科斯、德姆塞茨及无休止的外部性讨论

Coase,Demsetz,and the Unending Externality Debate

在市场研究方面受过训练的经济学家们早已研究过聚合于"市场失灵"标题下的各种问题,这些失灵问题至少在潜在可能上可以证明政府干预去解决它们。但几乎肯定的是,外部性(或社会成本)问题被认为是最大的市场失灵问题。外部性问题引起了基本经济规律的再思考,特别是在罗纳德·科斯的著名文章"社会成本问题"出现之后。一个享有诺贝尔皇冠盛名的人被另一个像哈罗德·德姆塞茨这样著名的经济学家批判是非常引人注目的事件,并且会吸引人来研究。在正在进行的外部性的争论中,哈罗德·德姆塞茨反对罗纳德·科斯,认为作为外部性可能存在的原因,除了分离出交易成本之外,他没有很好的评价生产专业化的重要性。德姆塞茨同时也批判了科斯所提及的政治议程的开放性。德姆塞茨的批判强调了科斯的主要观点,并且充实了科斯仅在"社会成本问题"中提到的某些方面。因此,它给正在进行的外部性和政府争论增添了新的观点。

Economists,trained in the study of markets,learn early of various problems grouped under the heading of'market failure'-situations that,at least potentially,could justify government intervention to solve them.Almost certainly, however,externalities(or'social costs')are perceived as the greatest market failure problems.The externality issue has occasioned rethinking of basic economic principles,particularly in the context of Ronald Coase's celebrated article,'The Problem of Social Cost.'Criticism of a Nobel laureate by another eminent econo- mist like Harold Demsetz is noteworthy,and invites study.In the ongoing debate over externalities,Demsetz objects to Coase's failure to appreciate the importance of specialization in production as a reason,separate from transaction costs,that externalities might exist.Demsetz also criticizes the opening to a political agenda that,be says,Coase has provided.The Demsetz critique emphasizes Coase's main point,and fleshes out aspects of Coase only mentioned fleetingly in'The Problem of Social Cost.'Thus,it adds new points to the ongoing debate over externalities and government.