Why is it so hard to escape poverty? - Ann-Helén Bay

Prevoditelj: Stela Šegović Recezent: Petra Lauš

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

Zamislite da ste nezaposleni i tražite posao mjesecima.

Government benefit programs have helped you cover rent, utilities, and food,

Socijalna pomoć pomaže vam pokriti troškove stanarine, režija i hrane,

but you're barely getting by.

ali jedva preživljavate.

Finally, you hear back about a job application.

Konačno dobijete odgovor na prijavu za posao.

You receive your first paycheck in months, and things seem to be turning around.

Dobili ste svoju prvu plaću nakon mjeseci i stvari se čine kao da idu na bolje.

But there’s a catch.

Ali postoji caka.

Your new job pays just enough to disqualify you from the benefit programs,

Vaš novi posao plaća vam tek toliko da vam onemogući socijalnu pomoć

and not enough to cover the same costs.

i nedovoljno da pokrijete iste troškove.

To make things worse, you have to pay for transportation to work,

Da stvari budu gore, morate plaćati put na posao,

and childcare while you’re at the office.

i vrtić dok ste na poslu.

Somehow, you have less money now than when you were unemployed.

Nekako imate manje novaca nego kad ste bili nezaposleni.

Economists call this demoralizing situation the welfare trap—

Ekonomisti ovu demoralizirajuću situaciju nazivaju zamkom socijalne pomoći

one of the many different poverty traps affecting millions of people

koja je jedna od mnogih zamki siromaštva koje pogađaju milijune ljudi

around the world.

širom svijeta.

Poverty traps are economic and environmental circumstances

Zamke siromaštva su ekonomske i okolišne prirode

that reinforce themselves, perpetuating poverty for generations.

koje se pojačavaju i stvaraju generacijsko siromaštvo.

Some poverty traps are tied to an individual’s circumstances,

Iste zamke siromaštva povezane su s okolnostima pojedinca

like a lack of access to healthy food or education.

kao što su nedostatak pristupa zdravoj hrani ili školovanju.

Others can affect entire nations,

Druge pak mogu utjecati na cijele nacije

such as cycles of corrupt government or climate change.

kao ciklusi korumpirane vlade ili klimatske promjene.

But the cruel irony of welfare traps in particular

Ali okrutna ironija zamki socijalne pomoći osobito je

is that they stem from the very policies designed to battle poverty.

u tome što potječu iz politika koje su osmišljene za borbu protiv siromaštva.

Most societies throughout history employed some strategies

Većina zajednica je kroz povijest primijenila i neke strategije

to help people in poverty meet basic needs.

koje pomažu da siromašni imaju osnovne uvjete za život.

Before the 20th century, religious groups and private charities

Prije 20. stoljeća, religiozne skupine i privatne udruge

often led such initiatives.

često su vodile takve inicijative.

Today, these are called welfare programs,

Danas se to zove socijalna skrb

and they usually take the form of government-provided subsidies

i često se javlja u obliku vladinih novčanih potpora

for housing, food, energy, and healthcare.

za stanovanje, hranu, struju i zdravstvo.

Typically, these programs are means-tested,

Često su ti programi vezani uz materijalno stanje

meaning that only people who fall below a certain income level

što znači da samo osobe koje imaju prihode ispod određene granice

are eligible for benefits.

izabrane su za primanje pomoći.

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

Takva politika je osmišljena da pomoć dobivaju oni kojima je najviše potrebna.

But it also means people lose access as soon as they earn more

Ali također znači da ljudi izgube pomoć čim zarade više

than the qualification threshold,

od kvalifikacijske granice

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

neovisno o tome jesu li financijski stabilni.

This vicious cycle is harmful to both those in poverty and those outside of it.

Taj pakostan ciklus šteti i siromašnima i ostalima.

Mainstream economic models assume people are rational actors

Ekonomski modeli pretpostavljaju da su ljudi racionalni akteri

who weigh the cost and benefits of their options

koji važu trošak i korist svojih mogućnosti

and choose the most advantageous path forward.

i izabiru najbolji put za budućnost.

