制度选择的逻辑——我国食品安全监管体制的演变

The Logic of Institution Choice——The Evolvement of China Food Security Regulation System

运用戴维斯和诺斯有关制度变迁的理论,结合我国的公共行政实践,构建了一个食品安全监管体制变迁的解释框架,并且利用这一解释框架提供的视角,对我国食品安全监管体制制度变迁过程中的逻辑进行分析。认为,在食品安全体制的演变过程中,制度变迁的收益与成本的考量是其背后的支配性因素,制度环境所提供的机遇窗口使制度变革得以可能,外部性与部门机会主义行为是制度变革的主要关注点,而路径依赖是制度变革的重要约束力量。可以预期,我国食品安全监管体制的未来演变方向,将是制定更加完善的食品安全法律规范体系,更加清晰地界定监管部门之间的权责配置,从而降低监管的外部性;将监管权限恰当集中,减少监管部门的数量,从而降低协调的成本,尽量避免机会主义行为;建立起更加强势的部门间协调机构,甚至在国家层面设立专门的食品安全委员会;引入政府之外的力量,比如行业协会、消费者权益保护团体以及其他的一些民间团体,建立起所谓的"火警"机制,以补充由政府主导的食品安全监管体制。

With consideration of public administrative practice in China,this article takes the venture toconstruct an explanative framew ork about China food security system evolvement on the basis of institution change theory presented by Davis and North. Furthermore, it takes advantage of the perspective provided by this framework to shed light on the institution change of China food security regulation system. In this article, it is argued that,in the course of institution change evolved from the system dominated by the health department toward the present system characterized by the multi - departments and separated regulating scopes, the calculation of benefit and cost is the driving force behind institution change; the opportunity window offered by the institution environment makes the change possible; external effect and agency opportunistic behaviors are in the spotlight of this process; path dependence sets the significant constraint of institution change. It is likely that the future evolvement of China food security regulation system will continue to follow the above logic, which means:(1) in order to decrease the external effect,it is needed to enact more complete law system and define the power and accountability of regulating agencies more clearly;(2) in order to escape the opportunistic behaviors and lower the coordinating cost, it is necessary to concentrate the separated regulating power and cut down the number of regulating agencies;(3) it is necessary to establish more powerful coordinating agencies, even the food security committee in the level of nation; (4) it is essential to introduce the forces beyond the government into the regulation system, for instance, industrial associations, consumer rights protection groups and some other civil organizations, for the purpose to supplement the food security system operated by the government.