<September 15, 2020> Message from the Course Chair

 We offered all spring semester lectures remotely due to the spread of COVID-19, but for the fall semester, we have decided to offer some lectures in a face-to-face manner while adopting thorough infection control measures.

 In the fall semester, as students of the Course of Public-Private Partnership (PPP), you will be allowed to enter the campus for reasonable purposes, for example, when it is considered useful for you to receive advice about your paper directly from your teacher on campus, and when you, as a working adult, find it difficult to go home in time to attend a lecture from home after finishing your daily work.

 Traditionally in the PPP, in addition to lectures and advice on papers given by the faculty, joint research activities have been frequently conducted among graduate students, and between graduate students, their teachers and guest lecturers, along with the implementation of PPP-related projects. The resumption of face-to-face lectures will foster communication among all those involved and facilitate the aforementioned activities.

 Taking a broader view of the coronavirus crisis from the aspect of the Japanese economy and local communities, I feel it is necessary to establish a new model for PPP and shift away from dealing with PPP on a case-by-case basis.

 The coronavirus has had a direct impact on many PPP projects. For example, some projects for which relevant agreements were concluded have been suspended, forcing the related parties to make unconventional responses.

 Moreover, from a broader perspective, the number of PPP-related issues has been increasing, such as the issue of compensation that arises when the private sector refrains from participating in activities; governmental subsidies for medical treatment to prevent and control infection and for the development of pharmaceutical technologies; securing enough hotel rooms for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms; administrative services and public facilities suitable for a “new normal” lifestyle; and PPP initiatives to partially cover the huge fiscal burden.

 In the fall semester, we will start addressing these issues in a straightforward manner toward delivering our research results to the public.

Yuji Nemoto,

Course Chair, Course of Public-Private Partnership, Graduate School of Economics

Director, Research Center for Public-Private Partnership