诺思的制度演化理论及其特点

目前,我国学术界对诺思的制度变迁理论的研究大都集中在诺思的新古典经济学的比较静态的分析框架上,而忽视了他的制度变迁理论的新发展,有的甚至得出了一些错误的结论。实际上,诺思(1990)以后从修改新古典经济学的行为假设出发,重点讨论了个体选择和集体学习的认知心理和行为,进而考察了时间维度中认知对制度变迁和经济绩效的影响,由此逐渐提炼出他的制度变迁的演化理论。这种基于个体心理的制度分析试图整合了认知心理学、制度经济学的方法和哈耶克等人的制度演化理论,可能形成一个前景看好的“行为制度理论”。

On the North's Theory of Institutional Evolution

While most scholars in academia now focus the North's theory of institutional change on his earlier neoclassic comparative static frameworks some ignore its latest development, even misunderstand North. In fact, however, North now emphasizes the important influence of the cognition and behavioral of individual choice and collective learning on the institutional evolution and economie performance on the basis of his criticism of neo-classic assumptions since 1990s. As a result, he develops a theory of institutional evolution which attempts to integrate cognitive psychology, institutional evolution and Von.Hayek's evolutionism and may lead to a promising "institutional and behavioral economics" in the future.