回到边沁抑或超越边沁?——经济学效用概念的"返本"与"开新"

经济学中的效用概念最初是以幸福为基本内涵而建立起来的,然而由于随后经济学发展的自然科学化倾向,效用逐渐被简化和庸俗化为以货币来衡量的欲望满足程度,经济学自身也逐渐偏离了它的本质和初衷——保持和增进人类幸福。为了改变经济学的不幸福现状,一些学者开始着手进行经济学的幸福革命,效用作为经济学的一个基本概念,自然是重点革命对象。继卡内曼提出经验效用概念、呼吁回到边沁、恢复效用的幸福内涵之后,弗雷等人又提出过程效用的概念,认为还应超越边沁,关注效用的过程之维。过程效用概念的提出及其研究不仅是一次重要的理论创新,而且还具有重大的现实意义和公共政策价值。     

决策效用、体验效用与幸福

幸福的概念无论从理论范畴还是从实际应用方面均需得到进一步明晰。为此,本文基于效用论的历史演变和最新进展,探讨了幸福的内涵、性质与决定因素。研究发现,效用内涵可被区分为决策效用与体验效用两个方面,其中前者对应于新古典经济学强调的效用的欲求含义,而后者为古典经济学偏重的效用的快乐含义。据此本文进一步提出,幸福应是体验效用的一个子集,它指个体从实际结果与可接受结果的差异中获取的满足感。这一定义意味着幸福更受结果的相对变化的影响,而对结果的绝对水平不敏感,这可作为构造幸福函数的基本原则,从而避免在选取幸福的解释变量时出现泛化倾向。其政策启示是,当政府将提升居民幸福纳入施政目标时,政策设计的依据不应局限于各种效果指标的绝对值,还应重视这些指标的相对变化,否则将会导致居民的"被幸福"。     

经济学中的"幸福"及其测度

经济学中幸福概念的理论渊源主要来自于以亚里士多德为代表的客观幸福观和边沁为代表的主观幸福观.其实,主观幸福一直是经济学家关注的目标,在古典经济学阶段,由于国民财富等物质条件对人们生活的重要影响,经济学的目标被定义为"富国裕民".边际效用论者利用效用对幸福进行衡量,但是直接对主观幸福进行衡量困难重重,客观衡量方式存在着"手段"和目标之间有差距的问题,由于个体幸福的复杂性,使得经济学中这两种衡量体系的作用都受到限制.     

幸福的离弃、回归抑或超越——对人类经济行为探索的述评

幸福是人类经济行为的出发点和根源,也是人类社会追求的永恒主题。不同历史时期的幸福内涵是不同的,功利主义哲学阶段表现为幸福快乐化,幸福思想的经济学阶段表现为幸福效用化,幸福经济学阶段表现为幸福伦理化。在民生本位时代,当代经济学应该关注人类、关注社会、关注生态,促进经济增长、社会进步与人民生活的改善协调发展。这是增进人们幸福的关键,也是人类经济行为动机的本源性探索。     

幸福的学问——经济学发展的新方向

我主要讲新经济学和传统经济学在以下三个方面的区别：首先，在对人的行为的假设方面，传统经济学认为人是理性的，而新经济学认为人是有限理性的。其次，在理论模式上，传统经济学是规范性的，新经济学是描述性的。最后，从研究目的来讲，传统经济学主要研究如何增加人们的财富，但是我认为一个新的研究方向是研究如何从根本上增加人的幸福，这里的幸福是一个广义的概念。     

主流经济学幸福理论述评

幸福和快乐是人类追求的终极价值,也是人类探讨的永恒主题。经济学自诞生之日就以促进人类幸福为当然使命,幸福理论在经济学中拥有至高无上的荣耀地位,既是经济学存在的前提,又是经济学研究的主要内容。同时还是经济学及社会经济发展的终极目标。自经济学诞生至今,功利主义一直是主流经济学理论的立论基础．经济学幸福理论的发展基本围绕幸福效用化一效用物质化一物质化效用数理化这么一条主线展开。     

