CIRJE-F-344 | "Understanding the Economic History of Postal Services: Some Preliminary Observations from the Case of Meiji Japan" |
Author Name | Hunter, Janet |
Date | May 2005 |
Full Paper | PDF file@ |
Remarks | @ |
Abstract |
This object of this paper is to raise some methodological issues relating to the
economic history of postal services, an area relatively neglected by Western economic
historians, and to use Japan in the second half of the 19th century as a case study for
exploring some of these issues. The first half of the paper surveys the previous
historical literature on 19th century postal systems, and then considers several key
analytical issues, in particular the fact that postal systems were government
monopolies, the nature of postal systems as technologies, and the significance of the
improved information flow that these systems offered to an industrializing economy.
The second half of the paper looks at the economic significance of the Meiji
governments's postal regulatory framework, the use that was made of these provisions,
and how this use changed over time. The analysis focuses in particular on the issue of
demand for and supply of postal services, and suggests that in most cases the
increasing use made of the service was supply-led. The conclusion puts Japan's
postal usage in this period in comparative perspective, and suggests possibilities for
future research. |