英美棉花定价分析及其影响——新经济史学的视角

Anglo-American pricing game of cotton trade and its influences

棉花作为英国完成工业革命所仰赖进口的最重要商品以及美国最重要的出口商品,其贸易定价以及对定价权的争夺对英美政治经济政策产生了重大影响。今利用计量方法对19世纪英美棉花定价博弈的研究发现,英国借助于殖民地棉花的替代性供给而非航运业的垄断,在与美国的定价权争夺中居于明显的优势,而美国居于劣势的主要原因在于产量控制上的困难。这种定价结果既是英美政治经济政策的必然产物,也是英美政治经济政策演变的最重要推动力。

Price-setting of cotton trade and the struggle against price-setting power was of great importance for Anglo American political and economic policy evolvement because of the cotton＇s position as the most important raw material relied on import for UK and as the chief exports of USA in 19^th century. Research proves that it is the alternative supply of British colonies but not the monopolistic power in shipping industry that provide UK with considerable price-setting advantage over US by econometric method, while American disadvantage originated from its disability in cotton output control. This is directly the result of Anglo American political and economic policy and also the most important driving force for its evolvement.