2006-2007 was another busy academic year for the ALPS Program. The East Asian
Reading Group tackled the most recent book on Japan by prolific scholar J. Mark
Ramseyer of Harvard Law School, The Fable of the Keiretsu. Professor Ramseyer then
visited to discuss his provocative argument that many of the central institutions of the socalled
Japanese variant of capitalism do not exist. Interestingly in early March we heard
a counterargument from Dan Puchniak of Kyushu University in Japan, who presented his
paper, Perverse Main Bank Rescue in the Lost Decade: Proof that Unique Institutional
Incentives Drive Japanese Corporate Governance.
We also had an active series of presentations by University of Illinois faculty, students
and visitors. Professor Bo-Hack Suh of South Korea's Kyunghee University gave a
presentation on Korea's imminent adoption of the jury system. We also had a wonderful
discussion of the September 2006 coup in Thailand, led by our very own JSD student,
Siriphon Kusonsinwut. Professor Ginsburg was involved in post-coup constitutional
discussions in Thailand, taking visits there in November and January, also lecturing on
constitutionalism in Myanmar. Professors Ginsburg and Ulen traveled together to Beijing
in November, giving a series of lectures at Chinese Universities.
The College continued to expand its close relationship with Zhongshan University in
Guangzhou, China. Following on our successful conference in China law academic year,
we welcomed a delegation of 12 Chinese scholars to Champaign in March 2007 for the
second in what we hope will be a series of meetings on the role of law in economic
development.
Finally, in June 2007 the Program sponsored a conference with Hong Kong University on
Judicialization of Administrative Governance in Asia, featuring a series of country
studies on the growing role of courts in government regulation in the region. We look
forward to the book that will be published from that effort.
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