正文

【哥倫比亞大學亞太發展協會】Joseph Stiglitz關於中國的演講

(2007-07-08 15:36:01) 下一個
哥大任教經濟學家暨2001年諾貝爾經濟學獎獲得者約瑟夫·史蒂格雷茨(Joseph Stiglitz)應哥倫比亞大學亞太發展協會邀請月前在哥大商學院發表演講,談“中國經濟增長的新模式”,即中國下一步的經濟發展應當采取一種新模式。



  麵對現場爆滿的觀眾,史蒂格雷茨先是講述了自己趁出席今年中國人大和政協兩會的機會到中國內地某些偏遠地區參觀了一番,那裏的變化同9年前他首次到訪的情形相比讓他感受到了中國經濟增長的戲劇性,這些中國最偏遠的地方如今不但用上了電,男女青少年還象世界各地的青少年一樣,通過網絡同自己的同齡人進行交流,或者在網上玩電子遊戲。格雷茨也提到,他最近幾年每年都會去參加中國的人大和政協兩會。

  格雷茨表示,中國經濟的快速增長以任何標準來說都是史無前例,但現在一些老問題解決了,新問題又開始出現,情況發生了變化,而中國的情況也無法借用其它國家的發展模式來解決,因此中國的經濟增長必須采取一種新的模式,而這也是今年中國的“兩會”所討論的主要議題。他表示,這種新增長模式主要是要解決幾個方麵的問題,包括社會公平、環境、教育和技術革新,以及由以出口為支柱的經濟向以國內消費和投資為重點的經濟。

  在談到社會公平時,格雷茨表示,可持續的經濟增長必須體現在民眾生活質量的改善上,但到目前為止,經濟的高速增長並沒有讓所有人受益,高增長創造了利潤,但並不一定創造更多的就業機會,而就業沒有增長社會就不可能和諧。在貿易方麵,格雷茨表示,由於出口市場的逐漸飽和和政治方麵的壓力,中國目前的出口增長速度不可能一直持續下去,因此中國應當開始培養國內的消費市場,包括設立好的借貸機製。

他並開玩笑說,就象在美國,每一個人天生就被賦予了擁有信用卡的權利,稍不留意,一萬塊的信用就用沒了。另外,今年也是東南亞金融危機10周年,而相比當初的東南亞各國,中國目前的巨額外匯儲備已經賦予了她抵禦任何金融動蕩的能力。

  在經濟由出口向國內消費轉型方麵,格雷茨認為,中國應當大力發展第三產業,同能源耗費比較集中的各出口產業相比,第三產業不但節省能源,而且也會減少環境汙染。

  格雷茨也提到了知識產權問題。他表示,各國目前的知識產權製度不是一個好製度,尤其在藥物研究方麵;知識是一種公共財富,而目前的知識產權體係是在賦予一些人對知識的壟斷,降低了知識的使用效率。

格雷茨認為,一種以價格為基礎的回報體係會好於目前的知識產權製度,發明創造者需要獲得回報,而政府如果能利用政策和公共資金來協助某些產品和藥物的開發,並給予發明創造者一個明確的報酬價格,這將最終讓更多的人可以更容易的享用新發明創造的成果。

他舉例表示,幾個世紀以前在英國,人們讓一些小孩子去清理煙囪,但這對清理煙囪的小孩來說有很大的健康危害;這時,如果某家公司或個人研究出一種清理煙囪的機器並獲得專利,那麽機器的價格將會很高,很多人會寧願找個小孩子爬進去清理也不會去采用機器,但後來政府出了一個價碼,如果某人發明了這種機器就會獲得這麽多錢,但其他人將都可以製造這種機器,後來這種做法果然解決了問題。

  格雷茨建議中國多利用大學等公共機構進行研發,並笑稱,在知識產權方麵,不要太聽信美國的各種利益集團。在新技術方麵也應當強調環保而不是節省勞力,因為中國有的是勞力,但資源卻相對不足。

  對於人民幣升值問題,格雷茨認為,這不是一件好事情,首先會造成農產品價格下降,而這將讓中國的一些社會問題更加惡化。至於目前中美的貿易不平衡,他表示,其實從宏觀角度來看,中美之間的自由貿易對雙方都有好處,美國的一些政府官員也明白這個道理,但從微觀層次來說,一些人丟了工作,而他們的議員代表就必須出來替他們說話,因此大家就聽到了很多的反對聲音。但如果人民幣升值,以紡織業為例,不買中國的紡織品,難道美國的哪個州會大量生產紡織品嗎?不會。進口商隻會轉向孟加拉和泰國這些國家,因此根本不會解決美國的問題。

格雷茨認為,美國政府的政策出了問題,減稅和伊戰造成了巨大赤字,去年一年美國借用他國的債務就達到8000億以上,這種局麵不可能持續下去,但最終怎樣收場?沒有人知道。

  最後,格雷茨表示,中國“摸著石頭過河”的發展策略明顯起了作用,但現在河已經過了一大半,河對岸是什麽已經可以看得越來越清楚,那就是各種各樣的經濟發展模式,中國應當采取一套適合下一步發展的新模式,這其中包括適合居住的城市,他希望中國在城市規劃方麵能夠借鑒美國在50年代犯下的錯誤——大力發展高速公路,最後卻造成很大的能源浪費,因為人們要花費大量時間和汽油在路上。

哥倫比亞大學亞太發展協會
[ 打印 ]
閱讀 ()評論 (15)
評論
IvyLi 回複 悄悄話 回複潑點冷水吧的評論:

You're very welcome here, but I was overwhelmed so didn't know how to make response to all your comments. :-)

I have no 講演s/notes/powerpoints.
潑點冷水吧 回複 悄悄話 回複hls812的評論:

true, there do exist the imbalance in both economies, which is due to the biased growth. But this is another aspect of the economic problem, does not conflict with Dr.Stiglitz's arguments.

