Technological Changes In The Institutional Factors - For Example, The Iron Plow In The Qin And Han

This article probes into the relationship between the technological change and institutional change from the angle of the theory of property rights and new institutional theory and tries to answer questions below:What's the fundamental factors contribution to the improvement of the social productivities? How did the technological change and institutional change interact? In the process above, how did government and idealism effect as the tools to reduce transaction cost?This article is composed of two parts. The first part generalizes academic frame of this article on the basis of the view of North, Ruttan, Vemon W. Lin, Justin Yifu; the second part examines the above theory by using evolvement of iron ploughs technology in Qin & Han Dynasty. In the end, the author draws conclusion below:(1) New knowledge of the evolvement of iron ploughs technology in Qin & Han Dynasty was consequences of the development of the thoughts attaching importance on the agriculture.(2) The evolvement of iron ploughs technology could be viewed as endogenetic result. But it does not mean that it might make progress by the guide of a hand of "Laissez faire". On the contrary, institutional factors such as Daitian law adapted in Han Wu Emperor were essential to expand the iron plough technology in this process.(3 ) The evolvement of iron ploughs technology in verse was an powerful impetus to the institutional change.(4) The government as the most important institutional arrangement played a very significant part in the process of the evolvement of iron ploughs technology such as proposal for limitation of farmland, encouragement on farming policy etc.( 5 ) Idealism as informal institutional arrangement acted the role as the government did in order to reduce transaction cost and increase taxes.(6) The change of land property in Qin & Han Dynasty brought about investment increase to the land, which was continuous impetus to the evolvement of iron ploughs technology.