中国智库的独立性:价值、分布与强化——基于交易成本理论的解释框架

The Independence of China's Think Tanks: Value, Distribution and Reinforcement——Based on the Interpretative Framework of Transaction Cost Theory

智库独立性是一种价值,价值世界是与智库独立性联系最密切的世界。智库独立性接受交易成本的支配,分布在理念层面和实体层面两个大的层面,其中,实体层面包括组织层面和运作层面。智库独立性的价值内涵分布在理念层面,其他内涵分布在实体层面。智库作为一个政策研究组织,其职能与交易成本理论存在天然的联系。决策咨询制度是为了降低政治承诺的不确定性所设计的制度之一。交易成本理论提供了一条循着"交易成本变量—政治组织架构—政策调整与绩效"的思路来研究政策现象的途径。行政权力和资本的干预越多,智库需要付出的交易成本就越多,智库的独立性就越不能得到保证。在决策咨询领域,资本增值的表现之一就是能够增加决策咨询过程的交易成本,从而导致资本抑制的产生。强化智库的独立性,其实质是提高智库的相对独立性。尽管能够影响智库独立性的因素很多,但关键需要解决行政权力和资本的过度干预所引发的交易成本过大问题。

The independence of think tanks can create value, and the world of value enjoys the closest relation-ship with the independence of think tanks. This independence is governed by transaction costs and distributed on two levels, the ideas and the entities. The entities include two levels, organization and operation. The value conotations of independence of think tanks are distributed on the level of ideas, while the other connotations are distributed on the level of entities. As a policy research organization, the function of a think tank is naturally re- lated to transaction cost theory since policy making consulting system is one of the systems designed to decrease the uncertainty of political commitment. Transaction cost theory provides a road of studying policy according to the route of ＂variations in transaction costs--structure of political organization-policy adjustment and performance＂. The more administrative and capital power interfere, the more transaction costs think tanks will pay, and the less independence they will enjoy. In the area of policy making consulting, one expression of capital increase of think tanks is that it will add transaction cost so as to lead to capital suppression. The essence of reinforcing the independence of think tanks is to enhance the relative independence of them. Although many factors can influence the independence of think tanks, the key is to tackle the problem of high transaction costs caused by too much interference from the administrative and capital power.