公共選擇與法律——利益集團理論之述評

Public Choice and Legislation——A Review of Interest Group Theory

將經濟學的理論和方法應用於其他社會科學領域是當代西方社會科學學術的重大發展。其中，公共選擇理論是這一理論趨勢中頗爲耀眼的一顆新星。這一理論將理性人假設和方法論上的個人主義貫徹到政治和法律運作的過程中，更新了以往的研究結論。作爲公共選擇的兩大理論分支之一，利益集團理論與法律研究的關係極爲密切，被應用於諸多法律議題的研究領域，爲我們更加深入地洞察法律制定和運作的邏輯提供了理論鑰匙。在這一交叉研究的發展過程中，立法的交易模式作爲一種新興的具體的研究工具，尤爲關注立法的供需關係和供需兩方的行爲邏輯，爲我們從公共選擇的視角認識和解釋法律制度奠定了基礎。這一進路標志著社科法學中一種既不同於法律社會學，也不同於借助微觀經濟學的傳統法律經濟學的本土化研究進路。中國學者需要足够的理論自覺，要緊緊盯住公共選擇理論的方法論意義，找到本土法律實踐中的行爲人，幷利用方法論的個人主義去建立有因果機制的理論解釋。

The application of economic methods to other social sciences is a major development in contemporary western social science. The theory of public choice is a new star in this theoretical trend. This theory carried out the rational man hypothesis and the individualist methodology in the process of political and legal operation, and updated the research conclusions. As one of the two theoretical branches of public choice theory, interest group theory is closely related to legal research. It had been applied to many legal issues and provided a theoretical key for us to further understand the logic of law making and operation. In the process of development of the cross-over study, as a new and specific research tool, the transaction model of legislation particularly concerned about the relationship between supply and demand of legislation and the behavioral logic of both supply and demand, and laid a foundation for us to understand and explain the legal system from the perspective of public choice. This approach means a new kind of social research of law, which is different from with the sociology of law, and also different from with the traditional economics of law. Chinese scholars need enough theoretical consciousness to focus on the methodological significance of public choice theory, find the rational actors in the local legal practice, and use methodological individualism to establish causal explanations.