布伦纳利润下降式危机说及其批评

Robert Brenner’s Theory of Crisis: Features and Criticism

针对当代资本主义的演变,布伦纳认为20世纪60年代以来的利润下降使经济危机的发生具有必然性,并且用利润率下降和过度竞争来解释最近的几次危机。但是,他的理论存在一些缺陷,本文从以下三个方面做了批评:用过度竞争解释利润率下降在现实和逻辑上都有困难之处;当代资本主义经济中剩余价值的生产和占有形式发生了变化,将非物质生产部门排除在外去考察利润率是不合理的;布伦纳忽视了东亚及其他发展中经济体的兴起,这导致了剩余价值向主要资本主义国家的转移。

Robert Brenner formulated a theory that the declined profit rate in the major capitalism countries since 1960s is the root of economic crisis, and applied the theory to the explanations of several recent rises. However, as is illustrated in this paper,the theory has some drawbacks. Firstly, over-capacity, the basis of declined profit, is inconsistence with the empirical evidences as well as with the general equilibrium theory. Secondly, excluding the non-production sectors in calculation of profit rate paralyzed the explanation power of the theory. Thirdly, the emergence of East Asia and other developing economies blurred the argument of the trend of profit rate in developed economies.