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1、科斯:企业的性质(英文版)TheNatureoftheFirm(1937)R.H.COASEEconomictheoryhassufferedinthepastfromafailuretostateclearlyitsassumption.Economistsinbuildingupatheoryhaveoftenomittedtoexaminethefoundationsonwhichitwaserected.Thisexaminationis,however,essentialnotonlytopreventthe
2、misunderstandingandneedlescontroversywhicharisefromalackofknowledgeoftheassumptionsonwhichatheoryisbased,butalsobecauseoftheextremeimportanceforeconomicsofgoodjudgmentinchoosingbetweenrivalsetsofassumptions.Forinstance,itissuggestedthattheuseoftheword“firm”ineco
3、nomicsmaybedifferentfromtheuseofthetermbythe“plainman.”'Sincethereisapparentlyatrendineconomictheorytowardsstartinganalysiswiththeindividualfirmandnotwiththeindustry,2itisailthemorenecessarynotonlythatacleardefinitionoftheword"firm"shouldbegivenbutthatitsdiffere
4、ncefromafirminthe"realworld,"ifitaists,shouldbemadeclear.Mrs.Robinsonhassaidthat"thetwoquestionstobeaskedofasetofassumptionsineconomicsare:Aretheytractable?and:Dotheycorrespondwiththerealworld?"3Though,asMrs.Robinsonpointsout,"Moreoftenonesetwillbemanageableandt
5、heotherrealistic,"yettheremaywellbebranchesoftheorywhereassumptionsmaybebothmanageableandrealistic.Itishopedtoshowinthefollowingpaperthatadefinitionofafirmmaybeobtainedwhichisnotonlyrealisticinthatitcorrespondstowhatismeantbyafirmintherealworld,butistractablebyt
6、woofthemostpowerfulinstrumentsofeconomicanalysisdevelopedbyMarshall,theideaofthemarginandthatofsubstitution,togethergivingtheideaofsubstitutionatthemargin.4Ourdefinitionmust,ofcourse,"relatetoformalrelationswhicharecapableofbeingconceivedexactly."5IItisconvenien
7、tif,insearchingforadefinitionofafirm,wefirstconsidertheeconomicsystemasitisnormallytreatedbytheeconomist.LetusconsiderthedescriptionoftheeconomicsystemgivenbySirArthurSalter6.“Thenormaleconomicsystemworksitself.Foritscurrentoperationitisundernocentralcontrol,itn
8、eedsnocentralsurvey.Overthewholerangeofhumanactivityandhumanneed,supplyisadjustedtodemand,andproductiontoconsumption,byaprocessthatisautomatic,elasticandresponsive.”A