幸福在西方经济学中的扬弃与回归

文章通过西方经济学说的发展,分析经济学领域中把幸福作为研究目的和出发点的扬弃与回归过程。笔者认为:回归幸福的经济学,标志着当今经济学主流由理性人研究转为行为人研究的变化趋势,以及社会价值观念由以物为本的财富观转为以人为本的幸福观的变化趋势。     

经济学的重新解读:基于幸福经济学视角

斯密和他之前的很多经济学家都认为幸福是经济学之中的重要元素,经济学缺少了幸福的理念将会跑偏方向,缺少了经济学的幸福也无法良好发展.但是之后的200多年里很多欧美国家的主流经济学发展呈现出幸福感少甚至幸福感消失的情况,文章主要基于幸福经济学的理念来再次解读经济学的成本、消费和财富,不仅能够显著拓展经济学的范围,还能保证政策更加符合民众的需求.     

突破传统--2002年诺奖得主丹尼尔·卡内曼思想介评

卡内曼的主要贡献在于对人类在不确定性条件下的判断与决策行为的研究.一方面,他与特韦尔斯凯证明了人类的实际决策是如何系统性地偏离主流经济理论的逻辑预测的,有助于后来学者建立相关模型.另一方面,他们提出的期望理论对观察到的行为提供了合理的解释,构成了这个领域许多应用经验工作的基础,使行为经济学、行为金融学的规范研究成为可能.     

解读神经经济学

古典决策理论假设人是理性的决策实体,个体在决策时依据最大化期望值原则进行选择。然而,行为决策理论与行为经济学研究表明认知局限与心理、情绪等因素可能影响个体决策行为。神经经济学运用神经科学方法研究个体经济决策行为,寻求揭示经济决策行为背后的神经运行。本文首先介绍神经经济学中运用的神经科学方法与观点,然后概述关于战略选择、风险与模糊下选择及跨期选择的神经经济学研究,最后指出神经经济学的未来发展方向。     

The behavioral foundations of Austrian economics

Behavioral and experimental economics present challenges to the neoclassical theory of individual behavior, which is based on individuals making choices within the framework of utility functions that are assumed to have certain well-defined characteristics. Results in behavioral and experimental economics have shown that it is common for individual behavior to systematically deviate from the neoclassical axioms of utility maximization. Austrian economics is also based on axiomatic theories of utility maximization, but the assumptions underlying utility-maximizing behavior are much weaker in the Austrian approach. As a result, they have more solid behavioral foundations and are less subject to challenge by the empirical findings of behavioral and experimental economics. Neoclassical policy conclusions are often overly strong because of its behavioral foundations which are challenged by behavioral and experimental economics and are often misleading because of the comparative static nature of neoclassical welfare economics. For purposes of policy analysis, the Austrian approach provides better insights because of its more realistic behavioral foundations.     

基于投资主体行为差异的金融经济学分析

经典金融经济学假定投资者是同质的,无法对证券市场的产生、市场价格的随机性和波动性作出满意的解释。证券市场投资主体分为个人投资者和机构投资者,个人投资者追求效用最大化,效用取决于风险和收益;机构投资者追求利润最大化。投资主体行为差异是证券市场产生和发展的原因。     

面向大学的社会捐赠行为的经济学分析

面向大学的社会捐赠本质上是一种经济行为。捐赠者的效用体现为明显的非物质形态,遵循效用最大化原理。捐赠者的捐赠行为是国民收入再分配的有效形式、改善社会经济福利水平的有效措施和形成社会资本的重要途径。我国税收制度对捐赠者行为有重要影响:所得税抵扣必然导致社会捐赠量的增长,其增长幅度在高税率条件下比在低税率条件下要大;其影响的敏感性对低收入捐赠者比对高收入捐赠者要强。     

