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1、科斯：企业的性质（英文版）TheNatureoftheFirm(1937)R.H.COASEEconomictheoryhassufferedinthepastfromafailuretostateclearlyitsassumption.Economistsinbuildingupatheoryhaveoftenomittedtoexaminethefoundationsonwhichitwaserected.Thisexaminationis,however,essentialnotonlytopreventthemisunderstandingandneedles
2、controversywhicharisefromalackofknowledgeoftheassumptionsonwhichatheoryisbased,butalsobecauseoftheextremeimportanceforeconomicsofgoodjudgmentinchoosingbetweenrivalsetsofassumptions.Forinstance,itissuggestedthattheuseoftheword“firm”ineconomicsmaybedifferentfromtheuseofthetermbythe“plainma
3、n.”'Sincethereisapparentlyatrendineconomictheorytowardsstartinganalysiswiththeindividualfirmandnotwiththeindustry,2itisailthemorenecessarynotonlythatacleardefinitionoftheword"firm"shouldbegivenbutthatitsdifferencefromafirminthe"realworld,"ifitaists,shouldbemadeclear.Mrs.Robinsonhassaidth
4、at"thetwoquestionstobeaskedofasetofassumptionsineconomicsare:Aretheytractable?and:Dotheycorrespondwiththerealworld?"3Though,asMrs.Robinsonpointsout,"Moreoftenonesetwillbemanageableandtheotherrealistic,"yettheremaywellbebranchesoftheorywhereassumptionsmaybebothmanageableandrealistic.Itish
5、opedtoshowinthefollowingpaperthatadefinitionofafirmmaybeobtainedwhichisnotonlyrealisticinthatitcorrespondstowhatismeantbyafirmintherealworld,butistractablebytwoofthemostpowerfulinstrumentsofeconomicanalysisdevelopedbyMarshall,theideaofthemarginandthatofsubstitution,togethergivingtheideao
6、fsubstitutionatthemargin.4Ourdefinitionmust,ofcourse,"relatetoformalrelationswhicharecapableofbeingconceivedexactly."5IItisconvenientif,insearchingforadefinitionofafirm,wefirstconsidertheeconomicsystemasitisnormallytreatedbytheeconomist.Letusconsiderthedescriptionoftheeconomicsystemgiven
7、bySirArthurSalter6.“Thenormaleconomicsystemworksitself.Foritscurrentoperationitisundernocentralcontrol,itneedsnocentralsurvey.Overthewholerangeofhumanactivityandhumanneed,supplyisadjustedtodemand,andproductiontoconsumption,byaprocessthatisautomatic,elasticandresponsive.”A
