Research On The Agriculture Economic Functions Of Government In Tang Dynasty

As agriculture is the basis of the national economy and also the decisive productive sector throughout ancient times across the world, the public product characteristics of agricultural facilities, the unstable fact of the industry and lack of demand elasticity of primary products, etc. All these bring out the necessity of government intervention.Throughout Tang Dynasty, the government had strived and improved many conditions of agriculture in order to build a more efficient industry. Administrative, legal and economic means had been adopted. From this perspective, the paper focuses on agricultural economic functions of the government in Tang Dynasty. And it is divided into six main chapters.Chapter one is an analysis of the agricultural economic functions of the Tang government from the supply and demand perspective in the background of small peasant economy. And also a summary of the economic functions of Tang government. The government functions in realistic society largely depend on their analysis, selection and confirmation on the demands of their internal and external environment. They are what had been generate in the games between the supply side—The government, and the demand side which is the society. The Characteristics of Tang government functions are:political domination functions were the dominant and also fulfilled certain social work functions. Their political dominations were achieved through the host and management of a series of social services such as public projects. Because of the absolute advantage position in political strength contrast and resource allocation power which the governments maintained, the government is the leading force that decided functions supply, which formed a supply-leading type of government function. From the most basic "night watchman" functions to macro-regulations, supervision functions and direct management, all reflected that Tang government had overall intervened social economic life; aimed at the phenomenon of'" market failure" during the operating of agricultural economy system, small-peasant economy is the core of the government's agricultural production managements as it is the economic basis of Centralization political system. The Tang government showed prominent agricultural economy function. Chapter two is an investigation of land distribution and property protection functions of Tang government. For the sake of regime consolidation, financial income promotion and labor collection, the government got control of massive land resources and had developed organizational system for the implementation of land allocation policy. Through the establishment of land property right structure based on land equalization, Tang government ensured the combination of needs of small-scale peasants and supply of the government, and that promote the development of Tang dynasty agricultural economy. But it was not supposed to ignore the management costs, maintain costs and supervision costs under agency by agreement. Under land equalization system transaction costs increased gradually and profits reduce as respond, finally cost more than earnings. Tang government had careful and meticulous provisions on private land property rights protection. The will of state sovereignty and domination were reflected in all respects through the protection of private land property rights. It shows the goal of the policy is to control property rights, The government's intervention and regulation caused the damage of private property.Chapter three is the agricultural production management function of Tang government. Tang government carried out the policy for encouraging the peasants and ensuring the farming seasons. The primary duties of local officials were to encourage agricultural production, we investigate Tang government's management functions of agricultural production and promoting functions of advanced agricultural technology from the formulating of calendars and farming books, the offering of farm cattle, the promoting of advanced farming tools, the exterminating of pests, etc. The government had adopted various ways to solve the problem of agriculture labor shortages; Having eased the restrictions of laber flow to a certain extent and given the right of migration to people. The social mobility brought the transmissions and spreading of technologies in the regions. The right of managing one's (?)labor time at will were given to the peasants for the widely spreading policy of "offering money instead of labor" in Tang dynasty. It offered the people some choices concerned corvees. "Store up grains against a lean year" is another agricultural economy (?)nction performed by the Tang government. "Perennial Storage" as the main part of State grain reserves; "Relief Storage" as the heart of special disaster relief reserves and the "Fair Storage" which main function is to stabilize the grain price, these made up the grain storage systems of Tang Dynasty and laid a solid foundation for disaster relief, food prices regulation, food security and sustainable agricultural production. Chapter four is about Tang dynasty agricultural tax system. Agricultural taxes is essentially the problem of agricultural income distribution, also is a matter of interests relationship issues between country and peasants, and actually a way to investigate how the Tang government used to obtain revenue. The system transition from'"Zu-Yong-Diao system" to "Liang-Shui-Law" is either based on the relatively price change between labor and land, and the rational choice that made by both central and local governments after a judgement on their own cost-benefit. Through the investigation on both "Zu-Yong-Diao system"'and "Liang-Shui-Law" of their contents. characteristics, effects on the distribution of resources, existed institutional defects, etc, And the policy of reduction taxes, the author indicate that the root of'Huang Zongxis Law" is that the system with imperial and monarchy has absolute right on taxation; Tax revenue system based on a "soft budget constraint" and "soft law constraint" as well as bad behavior under commission-agency system.Chapter five is an investigation of supply system of agriculture public goods in Tang Dynasty with the exact example of water conservancy establishment construction. Firstly, a summarization of the system characteristics of agricultural public goods supply in Tang dynasty. Assume as:the government--leading system; top to bottom supply decision-making mechanism; supply vulnerable to the impact from other financial expenditure project; the system itself is with larger instability; the negative correlation between supply and the financial burden of farmers; The great deal of human input which contained in the agricultural public goods supplies. Secondly, a investigation on management system of irrigation facilities of Tang dynasty. The extensive adoption of administrative power solved the collective action and "free-rider" problen in wider range of public goods supplying. The executive order-style system which principal is the government officials'organization, direction and supervision perform specific (?)formal water conservancy rules and regulations promulgated published by the government; the perfect water management institution from central to local governments; different levels of water conservancy officials with specific responsibilities; strict notification procedure; water distribution and coordination; personnel arrangement, etc.Chapter six is the finance system reform which took place in the central Tang dynasty resulted in the feudal provincials, which are the representatives of local governments became the real surplus takers and controllers of their administrative areas. Some of these Magistrates had positively performed agricultural economy functions, lots of water conservancy projects had been organized and therefore promoted the development of social economy of the southern region in the middle-late of Tang dynasty.Chapter seven is a summarization and evaluation of the agricultural economy functions of Tang dynasty government. First, the summarization of agricultural economic functions of Tang dynasty government are from six aspects. System reform and system innovation under the power of nation played an extremely important role of leading and luring the various elements that arouse economic growth and development. It is emphasized that the system is the endogenous variables that influenced the agricultural economy development of Tang dynasty. The agricultural economy development of the Tang dynasty based on both the inevitable result of the development of productive forces and system changes that leading by Tang dynasty government. Second, an overall evaluation of the agricultural economy function of Tang government in three aspects as: the function in place, vacancy and offside ones. The performance of agricultural economy function of Tang dynasty government explains that the authoritarian centralized system was the guarantee of agricultural economy development and to a certain extent restricted the development of agricultural economy. For the positive result that the Tang government obtained from the performance of agricultural economy functions, agricultural management policies and other measures we should give fully affirmation and reference.