试论近代工商业学徒对中国早期工业化的影响

The Effect of Apprentice on Industrialization of Modern China

作为近代中国城市社会底层一个数量庞大的职业性群体,工商业学徒对中国早期工业化进程产生过很大影响。被资本家改造过的学徒制度使工商业学徒群体由传统社会中的准工商业从业者异化成为近代企业的廉价顺从劳动力,实现了群体角色的转换。数量庞大的学徒群体构成民族工业规模巨大的廉价劳动力供给来源,降低了民族企业在市场竞争中的生产经营成本;作为一种独特的人力资源培养机制,学徒制度还造就了若干适应市场环境的学徒型企业家,对中国早期工业化的展开起到了积极的促进作用。但由于学徒制度的固有缺陷,学徒群体带来的规模优势又形成路径依赖,导致学徒制度变迁进入锁定状态,使学徒群体转化为阻碍早期工业化深入发展的劣势。一方面,数量庞大的学徒群体的存在抑制了近代中国部分工业产业升级的动力;另一方面,学徒过多带来的恶性竞争对于学徒群体本身的成长也是极为不利的。

Apprentice is a large number of occupational group in the underclass urban society of modem China. The apprenticeship which is reformed by the capitalists transforms the apprentices from quasi-industry and business owners to the cheap and dutiful labor force, so the group has changed its social role. The large numher of the apprentice composes an important source of low price workers for the modem national industry that it has reduced the production cost of the national industry and helped it in the market competition. As a particular human resource training mechanism, the apprenticeship also makes up some entrepreneurs who can adjust to the market. Then the apprentice has encouraged the early industrialization of modem China. But the defect of the apprenticeship brings the dark side which lets the institutional change go to the lock situation. The large number of apprentice restrains the upgrade of industry and it does harm to the growth of the apprentice itself.