エコ商品スキームとしての「水源基金」の問題点 : 社会起業家の非営利ビジネスモデルの視点から <論説>

水源林の保全に充てることを目的として、基金を設立する地方自治体が増加している。本研究では、代表的な事例である愛知県豊田市が考案した積立金の調達方式と、基金の現状を調査したうえで、「社会起業家の非営利ビジネスモデル」の視点から当基金の問題点を指摘し、以下のような仮説を提示した。自治体の行政当局が森林保全事業よりも基金の積立そのものを優先している理由は、水源林の保全に対する選好が弱く、管理労働が効率的でないためである。また、水源基金は予算規模拡大の一つの手段として利用されつつある。本稿では、「社会起業家のエコ商品スキームによる公共財供給モデル」の理論的枠組みに基づき、上記の仮説を論証した。

Local municipalities which establish a fund for the preservation of water-source forest are on the increase. This research investigated the fund of Aichi Prefecture Toyota City. Accumulated money from Toyota citizens to the fund are collected through the add-on to the water rates, and Toyota City assigns a part of the yearly income of add-on to the cost of forest preservation activity. Although the reserved fund increases smoothly, through my investigation, I found that the fund wasn' t as for the original purpose of the forest preservation activity.

From the point of view of "Private provision model of Public Goods through Eco-Goods schemes by social entrepreneur", my analysis looks into this funding and points out the problems as following.

The reason why local municipalities give priority to reservation of the fund rather than the forest preservation activity is because their preferences to preservation of water-source forest are weak, and management are inefficient. It was guessed from the allotment of the yearly income of add-on, as well from starting forest preservation activity after requests for execution was taken from citizens. A decision on the amount of year reserving is entrusted to bureaucracy' s discretion, so funds are being used as one means of the budget scale expansion.