10 % than th...

In Japan, the increase in the consumption tax rate, a measure of balanced public finance, reduces the inequality of fiscal burden between the present and future generations. This study estimates the effect of grandchildren on an older person's view of consumption tax, using independently collected data. The results show that having grandchildren is...

This study investigates how spousal age gaps influence the allocation of housework between husbands and wives. Further, we consider the identity formed as a result of respondents’ family backgrounds by exploring the effects of the age gaps between the respondents’ parents. We collected an individual-level panel dataset for 3 years through monthly s...

This paper examined how and the extent to which obtaining skills to meet team specific human capital is important to improve football player’s performance by comparing the top league and the second league. Based on panel data of individual players during the 2012-2016 seasons of the Japan Professional Football League (J League), we found; (1) In th...

Healthcare workers are more likely to be infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) because of unavoidable contact with infected people. Although they are equipped to reduce the likelihood of infection, their distress has increased. This study examines how COVID-19 influences healthcare workers' happiness, compared to other workers. We con...

The spread of the novel coronavirus disease caused schools in Japan to close to cope with the pandemic. In response to this, parents of students were obliged to care for their children during the daytime when they were usually at school. Does the increase in burden of childcare influence parents mental health? Based on short panel data from mid-Mar...

COVID-19 has led to school closures in Japan to cope with the pandemic. Under the state of emergency, in addition to school closure, after-school care has not been sufficiently supplied. We independently collected individual level data through internet surveys to construct short panel data from mid-March to mid-June 2020, which covered before and a...

This study examines the influence of learning in a female teacher homeroom class in elementary school on pupils' voting behavior later in life, using independently collected individual-level data. Further, we evaluate its effect on preference for women's participation in the workplace in adulthood. Our study found that having a female teacher in th...

In Japan, teacher and student is randomly matched in the first year of elementary school. Under the quasi-natural experimental setting, we examine how learning in female teacher homeroom class in the elementary school influence pupils' smoking behavior after they become adult. We found that pupils are unlikely to smoke later in life if they belonge...

In this study, we explored how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affected the demand for insurance and vaccines in Japan from mid-March to mid-April 2020. Through independent internet surveys, respondents were asked hypothetical questions concerning the demand for insurance and vaccines for protection against COVID-19. Using the collected short-pa...

Using a large sample of individual-level records in Japan speedboat racing where men and women racers participate, we investigated how racers’ performance meets fans’ pre-race expectations. To control for endogeneity bias, we measured the order of racers’ attractiveness randomly determined in each race and then used this order as instrument for mea...

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The implications for industries related to the Olympics—tourism, hotels and restaurants, and others—are expected to be affected by reduced demand. Japanese workers in these industries were prepared to offer their hospitality to visitors from around the wor...

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The implications for industries related to the Olympics—tourism, hotels and restaurants, and others—are expected to be affected by reduced demand. Japanese workers in these industries were prepared to offer their hospitality to visitors from around the worl...

During the COVID-19 epidemic in Japan between March and April 2020, Internet surveys were conducted to construct panel data to investigate changes at the individual level regarding preventive behaviors and mental conditions by surveying the same respondents at different times. Specifically, the difference-in-difference (DID) method was used to expl...

We theoretically illustrate how the aversion to unfairness triggers an unselfish though rational demand for redistribution. This leads the well‐off to demand positive tax rates and the “poor” to reject extreme progressivity. We prove that the “rich” and the “poor” adjust their demand for redistribution in opposite ways when their sensitivity to fai...

The Hakone Ekiden, a university‐level long‐distance relay race, is the premier New Year's sporting event in Japan. It is held immediately prior to the university application period. Using panel data for 2001 to 2015, I examined how this race influences the number of applicants for university entrance examinations. The major finding is that applican...

We test how early childhood education creates preferences for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through teacher-student random gender matching. Using originally collected individual-level data, we examine how female teachers in elementary school influence students’ CSR stated preferences in their adulthood. Our major finding is that female teac...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how gender equality influences difference in cognitive skills between genders. For the closer examination of Guiso et al. (2008), restricting the sample to immigrants allows us to reduce the possibility of reverse causality. Design/methodology/approach Using PISA 2012 matched with the gender wage gap...

Acemoglu and Robinson (2000) provide their hypothesis that the political elite extend the franchise to avoid revolution or social unrest. For the purpose of empirically testing this hypothesis, the present paper explores how the degree of conflict between rich and poor people is associated with individual preferences for income redistribution and p...

