Wolfgang Kasper, Manfred E. Streit and Peter J. Boettke: Institutional economics: property, competition, and policies, 2nd ed

摘要

Any system of division of labor necessarily involves social cooperation; each individual, in order to satisfy his own wants, must first cater to the needs of others. Thanks to the increased productivity that results from the specialization of labor, engaging in such a process of cooperation has the potential to significantly improve the living standards of the participants. However, while such a process is more productive, it is not one that is automatic; it only operates under certain conditions. Indeed, men would stop interacting with others to satisfy their needs if there was widespread predatory and opportunistic behavior. What incentive, for instance, would a producer have to embark on a process of production if he faced a high probability that his employees will renege on their contracts or that miscreants will destroy his factory? Social cooperation, in other words, requires anti-social behavior to be stifled; it requires a certain amount of predictability in the actions of individuals.