为什么摆脱贫困如此困难？ - 安·海伦·贝：英语精读讲义

Imagine that you've been unemployed and seeking work for months. 講解

想象一下，你已经失业并且找工作好几个月了。

Government benefit programs have helped you cover rent, 短語搭配

政府福利项目帮助你支付房租、

utilities, and food,

水电费和食物，

but you're barely getting by. 習語

但你仍勉强度日。

Finally,

终于，

you hear back about a job application. 短語動詞

你收到了一份求职回复。

You receive your first paycheck in months

你拿到了几个月来的第一笔薪水，

and things seem to be turning around, 習語

事情似乎正在好转，

but there's a catch. 習語

但这里有个问题。

Your new job pays just enough 語法

你新工作的工资刚好足以

to disqualify you from the benefit programs

让你失去福利项目的申请资格，

and not enough to cover the same costs.

却又不足以支付相同的开销。

To make things worse, 表達脈絡

更糟糕的是，

you have to pay for transportation to work

你还得支付上班的交通费

and childcare while you're at the office.

以及你在办公室期间的育儿费用。

Somehow,

不知怎么的，

you have less money now 語法

你现在的钱反而比

than when you were unemployed.

失业时还要少。

Economists call this demoralizing situation 短語搭配

经济学家将这种令人沮丧的情况称为

the welfare trap,

福利陷阱，

one of the many different poverty traps

这是众多不同的贫困陷阱之一，

affecting millions of people around the world.

影响着全世界数以百万计的人。

Poverty traps are economic and environmental circumstances 語法

贫困陷阱是经济和环境条件

that reinforce themselves,

相互强化的结果，

perpetuating poverty for generations.

使贫困代代相传。

Some poverty traps are tied to an individual's circumstances, 短語搭配

有些贫困陷阱与个人的境遇有关，

like a lack of access to healthy food or education. 短語搭配

比如无法获得健康食物或教育。

Others can affect entire nations,

其他陷阱则可能影响整个国家，

such as cycles of corrupt government or climate change. 短語搭配

例如腐败政府的恶性循环或气候变化。

But the cruel irony of welfare traps in particular 語法

但尤其是福利陷阱的残酷讽刺在于，

is that they stem from the very policies

它正是源于那些

designed to battle poverty.

旨在消除贫困的政策。

Most societies throughout history employed some strategies

纵观历史，大多数社会都采用了一些策略

to help people in poverty meet basic needs. 短語搭配

来帮助贫困人群满足基本需求。

Before the 20th century,

在20世纪之前，

religious groups and private charities

宗教团体和私人慈善机构

often led such initiatives.

通常主导着这类举措。

Today,

今天，

these are called welfare programs,

这些被称为福利计划，

and they usually take the form of government-provided subsidies 語法

它们通常采取政府补贴的形式，

for housing, food, energy, and healthcare.

用于住房、食品、能源和医疗。

Typically,

通常情况下，

these programs are means-tested, 用詞

这些计划需要进行资产调查，

meaning that only people who fall below a certain income level 短語搭配

意味着只有低于一定收入水平的人

are eligible for benefits. 用詞

才有资格获得福利。

This policy is designed to ensure aid goes to those who need it most, 語法

这项政策旨在确保援助能够送达最需要的人手中，

but it also means people lose access

但这也意味着一旦人们的收入

as soon as they earn more than the qualification threshold,

超过资格线，就会失去福利，

regardless of whether or not they're financially stable enough to stay there. 短語搭配

无论他们是否在财务上足够稳定以保持该收入水平。

This vicious cycle is harmful to both those in poverty 習語

这种恶性循环对贫困人群

and those outside of it.

和非贫困人群都是有害的。

Mainstream economic models assume people are rational actors 用詞

主流经济模型假设人们是理性的行动者，

who weigh the cost and benefits of their options 短語搭配

会权衡选择的成本和收益，

and choose the most advantageous path forward.

并选择最有利的前进道路。

If those in poverty know they'll gain no net benefit from working, 短語搭配

如果贫困人群知道工作不会带来净收益，

they're incentivized to remain on government assistance. 用詞

他们就会被激励继续依赖政府援助。

Of course,

当然，

people work for many reasons,

人们工作有很多原因，

including societal norms and personal values.

