Regional Projects as Autonomous and Cooperative Systems: The Case of the Ishikari Area

This study focused on two projects and aimed to comprehend initiatives for regional development from an organisational standpoint, utilising the framework and evolution of the project's autonomous and cooperative system. As a result, it became evident that both in-house and take-out incentives, grounded in 'membership' and 'agenda', played a role in project member organisations cooperative efforts. In cases of regional projects fostering new industries specialised in regional development, it was observed that project member organisations related to the local land and region must influence the relationship between autonomous and cooperative systems among project members to foster participation in the cooperative systems. The outcomes of the system dynamics analysis further revealed that members with predominant take-out incentives are expected to eventually be surpassed by in-house incentives. Additionally, it was demonstrated that through the formation and evolution of repeated pilot projects aimed at identifying potential local industries, the dynamics of strategic reciprocity were likely to impact the core business activities of the members.