信息收集与国家治理:清代的荒政信息收集系统  

Data vs. Governance: How the Qing Rulers Collected Data during Famine Relief

作　　者：李伯重 Li Bozhong

机构地区：[1]不详

出　　处：《首都师范大学学报（社会科学版）》2022年第1期1-8,188,共9页Journal of Capital Normal University：Social Science Edition

摘　　要："安民恤民"是中国古代历朝统治者国家治理的重要工作之一,其中"凶年"救济即救灾是恤民工作的重点。近代以前,交通运输手段落后,要进行有效的救灾工作,就必须有一套行之有效的制度,而这个制度又离不开信息的收集。因此信息收集就成为国家治理的重要工作。清代将粮价奏报与雨泽奏报系统共同组成荒政信息收集系统,从而建立起完备的信息收集系统。通过不断改进,到18世纪,这个系统成为当时世界上最庞大、最有效和最完备的民生福利信息收集系统。这个系统使得清代国家有能力建立一个巨大而复杂的赈灾机构,从而在广大的范围内影响人民的生活福利。在很长的一段时间内,这个机构运作得相当有效,大大减轻了自然灾害对普通人民的打击。这个系统最大的缺点是没有专设机构或人员执行经常的查核工作,因此在不同时期的执行中存在诸多问题。但尽管如此,在当时的条件下,这个信息收集系统发挥了非常重要的作用。当时其他国家所做的救灾工作,从规模和效果上都很难与中国相比。因此我们可以下结论说:在清代前半期,有效的信息收集系统是达到较好的国家治理的关键之一。“Granting the people their desired peace and sustenance” had long remained a priority of state governance for successive dynasties of Chinese rulers, especially during bad years, when famine relief turned out to be the key link. Before the means of communication and transportation was modernized, successes of famine relief were contingent on whether there was an effective system in place, which in turned called for adequate data collection, a key component of state governance. The Qing government achieved this by combining the regular grain price reports and precipitation register reports, as an effective register of data for famine relief work. Through continuous improvement, the Qing rulers of the 18th century gradually established the largest, most effective and the most complete data collecting system in the whole world, enabling the government to shape people’s livelihood and welfare on a substantial scale. For a long while, this structure operated quite effectively, and greatly reduced the impact of natural disasters on ordinary people. The biggest disadvantage of this system is that the Qing rulers never set up a specialized agency or relevant personnel to carry out regular audit work. Yet despite of all these problems in operation in various periods, the system played a very important role under conditions of the time. No other country or region came closer to China in terms of famine relief work at the time, neither in scale nor in effectiveness. The conclusion is that at least during the first half of the Qing rule, the effective data collection system discussed above was a key to its good governance.

关 键 词：清代 荒政 信息收集 国家治理 

分 类 号：D035.29[政治法律—政治学]