制度效率、制度僵化与王朝周期性兴衰——基于新制度经济学理论的分析

System Efficiency, System Rigidity and Cyclical Rise and Fall of Dynasties: Analysis Based on New Institutional Economics Theory

中国封建王朝兴衰周期律问题自提出以来就一直是备受学术界关注的热点问题。关于王朝兴衰问题的研究可谓卷帙浩繁,然至今尚未有定论。文章从制度效率角度出发,利用新制度经济学相关理论对王朝兴衰问题进行了分析。通过理论和模型的分析,文章认为封闭的制度供给环境以及信息传递过程中的信息失真问题,使得制度供给者与制度需求者之间存在高度的信息不对称,从而导致封建王朝制度变迁难以发生,进而导致王朝制度逐渐僵化。与此同时,外部环境却在不断地发生着变化。随着外部环境逐渐变化,僵化的制度就与外部环境相脱离,使得封建王朝制度效率不断损耗,导致封建王朝由盛而衰,进而使中国古代社会表现出封建王朝的周期性兴衰现象。

Cyclical rise and fall of Chinese feudal dynasties have been the hot issue in academia since it was introduced. It can be described as voluminous about the research of rise and fall of Chinese feudal dynasties,but it has not yet been finalized. From the perspective of system efficiency,this paper intends to use related theories of new institutional economics to analyze this problem. Based on the theory and model analyses,it argues that a closed supply system environment and information distortion in the process of information dissemination,lead to high-degree information asymmetry between institution suppliers and demanders,thereby resulting in the difficulty in institutional changes in feudal dynasties and thus gradual dynastic system rigidity. At the same time,the external environment is constantly changing. With the gradual change in the external environment,rigid systems separate from the external environment,making the system efficiency of feudal dynasties become lower and lower and resulting in the shift of feudal dynasties from the rise to the fall,and thereby the exhibition of cyclical rise and fall of feudal dynasties in ancient Chinese society.