2021年经济学人 疫情后时代社会保障的绝处逢生(1)

Leaders

社论板块

Bouncing back

重整旗鼓

How to make a social safety net for the post-covid world

如何构建疫情后时代的社会保障系统

After the Depression and the second world war, voters and governments in rich countries recast the relationship between the state and its citizens. Now the pandemic has seen the old rules on social spending ripped up. More than three-quarters of Americans support President Joe Biden’s $1.9trn stimulus¹ bill, which is due in the Senate and includes $1,400 cheques for most adults. And in the budget on March 3rd Britain extended a scheme to pay the wages of furloughed workers until September, even as public debt hit its highest level since 1945. Such boldness brings dangers: governments could stretch the public fi?nances to breaking-point, distort incentives² and create sclerotic societies. But they also have a chance to create new social welfare policies that are aff?ordable and which help workers thrive in an economy facing technological³ disruption. They must seize it.

经历大萧条和二战之后，富裕国家的选民和政府重塑了国家和公民之间的关系。如今，新冠疫情撕毁了旧有的社会支出规则。超过四分之三的美国人支持总统乔·拜登提出的1.9万亿美元的经济刺激法案，该法案将在参议院通过，其中包括为大多数成年人提供1400美元的支票。在3月3日的预算计划中，英国政府将员工带薪休假计划延长到9月，即使其公共债务达到了1945年以来的最高水平。如此大胆的行为也带来了危机：政府可能会将公共财政推到崩溃的边缘，扭曲激励机制，造成社会僵化。但他们也有机会制定可负担得起的新社会福利政策，帮助工人在面临技术颠覆的经济中突围。他们必须抓住这个机会。

The past year has seen a wild experiment in social spending. The world launched at least 1,600 new social protection programmes in 2020. Rich countries have provided 5.8% of GDP on average to help record numbers of workers. Government debts are piling up, but so far low interest rates mean that they are cheap to service. The public’s mood had already been shifting. Britons used to grumble⁴ that layabouts sponged off? the welfare state; now they are more likely to say help is too stingy. Last year over two-thirds of Europeans said they supported a universal basic income (UBI), an unconditional⁵ recurring⁶ payment to all adults. Affl?uent professionals have had their gaze drawn⁷ to the working conditions of those who deliver food and look after the sick. The struggles of women who have dropped out of the workforce⁸ to care for children and the elderly have become impossible to ignore.

在过去的一年里，各国政府在社会支出方面进行了一场疯狂的实验。2020年，全世界至少启动了1600项新的社会保障计划。富裕国家平均提供GDP的5.8%去帮助创纪录数量的工人。政府债台高筑，但到目前为止，低利率意味着偿债成本很低。公众的情绪已经改变。英国人过去常常抱怨那些靠国家福利救济的懒汉；他们现在更可能说国家的救助太吝啬了。去年，超过三分之二的欧洲国民表示，他们支持全民基本收入方案（UBI），即对所有成年人无条件循环资助。成功的专业人士已经开始关注那些配送食物和照顾病人的人的工作条件。那些为了照顾孩子和老人而退出就业市场的女性们的挣扎已不容忽视。

1 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

2 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

4 grumble   

vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
• He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。

5 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

6 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。