• 作者： 葉淑貞
• 作者服務機構： 國立臺灣大學經濟學系
• 中文摘要： 本文所關心的問題是日治時代的租佃制度是否降低農場的經營效率。我們先以1925-1927年稻作農場的資料為依據，檢視佃耕農場的經營效率是否低於自耕農場；再從租佃制度是否扭曲佃農的經營決策著手，探究佃耕農場的效率為何有或無低於自耕農場。主要的發現可以歸納為四點。第一、日治時代稻作農場的平均技術效率程度高於當前臺灣或他國的水準；不過，農場之間的技術效率程度差異不少，然而肇因不在租佃制度。第二、農場平均說來，對勞動量的掌握相當有效率，對肥料用量的掌握卻比較無效率。然而，此一現象也與租佃制度無關。第三、佃耕農場與自耕農場無論技術效率程度、配置效率程度或調整利潤，都無顯著的差異。第四、佃農在作物與生產因素的選擇，或在所面臨的市場價格上，並未受到租佃制度的扭曲，而此與地主關心出租地的收穫量、生產技術、灌溉設施的租賃制度、以及市場的高度競爭等因素有關。綜合這些結論，我們認為租佃制度並未降低農場的生產效率，因而若在當時採取減租或耕者有其田等土地改革政策，可能無法提高，甚至將降低農場的生產力。從這些結論，本文引申出一些關於戰後初期土地改革值得重新省思的課題，例如它是否提高了農業的生產力。
• 英文摘要： This study focuses on whether or not Taiwan's land tenure system during the Japanese colonial periodlowered the production efficiency of farms. We compare the efficiency of rented and owner--cultivated farmsby using the surveys on rice farms done in 1925-1927, and then examine the effect of land tenurialarrangements on farm management decisions by using related qualitative data. Four major findings have beenobtained. (1) The average technical efficiency of rice farms in the prewar Taiwan was higher than that ofcurrent Taiwan. However, there existed quite variation in the degree of technical efficiency among farms, butthis could not be attributed to the land tenure system. (2) Farms on average allocated labor input quiteefficiently, but not input of fertilizers. This poor performance in the use of fertilizers was not a result of theland tenure system, either.（3）The rented farms were not less efficient than the owner--cultivated farmsjudging from the indicators of technical efficiency, allocative efficiency, and adjusted profit. (4) Tenants’decisions in choosing crops, inputs, and entry of markets were not significantly distorted by the land tenuresystem. Four factors, landlords being concerned about the productivity of land, production technology, rentalsystem of irrigation service, and the competitiveness of markets, allowed tenants to make decisions quitefreely. From these findings, we conclude that the land tenure system didn't lower the production efficiency offarms, and so any land reform policy such as cutting the level of rent or giving tenants land ownership adoptedthen might not raise farm productivity. From this conclusion, we derive several issues about the postwar landreform deserving to be further systematic explored, such as the effect of it on the agricultural productivity.
• 中文關鍵字： 租佃制度; 佃耕農場; 自耕農場; 技術效率; 配置效率; 調整利潤; 隨機性生產邊界; Translog生產函數
• 英文關鍵字： land tenure system; rented farm; owner--cultivated farm; technical efficiency; allocative efficiency; adjusted profit; stochastic production frontier; translog production function