中央与地方分权的成本收益与交易成本——法经济学的视角

On Cost-Benefit and Transaction Cost of Decentralization between the Central Government and Local Governments:Law and Economics Perspective

理性选择是法经济学的核心范式,其约束中的主体要追求其利益和效用的最大化,而利益(效用)等于收益减去成本。具体到中央与地方分权问题,就必然要在制度设计和安排中追求收益最大化和成本最小化,以实现中央与地方分权利益的最大化。调整分权关系的法律制度应当既要促使分权交易费用最小化,同时还要最小化公共物品的生产成本,从而提高分权的效率,实现分权的优化。必须考虑制度本身的交易费用以及守法和违法的成本收益。目前我国中央与地方分权制度存在谈判费用、执行费用和监督费用均过高的问题。应当消除地方政府的寻租空间,压缩中央和地方两级政府的机构并裁减其冗员,同时提高中央政府和地方人大对地方政府监督的效率。

Rational choice is the hardcore paradigm of Law and Economics.It means that the benefit (utility) equals to the remaining sum that income subtrac- ted from cost.In decentralization issue,the institutional design and arrangement should pursue both the maximization and minimization inevitably,in order to real- ize the maximization of benefit in decentralization.The legal institution regulating decentralization should urge the minimization of transaction cost in decentralization and cost of public goods simultaneity,in order to promote the efficiency and opti- mization of decentralization.Two factors must be considered:the transaction cost of institution in decentralization and the cost and income of observation or trans- gressing the law.At present,the cost of negotiation,execution and supervision in decentralization institution are exorbitant.As a solution,the rent-seeking opportu- nities of local governments should be eliminated,and the supervision of National and local People's Congress should be enhanced,the organizations and supers in central government and local governments should be reduced,the supervising effi- ciency of central government and local People's Congresses to the local governments should be promoted.