诺思是新经济史学派也是斯制度学派的代表人物之一,他研究了美国和欧洲经济的长期发展,以及制度在经济发展中的地位,将制度经济学理论引入经济史研究中是他最主要的成就。当我们公认了经济的增长是源于土地、劳动、资本、企业家才能这些生产要素的质或量的增加时,世界上有的国家和地区贫困的存在仍旧是现实。因此制度是重要的。为什么不同国家或社会会采用不同的制度体制;为什么一项元效的制度会持续存在并导致持续的贫困呢?制度变迁的路径依赖又是重要的。本文将介绍诺思的制度变迁理论,并着重介绍其中的路径依赖问题。 North is one of the representatives of the New Economic History School and the Institution of Institutionalism. He studied the long-term development of the economy in the United States and Europe and the position of the system in economic development. His introduction of institutional economics theory into economic history research The main achievements. The existence of poverty in some countries and regions is still a reality when we recognize that the economic growth stems from the qualitative or quantitative increase in the factors of production such as land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. So the system is important. Why different countries or societies will adopt different institutional systems; why a meta-effective system will persist and lead to persistent poverty? The path dependence of institutional changes is also important. This article will introduce North’s institutional change theory, and focus on the path dependence of which.