Quantum Institutional Economics:A New Framework for Institutional Analysis

Abstract: Against the backdrop of digital technology profoundly reshaping the global economic landscape and accelerating the transformation of governance systems,traditional institutional economics is facing a severe explanatory crisis.This study innovatively constructs a theoretical framework of quantum institutional economics by transplanting core concepts from quantum mechanics—such as superposition,entanglement,and wave function collapse—to reframe the analytical paradigm of institutional economics.The research reveals that economic institutions essentially exist in a state of superposition across multiple possibilities,with non-local correlations among institutional elements and nonlinear evolutionary characteristics in institutional change.Compared to the deterministic analytical framework of traditional institutional economics,quantum institutional economics achieves three major breakthroughs:transforming institutions from static entities into dynamic probabilistic systems,shifting from linear causal logic to multidimensional relational networks,and expanding from unidirectional subject-institution interactions to bidirectional co-constructive relationships.The new theory successfully explains traditional theoretical blind spots such as policy abruptness and implicit institutional correlations,providing innovative analytical tools for cutting-edge issues like digital economy governance and global institutional coordination,thereby advancing institutional economics toward a complex systems science paradigm.