略论“高成本”的经济学涵义——我国高成本的形成原因及其影响分析

Brief Discussion on the Economic Meanings of "High Cost"——Reasons for the Formation of High Cost in China and Its Impact Analysis

高成本是个相对范畴,依主体对象的不同而不同。从宏观周期角度看,成本与收入的比例变化是随着经济波动而改变并由此调节波动方向的。在开放系统中,成本既受到要素价格提高的影响,也受到价格水平和汇率变动的影响,更主要的是,追赶型国家在经济发展达到一定程度后,会遭遇到技术差距基础上非同质产品间巨大的收入与价格弹性差异,不仅市场空间遭到挤压,而且有效需求会被大量转移到国外,使企业成本占收入的比重不断提高。"刘易斯拐点"的出现并不是我国企业遭遇高成本的最主要原因,而是经济发展到一定水平,通货膨胀与汇率升值交织,以美元衡量的收入(成本)增长远远快于实际经济增长,致使我国相对优势产业的市场受到更后进国家的有力竞争而不断萎缩,追求生活品质而导致有效需求大量向外转移的结果,这个过程在相当时间内是难以逆转的。

High cost is a relative concept and it is different according to the difference of the principal objects. From a macro cycle perspective, the proportion change of cost and income is variable with the economic fluctuations and thus regulating the direc- tion of the fluctuations. In open systems, costs are both influenced by the increase of the factor price, but also by the change of price level and the exchange rate. More important is that after the catching-up countries reaching a certain level of economic devel- opment, they will encounter huge differences between income and price elasticity from the non-homogeneous products based on the technology gap. Not only the market space will be pressed, but also a lot of effective demand will be transferred abroad, leading to the continuous increase of the cost proportion in the business income. The emergence of the ＂ Lewis turning point＂ is not the most important reason for our country＇s enterprises encountering high costs, but the results that the economy has developed to a certain level, together with the inflation and exchange rate appreciation, the income （cost） growth measured in U.S. dollars is far faster than the real economic growth, resuhing in the continuous shrinking of our market of industries with comparative advantage due to the strong competition of the more backward countries; and the pursuit of quality life leads to a lot of effective demand shifting out- wards. This process is irreversible for quite some time.