规模经济、交易成本与中国古代的统一分裂

Econmies of Scale,Transaction Cost and Unification and Separation in Ancient China

从大国规模经济与组织国家交易成本之间权衡的角度分析中国古代统一与分裂的动机。研究发现:特殊的气候和地理条件所产生的对治水、抵御风险和防止游牧民族入侵等公共品需求,凸显了大国的规模经济;春秋战国和秦汉时期,以郡县制和官僚制为代表的中央集权制的确立以及维护中央集权措施的实行,有效地降低了国家组织和管理的成本,使统一成为历史发展的趋势。官僚体系膨胀、人地比的变化以及气候变迁等因素改变了组织国家的交易成本,造成了中国古代统一与分裂的周期性循环。

Analyzing the motive of the unification and separation in ancient China in terms of the trade-off between economies of scale and transaction costs .The study shows that the demand for public goods such as flood control ,withstanding risk and preventing invasion of the nomad people generated by special climate as well as geographical condition highlighted the economies of scale of great power .During the Spring and Autumn Period and Qin and Han Dynasties ,the establishment and maintenance of the centralized system represented by system of prefectures and counties and bureaucracy effectively reduced the administrative and organizational costs .As a result ,unification became a trend .The expansion of bureaucratic system ,climate changes as well as decreasing ratio between land and population influenced nation’s transaction cost and thus led to the dynastic cycle in ancient China .