水资源配置大致存在完全政府配置、完全市场配置和准市场配置3种模式。中国正处于水权制度改革的过程中,水资源配置制度有从完全政府配置转向依靠市场配置的趋势。新制度经济学的交易成本理论和租值消散理论可以为新的水权制度的设计和选择提供依据。水资源的不同配置制度对应着相应的交易成本,相对较好的制度应该能在扣除交易成本之后获得较多的社会净租值。目前我国水资源管理的当务之急是根据经济理性,科学地界定好水资源的公有和私有权利,并由完全政府管制向市场体制转型。

There are three kinds of water resources allocation model,government allocation,market allocation and quasi-market allocation.Within the process of institutional reformation of water rights,the institution of water resources allocation is changing from government allocation to market allocation.In neoinstitutional economics,transaction cost theory and theory of rent dissipation can offer gist for the design and choice of new water allocation system.Because of the different systems of the water rights allocation,there are various transaction costs,better institution will get more social net rent after deducting transaction costs.At the present,the most exigent task for Chinese water resources management is to define the public and private rights of water resources scientifically,and then to transit from complete control of government to market system.