Courses

How do rules and safety nets shape everyday choices? This course looks at social security and incentives—from minimum wages to public health insurance and pensions—through economics, with a steady focus on the Japanese economy. Classes are lively and discussion-driven, with small-group work throughout.

Because these systems can feel distant until you use them, we start from your own wallet: part-time wages and the deductions on a first-year paycheck. We use short documentary clips and concrete cases, then debate current hot issues. Social security is also about budgets, so we build number sense with quick “stat quizzes”: teams guess market sizes, taxes, and population patterns, then check against real data. You’ll develop intuition for Japan’s industrial structure, profit margins, and income distribution.

We explore behavioral economics—where psychology meets economics. You’ll see how small policy “nudges” (smart messages, defaults, reminders) can shift behavior in smoking, late payments, and health checkups, even without subsidies or fines. By the end, you can frame good questions and design messages and choices clearly. If you’re curious how policies move people—and how better design helps communities—this course is a practical place to start.