We investigated how childhood education and experiences helped to form noncognitive skills and later, trade policy preferences. We used individual‐level data with approximately 10,000 observations collected in July 2016. Using the instrumental variables (IV) method, with sporting experience and informal education in the childhood as exogenous IV, w...

Using panel data obtained from monthly surveys for 3 years, we examined how the effects of life events on smoking and drinking behaviours differ between men and women. The key findings were that: (i) consumption of alcohol and cigarettes by men and women were lower during pregnancy and after childbirth than before pregnancy; (ii) pregnancy and chil...

In speedboat racing in Japan, men and women compete under the same conditions and are randomly assigned to mixed-sex or single-sex groups for each race. We use a sample of over 140,000 individual-level records to examine how male-dominated circumstances affect women's racing performance. Our fixed-effects estimates reveal that women's race time is...

Public broadcasting of all games of high school baseball tournaments attests to their popularity in Japan. The present study uses individual-level data to test the hypothesis that nostalgia influences the level of happiness of Japanese people. Its key findings were: (i) the number of wins by a prefecture team increased the happiness level of its re...

This paper investigated the extent to which educational levels in the nineteenth century have shaped present-day norms, which influence the perceptions of present-day individuals, such as individuals’ perceived inequality, preference for redistribution, and progressive taxation. Cross-country, individual-level data were used to examine historical e...

Empirical results based on individual-level data from Japan were studied to determine the effect of social capital on the willingness to leave one's residential area. It was found that social capital accumulated through one's own experience in a residential area is not the only factor that reduces willingness to leave. Social capital inherited from...

This paper explores how the role of men and women’s height in the marriage market has changed across generations. Using individual-level data from Japan, we compared the effect of height on marriages between men and women, and investigated how the effect of height on marriage has changed across generations. Our key findings are: (1) for men born be...

During the period of 2001-2006, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) adopted a market-oriented policy under the Koizumi cabinet. Using data covering the Koizumi and first Abe cabinets, the present paper attempts to examine whether the effects of relative income differ between supporters and non-supporters of the Koizumi cabinet. Key findings are as f...

The consumption of imported goods is thought to influence consumers’ views and attitudes toward export countries. It is important to consider this issue, especially when there is political tension and conflict between countries. Because of their historical background, political conflict exists between Korea and Japan. This paper examines the effect...

This study used prefecture-level panel data from Japan for the period 2008–2014 to investigate the influence of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident on the body mass index (BMI) z-score and obesity rates of children over time. I adopted a difference-in-differences approach and found the following: (1) for the cohort aged 5–7 years in 2010, the BMI z...

Using Japan’s prefecture-level panel data from 1989 to 2001, this chapter examines the influence of the social norm on a person’s smoking behavior when the complementary relationship between smoking and drinking is taken into account. The key findings through a dynamic panel model controlling for unobserved prefecture-specific fixed effects are as...

This paper examines the influence of government transparency on changing views regarding nuclear energy before and after Japan's natural and nuclear disaster of 2011. Individual-level data were used, covering 45 countries and containing 27 423 observations. It was observed in the majority of countries that the rate of favouring nuclear energy decli...

The Japanese Professional Football League (JPFL) was established in 1993 in an attempt to enhance social interaction within teams’ home cities through football. In contrast, the Japan Professional Baseball League (JPBL) was created prior to World War II and has been supported mainly by corporate sponsorship. Using individual-level data from 1996, t...

The positive relationship between trust and happiness has been demonstrated by the literature. However, it is not clear how much this relationship depends on environmental conditions. The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 is considered one of the most catastrophic events in human history. This disaster caused not only physical damage for Japanese...

It is well known that height is positively associated with earnings. Based on individual level data, this paper investigates the channels through which height influences income in China. Our first key finding is that for males (females) a 1 centimeter (cm) increase in height leads to a 0.5% (0.02%) increase in the probability that he (she) becomes...

An increasing number of studies have addressed the determinants of suicide. Social capital is a key factor in preventing suicide. However, little is known about the experience of suicide ideation using subjective values. From the viewpoint of suicide prevention, it is worth examining how people think of suicide. This paper attempts to examine the e...

Although natural disasters have been found to influence economic growth, their impact on income inequality has not yet been explored. This paper uses cross-country panel data during the period 1965 to 2004 to examine how the occurrence of natural disasters has affected income inequality. The major findings of this study are that although natural di...

This paper explores the role of mass media in people's perceptions of charismatic leaders. Using survey data collected immediately after Koizumi's 2005 landslide electoral victory, we empirically assess the influence of television (TV) and newspapers on individuals' support for Koizumi and for the most distinctive policy. Estimation results based o...