近百年来,吉芬商品作为一种特殊的经济现象,引起了国内外众多学者的关注,但其理论的发展过程伴随着争议。目前有关吉芬商品问题的研究可综述为五方面:部分学者认为吉芬商品是存在的;吉芬商品很难被观测到;部分学者认为吉芬商品并不存在;经济学家通过案例分析与设计实验的方式,寻找吉芬商品的现实证据;吉芬商品问题的研究方向日趋深广。该领域研究的方向逐渐由理论探讨转向现实证据的探索方面。更进一步的研究应该在于评估吉芬商品的存在对市场中利益相关者和社会福利的负面影响以及如何解除在产业发展层面上吉芬商品引致的不稳定均衡制约,使产业发展突破"吉芬困境"。
Over the past century, as a special economic phenomenon, Giffen goods caused a great attention accompanied by controversy among scholars. The research about Giffen goods can be summarized as five aspects: some scholars think that there exist Giffen goods; some believe that Giffen goods are difficult to be observed; some scholars think that Giffen goods does not exist; some economists through case analysis and design experiment to find the real evidence and the research direction of Giffen goods became more profound. As a result, the research directions of this domain gradually changes to reality evidence discovery from theory analysis. For further research, it is important to evaluate negative effect of Giffen goods on the market stakeholders and social welfare, as well as how to relieve the unstable equilibrium constraints in industry development caused by Giffen goods, then breakthrough the "Giffen dilemma" to enhance the development of industrial.