中国高投资率、低消费率的政治因素——基于中美政治制度比较的一种解释

Political Factors of High Investment Rate and Low Consumption Rate in China——An Explanation Based on a Comparison between the Political Systems of China and the U.S.

和以美国为代表的西方国家相比,中国长期以来呈现高投资率和低消费率。笔者基于中美政治制度比较提出一种解释:在美国制度下,资本和政府受到劳动的约束,必须顾及劳动者的利益,从而实现了劳动者的收入随经济发展而增长,呈现低投资率和高消费率。而在中国,地方政府官员主要由上级任命,长期以来,GDP是地方政府官员最主要的政绩指标。GDP的增长需要资本和劳动等生产要素,资本相对稀缺而劳动则相对富裕。这样地方政府往往更多地重视资本利益而相对忽视劳动利益,在相当程度上导致了高投资率和低消费率的发生。

Compared with the US, the investment rate has always been high and the consumption rate low for a long time in China. This paper offers an explanation based on a comparison between the political systems of China and the U.S. In the U. S. , democratic election system and unionism cause the capital and government to be constrained, forcing them to pay attention to the laborers＇ interests, resulting in a growth of laborers＇ income with the economic development. In China, however, the local government officers are mainly appointed by the government of the higher level, and evaluated mainly on the basis of local GDP. Capital and labor are needed for economic growth. The capital is scarce while the labor is abundant relatively. Therefore, the local governments attach more importance to the capital＇s interests and relatively ignore the laborers＇ interests, therefore causing high investment rate and low consumption rate.