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

Ako siromašni znaju da neće dobiti veće prihode radom,

they're incentivized to remain in government assistance.

potiče ih se da ostanu na državnoj pomoći.

Of course, people work for many reasons,

Naravno, ljudi rade iz brojnih razloga,

including societal norms and personal values.

uključujući društvene norme i osobne vrijednosti.

But income is a major incentive to pursuing employment.

Ali zarada je veliki poticaj za rad.

And when less people take on new jobs, the economy slows down,

Kada manje ljudi prihvaća poslove, ekonomija se usporava

keeping people in poverty

što zadržava ljude u siromaštvu

and potentially pushing people on the cusp of poverty over the edge.

i potencijalno gura siromašne ljude preko ruba.

Some have suggested this feedback loop could be removed

Neki su predložili da bi se ta povratna petlja mogla ukloniti

by eliminating government assistance programs altogether.

tako da se totalno ukloni program socijalne skrbi.

But most agree the solution is neither realistic nor humane.

Ali mnogi se slažu da takvo rješenje nije realistično ni humano.

So how can we redesign benefits in a way that doesn't penalize people for working?

Kako bismo mogli preurediti programe pomoći bez kažnjavanja ljudi jer rade?

Many countries have tried different ways to circumvent this problem.

Mnoge države su pokušale zaobići taj problem.

Some allow people to continue receiving benefits for a given period

Neke su omogućile ljudima da nastave dobivati pomoć kroz određeni period

after finding a job,

nakon pronalaska posla,

while others phase out benefits gradually as income increases.

dok su drugi uklanjali pomoć kako je prihod rastao.

These policies still remove some financial incentive to work,

Takva politika i dalje umanjuje financijski poticaj za rad,

but the risk of a welfare trap is lower.

ali rizik zamke socijalne pomoći je manji.

Other governments provide benefits like education, childcare, or medical care

Druge vlade pružaju pomoć poput školovanja, vrtića ili liječenja

equally across all their citizens.

svim stanovnicima jednako.

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

Jedno rješenje ideju univerzalne pomoći produbljuje još više.

A universal basic income would provide a fixed benefit to all members of society,

Univerzalni temeljni dohodak omogućio bi fiksnu pomoć svima,

regardless of wealth or employment status.

neovisno o bogatstvu ili radnom statusu.

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

To je jedina politika koja bi potpuno uklonila zamke socijalne pomoći,

since any earned wages would supplement the benefit rather than replace it.

jer bi bilo kakav prihod bio dodatak pomoći umjesto da je zamijeni.

In fact, by creating a stable income floor below which no one can fall,

Stvaranjem granice stabilnog prihoda ispod koje nitko ne može pasti

basic income might prevent people from falling into poverty in the first place.

osnovni dohodak bi mogao spriječiti siromaštvo.

Numerous economists and thinkers

Brojni ekonomisti i mislioci

have championed this idea since the 18th century.

pobornici su ove ideje već od 18. stoljeća.

But for now, universal basic income remains largely hypothetical.

Ali za sad, univerzalni temeljni dohodak ostaje hipoteza.

Although it's been tried in some places on a limited scale,

Iako je bio iskušan u nekim mjestima u ograničenim mjerama,

these local experiments don’t tell us much about how the policy

takvi lokalni eksperimenti ne pokazuju kako bi se takva politika

would play out across an entire nation— or a planet.

odigrala u cijeloj naciji ili u svijetu.

Whatever strategy governments pursue,

Koju god strategiju vlada slijedi,

solving the welfare trap requires respecting people’s agency and autonomy.

rješavanje zamke socijalne pomoći iziskuje poštivanje ljudskih prava i autonomije.

Only by empowering individuals to create long-term change

Samo osnaživanjem pojedinaca kako bismo pokrenuli dugotrajnu promjenu

in their lives and communities

u njihovim životima i zajednicama

can we begin to break the cycle of poverty.

možemo krenuti prema prekidanju ciklusa siromaštva.