A Study of Walras's Applied Economics : A Historical Approach to the Institutional Framework of the General Equilibrium Theory

本文旨在从经济思想史的角度阐明瓦尔拉斯的应用经济学作为一般均衡理论的制度框架的意义。我们开始重新考虑瓦尔拉斯在他的应用经济学中关于有组织的自由竞争的思想，并将其与哈耶克对“建构主义”的批判联系起来。哈耶克反对建构主义的论点来自于他对兰格的中央计划经济和新古典主义竞争思想的反对。哈耶克从法国的圣西蒙主义传统中寻找建构主义的起源，但没有提及瓦尔拉斯与建构主义的关系，本文在关注这一关系的同时，重新审视了瓦尔拉斯的自由竞争思想，特别是将其作为应用经济学中垄断和国家企业家的标准。然后，我们揭示了瓦尔拉斯的思想与新古典主义相去甚远，他的集体主义方案与兰格的市场社会主义不同。瓦尔拉斯的重点不是市场结构应该采取什么形式，而是如何利用市场力量。本文认为，瓦尔拉斯的观点与哈耶克的观点并不像人们普遍认为的那样相去甚远，为了验证这一结论，我们进一步探讨了瓦尔拉斯的应用经济学在法国经济思想史上的意义。我们不仅关注哈耶克所定义的法国传统，而且关注其他有影响力的法国经济学家，如魁奈、卡纳、萨伊、杜普伊、古诺。在这个过程中，我们重新审视了曼丹和熊彼特对法国传统的看法。我们既不把它看作是增值理论的形成过程，也不把它看作是瓦尔拉斯纯粹经济学的形成过程，而是瓦尔拉斯在应用经济学中组织自由竞争思想的形成过程。因此，要重新评价瓦尔拉斯不同于新古典主义的经济学思想，就必须从一个新的视角来审视法国经济思想史。

We aim to clarify the significance of Walras's applied economics which can be regarded as an institutional framework of the general equilibrium theory, from viewpoints of the history of economic thought. We began to reconsider Walras's idea of organized free competition in his applied economics in connection with Hayek's critique of 'constructivism'. Hayek's arguments against constructivism derive from his disapproval of Lange's central planning economy and of a neo-classical idea of competition. Hayek sought the origin of constructivism in the Saint-Simonism tradition in France but never referred to Walras's relationship to it. While focusing on this relationship, we reexamined Walras's ideas on free competition especially as a means of criteria for monopoly and state entrepreneur in applied economics. Then we revealed that Walras's idea is far from neo-classical and that his collectivist scheme is different from Lange's market socialism. Walras's emphasis is not on what form the market structure should take, but how the market forces could be utilized. We concluded that Walras's point is not so far removed from Hayek's as is generally believed.In order to verify this conclusion, we explored further the meaning of Walras's applied economics in the history of French economic thought. We focused on not only such French tradition as Hayek defined but also the other influential French economists like Quesnay, Canard, J.B.Say, Dupuit, Cournot. In this process, we reexamined the Mandan and the Schumpeterian views on the French tradition. We consider it neither as a formation process of theory of plus-value nor as that of Walras's pure economics but as a formation process of his idea of organizing free competition in applied economics. Thus, in order to revaluate Walras's economics, which is different from the neoclassical stereotypes, we are led to develop a new perspective on the history of French economic thought.