法律经济分析在侵权法中的意义

法律经济学是20世纪后半叶法学界对传统法学最重要的发展之一。相对于传统法学定性的研究,法经济分析把定性、定量相结合,极大地促进了法学研究。由于经济学交易成本、外部性和潜在利润的存在,侵权责任法为侵权立法指明取舍标准,平衡个人理性、集体理性,并且促成个人福利的最大化,以达到社会效用最大化的目的。     

Explaining shapes of Engel curves: the impact of differential satiation dynamics on consumer behavior

This paper presents a formal model in which differential satiation dynamics of various consumer needs explain (not only describe) the shapes of Engel curves. In the model, individuals allocate their income to various consumption categories proportional to corresponding need deprivation states, a decision making process called matching. The model allows explaining some empirical regularities that other models have difficulties accounting for. It can, for example, reconstruct that income elasticities for food tend to decrease with rising income, and that goods that are luxuries at relatively low income levels can become necessities at higher income levels. Moreover, the paper compares the Engel curves obtained from the matching model with Engel curves obtained from a utility maximization model. While both types of Engel curves are relatively similar at high income levels, at lower income levels matching and maximization lead to very different allocations of income. The paper shows that a given amount of income redistribution leads to less additional welfare when individuals follow matching behavior than when they maximize their utility. Accordingly, to obtain a given amount of additional welfare more income redistribution is needed than a policy maker who (mistakenly) assumes that individuals rationally maximize their utility predicts.     

寻找理性经济行为的逻辑新起点——试论中国传统伦理下的中庸理性经济人

在主流经济学的视野中,追求效用最大化是社会个体理性行为的基本准则。文章认为主流经济学理性假设的根本问题在于没有揭示特定人类社会的独特复杂特征。主流经济学家忽略了在现实生活中存在于西方文明之外的实然——中庸理性。文章尝试在以中庸理性为假设的理性经济人模型基础上,探讨中国传统伦理下中庸理性经济人的演化及其存在的可能空间。     

The Institutional Theory of Radhamakal Mukerjee: Lessons for Modern Nonprofit Economics

This paper examines the way the institutional economics of Radhamakal Mukerjee can inform modern nonprofit economics. A brief survey of Mukerjee's work highlights several elements of his theory that yield useful implications understanding the nonprofit sector. First, Mukerjee's theory implies that this sector's role is in helping the economies to better accommodate broader societal values, rather than in addressing market failure. Second, his theory suggests that the nonprofit sector provides an institutional framework for the pursuit of common interests that are not reducible to individual utility maximization. Finally, as he considered the state to be inherently coercive, he believed the nonprofit sector to be the only meaningful outlet for citizenship behavior, thus advancing an original theory of complementary state-nonprofit relationship. The paper concludes with calling for more institutionalist research on the economics of the nonprofit sector.     

Maximising Happiness?

The measurement of individual happiness challenges the notion that revealed preferences only reliably and empirically reflect individual utility. Reported subjective well-being is a broader concept than traditional decision utility; it also includes concepts like experience and procedural utility. Micro- and macroeconometric happiness functions offer new insights on determinants of life satisfaction. However, one should not leap to the conclusion that happiness should be maximized, as was suggested for social welfare function maximization. In contrast, happiness research strengthens the validity of an institutional approach, such as reflected in the theory of democratic economic policy.     

Alternative Sustainability Criteria,Externalities, and Welfare in a Simple Agroecosystem Model: A Numerical Analysis

Using the numerical technique of value iteration, this paper imposes several sustainability constraints on a simple multi-sector agroecosystem model, and provides analysis of the costs tradeoffs of the product and externality is insufficient for intergenerationally equitable welfare paths, while sustaining a physical resource over time in the interests of equitability can result in a less equitable distribution of welfare across generations. Furthermore, a value sustainability constraint imposed on the social welfare maximization problem acts as a welfare transfer mechanism from the productive sector to the sector affected by the externality, but implies growth in profits for the productive sector and declining utility for the non-productive sector.