Sheldon Garon, professor of history and East Asian studies at Princeton University, has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship for 2005-2006 to support his work on a new book, the university said.
Professor Garon, a historian of modern Japan with comparative interests in European, American and Asian history, has titled the book "Fashioning Cultures of Thrift: Promoting Saving in Japan and the World."
The volume will be a comparative history of various governments’ efforts to encourage saving among their citizens, the university said.
Comparing Japan with the United States and several European and Asian nations, Professor Garon argues that with their high rates of saving and cautious approach to consumption, continental European countries have much in common with Japan and South Korea, and that it is the Americans who are exceptional.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent grant-making agency of the U.S. government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities, according to the NEH Web site.
Through its grant programs, NEH offers financial support for university and college educators and independent scholars for humanities projects. Created in 1965, NEH is the largest funder of humanities programs in the country, the Web site said.