Anyway, I'd better stop here, stop messing up Ivy's blog :P Nice to talk to you guys here :) Best wishes!
煙雨淒迷迷 回複 悄悄話 回複IvyLi的評論:
同意,所以哪天美國政府想平了帳,隻要一default就行了,不過世界都會很生氣,後果也很嚴重,嗬嗬
潑點冷水吧 回複 悄悄話 回複煙雨淒迷迷的評論:
oops,用錯馬甲了,哈哈,這些是我說的,我負責。
煙雨淒迷迷 回複 悄悄話 回複Chinus的評論:
"As for the intellectual rewarding system he mentioned in his speech, it won’t work. The reward could not be accurately measured since the potential market --because of that invention which is rewarded by government-- simply can be projected before the actual invention generate impact to the market. So, the reward to the inventor should not be deviated from the rule of market. Its value has to be measured by market. If the invention is worth of billions, the market has to reward the inventor that amount. On the other hand, the inventor might get nothing if the invention means nothing to the market. I don’t believe that the government can measure the value of an invention just based on a social needs. I’ll write other points that I don’t agree with Professor Stiglitz sometimes later."

He just gave an possible solution, yes, it is arguable whether it is feasible in real life and universally fit. What you said makes sense, but failed to beat his main arguments.

intellectual property laws and patents do have negative effect on social benefits and do create monopoly / protection /prevention. But without IP laws, there would be no incentive for invention and R&D, the solution is the government financed R&D, Non-for-profits ORGs can also play a significant role. This is his main argument, anything wrong?

FYI, I won't believe in anyone blindly, thanks for your reminder. :P
IvyLi 回複 悄悄話 回複hls812的評論:

你要從美國現行經濟政策來理解美國預算赤字和貿易赤字.我覺得是一種對它極其有利的霸權政策, 通過不斷發行大量美元刺激本國經濟, 投資國外(既獲得低價產品維持國內的通貨膨脹又轉移了原材料消耗和環境汙染), 通過貿易赤字為杠杆逼人民幣升值來降低債務,逼中國購買本國產品. 完全是雙贏. 吃虧的是中國.
Chinus 回複 悄悄話 回複潑點冷水吧的評論:

Please don’t believe in him just because he is Nobel laureate. Some of his points are correct, but most of his points are apparently from an outsider who does not really know China’s problems even though he thought he knew China very well. I support his suggestion that China should develop and solidate an internal market. China has 1.3 billion population, and a strong internal consumption market will keep the economy grow in long term. Remember, the US prosperity is mainly because of its internal consumption, certainly it also has other factors. As for the intellectual rewarding system he mentioned in his speech, it won’t work. The reward could not be accurately measured since the potential market --because of that invention which is rewarded by government-- simply can be projected before the actual invention generate impact to the market. So, the reward to the inventor should not be deviated from the rule of market. Its value has to be measured by market. If the invention is worth of billions, the market has to reward the inventor that amount. On the other hand, the inventor might get nothing if the invention means nothing to the market. I don’t believe that the government can measure the value of an invention just based on a social needs. I’ll write other points that I don’t agree with Professor Stiglitz sometimes later.
潑點冷水吧 回複 悄悄話 Short-run V.S long-run analysis:

Political/law reform may benefit the economy in the long run, although what form of political reform is still remain debatable. Enforcement is more tangible at present.

Considering the huge population, social welfare do need to improve for the long run, and Chinese government is doing their job on it. To increase consumption is more viable in the short/mid term.

Free mkt is not a all-rounder, government intervention needs to be in place in cases of crisis, just like HK did in 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.

As for environment issue, we cannot blame China alone, think about the MNCs / outsourcing, where did those polluters go? Didn't developed countries outsourced their polluting industries to developing ones? Did they follow the "polluter pays principle" instead of blaming developing countries on this issue?

"sacrifices environment in exchange for the short prosperity can not be sustained." Correct, but environmental sacrifices are inevitable in the developing process. What China needs to do is to keep control over it, which needs the international cooperation/coordination and tech support from the developed ones.
天下無馬 回複 悄悄話 Steven Roach of MS wrote this topic long time ago. The suggestions are all similar - to increase internal consumptions. But it really is not possible to just increase the consumption. For people who has no basic medicare insurance and retirement welfare, people will only keep the money in the bank instead of consumption. Ok, well, not exactly bank, stock market and housing market.
Joseph said that with 1.2 trillion dollar that China has abilities to combact any crisis. Maybe, maybe not. Unless China forces currency exchange control, what goes in over the years will go out just as quickly.
The real estate and stock market may not be able to sustain the money drain.
I am not trying to paint a dim picture, as China's future will be bright. But the current economic development model that sacrifices environment in exchange for the short prosperity can not be sustained. I am afriad that unless China to address the political reform, to reform the law in all aspects, to enforce the laws, the China model will be seriously challenged.

My 2 cents.
潑點冷水吧 回複 悄悄話 How can the U.S. eliminate its twin deficits? hoho~~ the best solution is a default~~~
潑點冷水吧 回複 悄悄話 講得非常中肯,對中國的情況很了解,對中國的經濟發展,人民幣匯率問題,知識產權,R&D分析得非常透徹。

好東西,不知哥大有沒有提供講演s/notes/powerpoints?能否給我一份?嗬嗬
登錄後才可評論.