过失责任与严格责任的整合解释——一个信息费用的视角

An Integrated Interpretation of Negligence and Strict Liability——An Information Cost Perspective

过失本质上是一个具有经济学内涵的定义。过失责任与严格责任均致力于实现事故预防费用、事故损失与制度运作的行政成本之和的最小化。信息费用决定着它们达成目标的能力和运作成本。过失标准客观化的原因在于节省信息费用。过失责任受制于确定过失的信息费用,严格责任受制于评估预测事故损失的信息费用。经济学的逻辑而非道德理论为这两种归责制度及其变迁提供了一个融贯简约而又富有说服力的解释。

Negligence is an economic concept by nature. Both negligence and strict liability aim to minimize the sum of cost for accident prevention,damages and administration operation. Information cost accounts for the ability to mission completion and operation cost. The objective criteria to determine negligence can save information cost,while the strict liability is subject to the information cost for assessing and forecasting accident damage. It is the logic of economics rather than the morality to provide a simple,coherent but persuasive interpretation for the two liability systems and their development.