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花钱的四种方式

Free to Choose

P115, THE FALLACY OF THE WELFARE STATE

  • Category I: Spending your own money on yourself.
  • Category II: Spending your own money on someone else.
  • Category III: Spending someone else’s money on yourself.
  • Category IV: Spending someone else’s money on someone else.

Category I in the table refers to your spending your own money on yourself. You shop in a supermarket, for example. You clearly have a strong incentive both to economize and to get as much value as you can for each dollar you do spend.

Category II refers to your spending your own money on someone else. You shop for Christmas or birthday presents. You have the same incentive to economize as in Category I but not the same incentive to get full value for your money, at least as judged by the tastes of the recipient. You will, of course, want to get something the recipient will like—provided that it also makes the right impression and does not take too much time and effort. (If, indeed, your main objective were to enable the recipient to get as much value as possible per dollar, you would give him cash, converting your Category II spending to Category I spending by him.)

Category III refers to your spending someone else's money on yourself -- lunching on an expense account, for instance. You have no strong incentive to keep down the cost of the lunch, but you do have a strong incentive to get your money's worth.

Category IV refers to your spending someone else's money on still another person. You are paying for someone else's lunch out of an expense account. You have little incentive either to economize or to try to get your guest the lunch that he will value most highly. However, if you are having lunch with him, so that the lunch is a mixture of Category III and Category IV, you do have a strong incentive to satisfy your own tastes at the sacrifice of his, if necessary.

Interview

From a transcript from David Asman's May 15, 2004 interview with economist Milton Friedman.

There are four ways in which you can spend money. You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing, and you try to get the most for your money.

Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the content of the present, but I’m very careful about the cost.

Then, I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good lunch!

Finally, I can spend somebody else’s money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get. And that’s government. And that’s close to 40 percent of our national income.

你可以通过四种方式花钱。你可以把自己的钱花在自己身上。当你这样做的时候，你就会真正注意自己在做什么，你会努力让你的钱发挥最大的价值。

然后，你可以把自己的钱花在别人身上。比如，我给别人买生日礼物。那么，我就不会太在意礼物的内容，但我会非常在意礼物的价格。

然后，我可以把别人的钱花在自己身上。如果我把别人的钱花在自己身上，那么我肯定会有一顿丰盛的午餐！

最后，我可以把别人的钱花在别人身上。如果我把别人的钱花在别人身上，我就不会在意钱的多少，也不会在意我得到了什么。这就是政府。这占我们国民收入的近40%。

参考

  1. Friedman, M. & Friedman, R. D. Free to Choose: A Personal Statement. (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1980).

  2. https://www.foxnews.com/story/your-world-interview-with-economist-milton-friedman