ABSTRACT
To gain proper insight into the issue of regional development, it is not sufficient to gather data only as an observer. For this reason we decided to establish a non-profit organization (NPO), Tosa Arts & Crafts, as a vehicle for regional development efforts of our own. In parallel to the conventional research described in earlier chapters, we explored the basic issues of and real obstacles to regional development through actual practice. Taking into account what had been learnt from observations, we designed a methodology and framework for our activities, and evaluated the results to feed back into further planning. Through the cycle of planning, practice, checking and evaluation – just as in ordinary business – we could achieve an ever-deeper analysis. In this sense, the NPO project was a kind of experimental demonstration of theories and implications.
