経済史における情報と制度 : 中国商人と情報(第71回全国大会共通論題)

概要

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This article discusses approaches to a wide variety of historical markets in terms of incompleteness and asymmetry of information. After examining general features of information, it classifies information into two types. Type A consists of 'on spot information', which includes tacit knowledge that nonmembers of a certain club or community have difficulty acquiring, and mutually shared understandings about the basic frameworks for carrying out transactions. Since user shave difficult ascertaining the quality of information in advance, certain devices or institutions to certify the quality of the information are necessary. Among Chinese merchants in modern East Asia, the kebang network, made up of individuals from the same native place, was such a device, although the specific institutional form it took varied from society to society. Type B, on the other hand, consists of general market information such as price, volume of arrival and stock, exchange rates etc. Since there was relatively free access to such information, its prompt utilization was also critical in the Shanghai market. In each transaction both types played important roles. The variation of markets in history therefore derives from the fluctuating balance of these two types of information.
社会経済史学会の論文
2003-11-25