平台“内卷式”价格机制扭曲与规制路径研究

Price Mechanism Distortions Underlying Platform “Involutionary” Competition and Regulatory Pathways

中文关键词:  “内卷式”竞争  价格规制  竞争规制  平台经济  反不正当竞争法

英文关键词:“involutionary” competition  price regulation  competition regulation  platform economy  Law of the People's Republic of China Against Unfair Competition

中文摘要:

      平台“内卷式”竞争背后的价格机制扭曲问题,是各国平台经济发展面临的共性挑战,具体表现为价格形成过程以及价格作用过程的扭曲:平台内经营者定价权受限,加之人工智能等技术的深度介入,改变了传统的价格形成过程；价格结构的复杂化以及价格与竞争关系底层逻辑的转变,导致价格作用过程发生变化。针对这一问题,各国在实践中探索出价格规制和竞争规制两条路径。但是,前者较难触及价格机制扭曲本质,存在“治标不治本”的隐患；后者因市场支配地位认定标准较高,规制效果有限。在此背景下,中国正在积极推进数字经济立法,修订《反不正当竞争法》《价格法》《反垄断法》等法律法规,结合中国实践,不断构建自主知识体系。应当厘清“价格—竞争”的规制逻辑,《价格法》的立法初衷在于维护价格机制正常运转,对《价格法》的适用应侧重对价格作用过程的规制。《反垄断法》主要关注以垄断为前提的价格形成过程扭曲,进行竞争规制应着重发挥《反不正当竞争法》的作用,以“强制”要件为核心,综合考察价格形成过程与平台力量因素。在具体分析环节,需要深入到平台价格机制的微观层面,应用“平台—数据—算法”的立体化分析进路,精准识别价格扭曲的核心成因,并通过数智化转型、多元主体协同治理等手段革新规制方式,为平台经济高质量发展提供法治保障。

英文摘要:

      The price mechanism distortions underlying platform “involutionary” competition have become a common challenge confronting the development of platform economies worldwide. It is specifically manifested in distortions in both the price formation process and the functioning of prices:the pricing power of operators within platforms is restricted, and the deep involvement of technologies such as artificial intelligence has transformed the traditional price formation process; the increasing complexity of price structures and the shift in the underlying logic governing the relationship between price and competition have altered the way prices function. In response, countries have explored two regulatory pathways in practice:price regulation and competition regulation. However, the former often fails to address the root cause of price mechanism distortions, offering only superficial solutions. The latter, due to the high threshold for establishing market dominance, has produced limited regulatory effects. Against this backdrop, China is actively advancing digital economy legislation and revising laws and regulations such as the Law of the People's Republic of China Against Unfair Competition, the Price Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Anti-monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China, while continuously developing an independent legal knowledge system grounded in Chinese practice. In addition, efforts should focus on clarifying the regulatory logic of the “price-competition” relationship. The legislative intent of the Price Law of the People's Republic of China is to safeguard the normal functioning of price mechanisms; therefore, its application should focus on regulating the functioning of prices. The Anti-monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China mainly addresses distortions in the price formation process premised on monopolistic practices. For competition regulation, greater emphasis should be placed on the role of the Law of the People's Republic of China Against Unfair Competition, taking the element of “coercion” as the core and comprehensively examining both the price formation process and platform power dynamics. The concrete analysis requires a micro-level examination of platform price mechanisms, and a three-dimensional analytical framework of “platform–data–algorithm” should be employed to accurately identify the core causes of price distortions. Regulatory methods should also be innovated through digital-intelligent transformation and collaborative governance among multiple stakeholders, so as to provide the legal guarantee for the high-quality development of the platform economy. 