J. R. Commons on his volitional theory and institutional evolution

Research Project

Project/Area Number	17K03652
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Economic doctrine/Economic thought
Research Institution	National Institute of Technology, Toyota College
Principal Investigator	KATO Ken 豊田工業高等専門学校, 一般学科, 准教授 (70612399)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000) Fiscal Year 2019: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000) Fiscal Year 2018: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Keywords	アメリカ制度学派 / J.R.コモンズ / W.C.ミッチェル / 意思 / 制度進化 / 人間行動モデル / W.マクドゥーガル / J. R. コモンズ / 意思主義
Outline of Final Research Achievements	The aim of this study is to examine the features of Commons's volitional theory and institutional evolution in the sense of finding out the rules in American economic thought in the first half of the 20th century. Commons took a critical attitude towards the theory of marginal productivity by J. B. Clark. Commons sought market rules as a social practice necessary for a new society within the traditional framework of common-law, and tried to realize a reasonable value in transactions. Commons had a very unique idea for incorporating human-will which was considered as given in mainstream economics into the framework of his economic theory, and the judge played an important role in finding out the working rules of Going-Concerns through the due process of law. It can be said that within Commons's volitional theory the judge recognized the will-in-action of the concerned parties, and proportioned it in order to realize reasonable value.
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	国内外の先行研究において19世紀末以降のアメリカ経済思想における意思主義を深く掘り下げた研究はほとんど見られない．アメリカ社会の変容の中に経済学をはじめ法学や心理学分野にまで広く横断する内容を持ったコモンズの意思主義的側面を位置付けようとする本研究の試みは，他の社会科学分野へのインパクトという点でも学術的意義がある．また本研究は，大戦間期のアメリカ産業社会において市場に参加する人間の意思の側面を効果的にコントロールする可能性を探る当時のアメリカに固有の問題を踏まえた上で，今後の我が国が採るべき安定的で効率的な社会制度の設計の方向性に対して重要な示唆を与えるという社会的意義を持つ．