制度经济学中六个基本理论问题新解

纵观所有的制度经济学,可以提炼出以下几个重要的、基本理论问题,而这些问题还没有被很好地解答或解释,制度经济学未来的发展趋势可能取决于这些问题被解决的程度。这些问题是:(1)制度变迁既受到个体目的性行为的作用,也受到个体意识之外的系统动力的作用,是在“知”和“无知”的协同演化中展开的。(2)制度是构建还是演化而成,需要关注制度的不同层面、制度的长期和短期,短期的和具体的制度往往可以构建,而长期的基本的制度却往往难以构建,任何建构都是局部和短期的均衡,是长期演化过程中的某一个驻点。(3)制度及其变迁,客观上存在着演化与博弈的互动关系,但是,它们是两个层面上的互动,而不是一种演化博弈的运动。可以分别用博弈方法和演化方法分析,但是不能用所谓的演化博弈方法把两个层面的运动当成一种现象分析。(4)制度和技术的关系在不同的时空场景中可能不同,不能笼统地谈论制度和技术的关系,必须将其置于不同层级类型和不同时空场景下进行研究。(5)清晰界定计量工具在制度分析中的边界和条件,在一系列约束、假定条件和控制变量下,对某一特定时空下制度绩效的测量或许是可行和必要的,但是,测量一个国家或地区各种交易成本的总量或许是不可能也是不必要的。(6)制度经济学应该界定其制度分析的边界,这样才能集中精力研究本学科的一些重大主题。制度经济学的解释范围应该集中在直接影响资源配置和财富演变的经济制度领域,适当地关注较为强烈但却是间接地影响资源配置和财富演变的政治制度、习俗和惯例等。

The Several Basic Problems of Institutional Economics

Based on the comprehensive analysis of Institutional Economics, this paper distills several significant and basic theoretical problems of institutional analysis, which are not replied or explained quite well yet. In fact, we needed to deeply research these questions followed. It is possible that researching and explaining these questions will influence development of institutional economics. 1, Is the institutional analysis based on individualism or collectivism? 2, Is institution evolutionary or regulated by human? 3,Can the methods of the evolution theory and game theory be communicated? 4, Which is more significant between institution and technology? 5, How to understand and grasp the metric analysis of institution? 6, How to look upon the development of the meaning and the extension of the boundary of institutional economics? Aiming at these problems, the author comes up with his own ideas and points out some ways of the further research.