Effectiveness of Large-scale Waste Disposal Service Covering Wide Areas through Regional Characteristics : Quantitative Analysis based on Cost Function and Case Study in Islands

The productivity of local public service aims at "the maximization of the effect by the expense of the minimum." The previous study introduced the productivity of waste disposal service among the main island and its neighbor islands of Okinawa regarded as geographically unique comparing to other areas in Japan (Osoguchi and Miki, 2007). In this study, the cases will be expand on more isolated areas in Okinawa, Yaeyama and Miyako areas, in order to explore the effectiveness of large-scale waste disposal service covering wide areas. In so doing, this paper consists of four parts. First of all, domestic cost function in waste disposal service will be studied to see the situation of Okinawa relatively. The second is cases of waste disposal service in Yaeyama and Miyako will be introduced based on interviews, and mentioned comparison studies on their cost. Lastly, cost performances will be tested by quantitative analysis. In conclusion, it is suggested the key for increasing the productivity of local public service depends on how well the local government is able to add its regional characteristic to a policy making