為什麼擺脫貧窮如此困難？ - 安·海倫·貝：英語精讀講義

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

想像一下，你已經失業並且找工作好幾個月了。

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

政府福利計畫幫助你支付房租、

utilities, and food,

水電費和食物，

but you're barely getting by. 慣用語

但你仍勉強度日。

Finally,

終於，

you hear back about a job application. 片語動詞

你收到了一份求職回覆。

You receive your first paycheck in months

你拿到了幾個月來的第一筆薪水，

and things seem to be turning around, 慣用語

事情似乎正在好轉，

but there's a catch. 慣用語

但這裡有個問題。

Your new job pays just enough 文法

你新工作的薪水剛好足以

to disqualify you from the benefit programs

讓你失去福利計畫的申請資格，

and not enough to cover the same costs.

卻又不足以支付相同的開銷。

To make things worse, 表達脈絡

更糟的是，

you have to pay for transportation to work

你還得支付上班的交通費

and childcare while you're at the office.

以及你在辦公室期間的育兒費用。

Somehow,

不知怎麼的，

you have less money now 文法

你現在的錢反而比

than when you were unemployed.

失業時還要少。

Economists call this demoralizing situation 片語搭配

經濟學家將這種令人沮喪的情況稱為

the welfare trap,

福利陷阱，

one of the many different poverty traps

這是眾多不同的貧困陷阱之一，

affecting millions of people around the world.

影響著全世界數以百萬計的人。

Poverty traps are economic and environmental circumstances 文法

貧困陷阱是經濟和環境條件

that reinforce themselves,

相互強化的結果，

perpetuating poverty for generations.

使貧困代代相傳。

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

有些貧困陷阱與個人的境遇有關，

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

比如無法獲得健康食物或教育。

Others can affect entire nations,

其他陷阱則可能影響整個國家，

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

例如腐敗政府的惡性循環或氣候變遷。

But the cruel irony of welfare traps in particular 文法

但尤其是福利陷阱的殘酷諷刺在於，

is that they stem from the very policies

它正是源於那些

designed to battle poverty.

旨在消除貧困的政策。

Most societies throughout history employed some strategies

縱觀歷史，大多數社會都採用了一些策略

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

來幫助貧困人群滿足基本需求。

Before the 20th century,

在20世紀之前，

religious groups and private charities

宗教團體和私人慈善機構

often led such initiatives.

通常主導著這類舉措。

Today,

今天，

these are called welfare programs,

這些被稱為福利計畫，

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

它們通常採取政府補貼的形式，

for housing, food, energy, and healthcare.

用於住房、食品、能源和醫療。

Typically,

通常情況下，

these programs are means-tested, 用詞

這些計畫需要進行資產調查，

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

意味著只有低於一定收入水準的人

are eligible for benefits. 用詞

才有資格獲得福利。

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

這項政策旨在確保援助能夠送達最需要的人手中，

but it also means people lose access

但也意味著一旦人們的收入

as soon as they earn more than the qualification threshold,

超過資格線，就會失去福利，

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

無論他們是否在財務上足夠穩定以保持該收入水準。

This vicious cycle is harmful to both those in poverty 慣用語

這種惡性循環對貧困人群

and those outside of it.

和非貧困人群都是有害的。

Mainstream economic models assume people are rational actors 用詞

主流經濟模型假設人們是理性的行動者，

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

會權衡選擇的成本和收益，

and choose the most advantageous path forward.

並選擇最有利的前進道路。

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

如果貧困人群知道工作不會帶來淨收益，

they're incentivized to remain on government assistance. 用詞

他們就會被激勵繼續依賴政府援助。

Of course,

當然，

people work for many reasons,

人們工作有很多原因，

including societal norms and personal values.

包括社會規範和個人價值。

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

但收入是追求就業的主要動力，

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

當越來越少的人從事新工作時，

the economy slows down,

經濟就會放緩，

keeping people in poverty

導致人們深陷貧困，

and potentially pushing people on the cusp of poverty 慣用語

甚至可能把處於貧困邊緣的人

over the edge.

推向深淵。

Some have suggested this feedback loop could be removed 用詞

有人建議可以透過完全取消

by eliminating government assistance programs altogether.

政府援助計畫來消除這種回饋循環。

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

但大多數人認為這種解決方案既不現實也不人道。

So how can we redesign benefits 表達脈絡

那麼，我們該如何重新設計福利，

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

使得工作的人不因此受到懲罰呢？

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

許多國家已經嘗試了不同的方法來規避這個問題。

Some allow people to continue receiving benefits

一些國家允許人們在找到工作後的一段時間內

for a given period after finding a job,

繼續領取福利，

while others phase out benefits gradually 片語動詞

而另一些國家則隨著收入的增加

as income increases.

逐步取消福利。

These policies still remove some financial incentive to work,

這些政策依然消除了一些工作的經濟激勵，

but the risk of a welfare trap is lower.

但福利陷阱的風險降低了。

Other governments provide benefits like education,

還有些政府則提供像是教育、

childcare, or medical care

育兒或醫療等福利，

equally across all their citizens. 文法

平等地惠及所有公民。

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

有個提議的解決方案更進一步推廣了普遍福利的理念。

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

普遍基本收入將提供固定福利

to all members of society,

給社會所有成員，

regardless of wealth or employment status. 片語搭配

無論財富或就業狀況如何。

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

這是唯一已知能夠徹底消除福利陷阱的政策，

since any earned wages would supplement the benefit 文法

因為賺取的任何工資都將補充福利

rather than replace it.

而不是取代它。

In fact,

事實上，

by creating a stable income floor 慣用語

透過創造一個穩定的收入底線，

below which no one can fall,

確保沒有人會跌破這個底線，

basic income might prevent people

基本收入從一開始就可能

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

防止人們陷入貧困。

Numerous economists and thinkers have championed this idea 用詞

自18世紀以來，許多經濟學家和思想家

since the 18th century,

一直在倡導這一理念，

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設性的。

Although it's been tried in some places 文法

儘管它已在一些地方進行了嘗試

on a limited scale, 片語搭配

規模有限，

these local experiments don't tell us much

這些局部實驗並不能告訴我們太多

about how the policy would play out 片語動詞

關於這項政策將如何發揮作用

across an entire nation or a planet.

在整個國家或地球上。

Whatever strategy governments pursue, 文法

無論政府採取何種策略，

solving the welfare trap requires respecting

解決福利陷阱都需要尊重

people's agency and autonomy. 用詞

人們的能動性和自主性。

Only by empowering individuals to create 文法

只有賦予個人權力去創造

long-term change in their lives and communities

他們生活和社區的長期改變，

can we begin to break the cycle of poverty. 慣用語

我們才能開始打破貧困的循環。

Agency is a type of power

能動性是一種力量，

that comes from the marriage of action and choice. 慣用語

源於行動與選擇的結合。

But what exactly is power? 表達脈絡

但力量究竟是什麼？

What role does it play in society?

它在社會中扮演什麼角色？

Is there a way to acquire and use it responsibly?

有沒有辦法負責任地獲得和使用它？

Learn more with this video.

透過這個影片了解更多。