英国经济史中的信托、资本主义和契约:1500-1750（英文）

Trust,Capitalism and Contract in English Economic History:1500-1750

大多数市场交易都会因缺乏现款而扩大非正式信贷业务,这意味着人际之间的信任关系是至关重要的,如此,一个人所具有的诚实和公平交易的声誉对于他事业的成功便十分重要。现金只是在有限的交易中使用,而信用,通常以家庭为单位,作为一种信任的"文化性货币"在大多数商业交易中被使用。信任、信仰和信用相互伴随,当信用为中层人士赢得财富和地位时,经济信用和社会信用之间已没有截然的界限。16世纪后期随着市场的扩展,信用网络更多地牵扯到长距离的贸易关系中,如此信任便更多地出现问题,债务纠纷常常导致人们争执纷起。随着普通法越来越被用于促使当事人去履行契约,由此产生了大量诉讼。因过度负债而有朝下的社会流动发生,这反而进一步加强了拥有良好信用的社会重要性,也造成信用文化逐渐走向法制化。尽管信用方面的竞争,以及保证家庭经济收益的需要,削弱了在市场中保持信任关系的重要性;但是没有信任,经济活动仍无法进行。结果,商业增长主要被看作是一种社交活动的增长,因为它需要信任。信任逐渐被认为是公正的基础,且信守承诺则成为所有社会组织的基础。但是到1750年,诉讼下降到很低的水平,理性个人的自控能力和讲礼貌的品质在纠纷解决中相比于法律手段扮演了更为重要的角色。在近代早期,冲突只有在发生以后才被加以处置,然而如今个人的自控能力致力于抑制个人间的冲突,以及诉讼的发生。结果,18世纪时"资本"和"储蓄"的概念得到了发展,信用网络的结构也发生了变化。

As most market transactions involved the extension of informal credit because of a lack of ready cash, this meant that interpersonal trust was of central importance, and, as a result, a reputation for honesty and fair dealing in the community was vital to being successful. Money was used only in a limited number of exchanges, and credit, in the form of household reputation, was a ＂cultural currency＂ of trust used to transact most business. Trust, belief, and credit all went together, and no distinction was made between economic and social credit, as credit produced wealth and status of the middling sort. As the market expanded in the late sixteenth century, networks of credit became more intertwined over longer geographical distances, and thus trust became more problematic, and disputes over debts led to contention. These produced an enormous amount of litigation as the common law was increasingly used to enforce contracts. This led to much downward mobility through over-indebtedness, which reinforced the social importance of having good credit, and consequently the culture of credit became increasingly legalised. Although competition for credit together with the need to maintain household profitability put stress on the social maintenance of trust in the market, the economy could not work without it. As a result, the increase in commerce was seen as an essentially sociable activity because it required trust. Trust gradually came to be interpreted as the basis of justice, and the necessity of keeping promises, as the foundation of all social organisation. But by 1750 litigation had collapsed to a very low level, and self- control and politeness on the part of rational individuals came to play a more important role in dispute settlement than legal means. Whereas in the early modem period conflict occurred and was dealt with after its occurrence, self-control aimed to prevent inter-personal conflict and litigation before they happened. As a result, the concepts of ＂capital＂ and ＂savings＂ developed in the eighteenth century, and the structure of credit networks was changed.