从《济贫法》之争看古典经济学的公平观
作者简介:张琦,中国社会科学院经济研究所副研究员,中国社会科学院大学国家城市群空间战略研究院特约研究员(北京 100836)。
基金项目:
本文为中国社会科学院重大创新项目 "当代经济学与中华经济思想文明传承创新关系研究"(2023YZD058)的阶段性成果
摘要: 所谓公平观,是指体现了一定程度"结果平等"的经济资源的分配。19世纪对《济贫法》的讨论,是古典经济学公平观的主要表现方面之一。亚当·斯密率先改变了对穷人的看法,主张人因贫穷本身就有权得到一定的物质资源。进入19世纪,运行了200年的《旧济贫法》的弊端愈加凸显。马尔萨斯根据其人口原理对济贫法进行了猛烈批判,认为济贫法会制造出源源不断的穷人,最终将社会拖入普遍贫穷的深渊。李嘉图赞同马尔萨斯的观点,运用其工资理论和马尔萨斯的人口理论,同样主张废除济贫法。西尼尔在济贫法改革中发挥了重要作用,是1834年《新济贫法》出台的重要推手之一。与马尔萨斯不同,西尼尔认为生育率是内生的,经济发展本身就会抑制人口增长,他反对《旧济贫法》的理由是认为它会摧毁生产而非人口过剩。古典经济学对《济贫法》的讨论,是经济学史上第一次"公平与效率"之争,且已经触及后来公共选择学派的核心命题即"税费-服务"之间的关联性。群体公平和代际公平问题,亦可追溯至古典经济学的《济贫法》之争。
The Concept of Justice in Classical Economics from the Debates on Poor Laws
Abstract: The concept of justice refers to the distribution of economic resources that reflects a certain degree of “equality of outcome”. Discussions of the Poor Laws in the 19th century are one of the main manifestations of the concept of Justice in Classical Economics. Adam Smith was the first to change the perception of the poor, asserting that those in poverty inherently have the right to receive certain material resources. Malthus sharply criticized the Poor Law based on his population theory, arguing that it would create a continuous supply of the poor, ultimately dragging society into widespread poverty. Ricardo supported Malthus's views, using his wage theory along with Malthus's population theory to advocate for the repeal of the Poor Law. Senior played an important role in the reform of the Poor Law and was a key proponent of the New Poor Law enacted in 1834. The discussion of Poor Laws was the first “equity versus efficiency” debate in the history of economics. Issues of group equity and intergenerational equity can also be traced back to the debates on Poor Laws in classical economics.