经济道德的社会基础

On the Social Basis of Economical Morals

运用现代经济学的分析方法 ,主要阐释了经济道德的性质及其得以维系的经济、法律制度基础。着重指出 ,一个人的道德或非道德行为是行为人出自某种成本和收益预期作出的选择。在道德的发育中 ,产权的主要功能是使交易人的成本和收益内在化 ,以稳定人们的预期 ;而法律的作用是使失信者受到制裁和他人的抵制 ,增加非道德行为的成本。此外 ,建立完善的信誉信息传递系统 ,也有助于人们树立良好的道德信仰。

In this paper an analytic method of modern economics is used to formulate mainly the nature of economical morals and the fundamentals of legal system on which they stand. It is emphasized that a moral or immoral behaviour of a person is a choice made by the person who behaves that originates from some sort of cost and gains he expects. The main role of property in fostering morals is to internalize the cost and gains of a transactor so as to stabilize the expectation of people while that of law is to make a person who breaks his promise subject to sanction and discrimination by others, thus paying more price for his immoral behaviour. In addition, the establishment of a perfect credit message transmitting system will make for the acquirement of good moral belief.