包括社会规范和个人价值。

But income is a major incentive to pursuing employment, 短語搭配

但收入是追求就业的主要动力，

and when less people take on new jobs, 短語動詞

当越来越少的人从事新工作时，

the economy slows down,

经济就会放缓，

keeping people in poverty

导致人们深陷贫困，

and potentially pushing people on the cusp of poverty 習語

甚至可能把处于贫困边缘的人

over the edge.

推向深渊。

Some have suggested this feedback loop could be removed 用詞

有人建议可以通过完全取消

by eliminating government assistance programs altogether.

政府援助计划来消除这种反馈循环。

But most agree this solution is neither realistic nor humane. 語法

但大多数人认为这种解决方案既不现实也不人道。

So how can we redesign benefits 表達脈絡

那么，我们该如何重新设计福利，

in a way that doesn't penalize people for working? 語法

使得工作的人不因此受到惩罚呢？

Many countries have tried different ways to circumvent this problem. 用詞

许多国家已经尝试了不同的方法来规避这个问题。

Some allow people to continue receiving benefits

一些国家允许人们在找到工作后的一段时间内

for a given period after finding a job,

继续领取福利，

while others phase out benefits gradually 短語動詞

而另一些国家则随着收入的增加

as income increases.

逐步取消福利。

These policies still remove some financial incentive to work,

这些政策依然消除了一些工作的经济激励，

but the risk of a welfare trap is lower.

但福利陷阱的风险降低了。

Other governments provide benefits like education,

还有些政府提供诸如教育、

childcare, or medical care

育儿或医疗等福利，

equally across all their citizens. 語法

平等地惠及所有公民。

One proposed solution takes this idea of universal benefits even further. 短語搭配

有个提议的解决方案更进一步推广了普遍福利的理念。

A universal basic income would provide a fixed benefit 文化背景

普遍基本收入将提供固定福利

to all members of society,

给社会所有成员，

regardless of wealth or employment status. 短語搭配

无论财富或就业状况如何。

This is the only known policy that could entirely remove welfare traps,

这是唯一已知能够彻底消除福利陷阱的政策，

since any earned wages would supplement the benefit 語法

因为赚取的任何工资都将补充福利

rather than replace it.

而不是取代它。

In fact,

事实上，

by creating a stable income floor 習語

通过创造一个稳定的收入底线，

below which no one can fall,

确保没有人会跌破这个底线，

basic income might prevent people

基本收入从一开始就可能

from falling into poverty in the first place. 短語搭配

防止人们陷入贫困。

Numerous economists and thinkers have championed this idea 用詞

自18世纪以来，许多经济学家和思想家

since the 18th century,

一直在倡导这一理念，

but for now,

但目前，

universal basic income remains largely hypothetical. 用詞

普遍基本收入在很大程度上仍是假设性的。

Although it's been tried in some places 語法

尽管它已在一些地方进行了尝试

on a limited scale, 短語搭配

规模有限，

these local experiments don't tell us much

这些局部实验并不能告诉我们太多

about how the policy would play out 短語動詞

关于这项政策将如何发挥作用

across an entire nation or a planet.

在整个国家或地球上。

Whatever strategy governments pursue, 語法

无论政府采取何种策略，

solving the welfare trap requires respecting

解决福利陷阱都需要尊重

people's agency and autonomy. 用詞

人们的能动性和自主性。

Only by empowering individuals to create 語法

只有赋予个人权力去创造

long-term change in their lives and communities

他们生活和社区的长期改变，

can we begin to break the cycle of poverty. 習語

我们才能开始打破贫困的循环。

Agency is a type of power

能动性是一种力量，

that comes from the marriage of action and choice. 習語

源于行动与选择的结合。

But what exactly is power? 表達脈絡

但力量究竟是什么？

What role does it play in society?

它在社会中扮演什么角色？

Is there a way to acquire and use it responsibly?

有没有办法负责任地获得和使用它？

Learn more with this video.

通过这个视频了解更多。