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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Thomas Tam

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

想像一下，你已經失業 且找工作好幾個月了。

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

政府的救濟金方案協助你 支付房租、水電，和食物，

but you're barely getting by.

但你只能勉強過生活。

Finally, you hear back about a job application.

終於，你投的一份履歷得到了回應。

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

幾個月內你拿到了第一張薪水支票， 一切似乎就要好轉了。

But there’s a catch.

但有個問題。

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

這份新工作的薪水 剛好超過福利方案的資格，

and not enough to cover the same costs.

卻不足夠支付同樣的生活費用。

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

更糟糕的是，你還要支付 去工作的交通成本，

and childcare while you’re at the office.

及你在工作時兒童的照管費用。

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

不知怎麼搞的， 你現在擁有的錢比失業時還少。

Economists call this demoralizing situation the welfare trap—

經濟學家把這種讓人沮喪的情況 稱為福利陷阱——

one of the many different poverty traps affecting millions of people

影響全世界數百萬人的 許多貧窮陷阱之一。

around the world.

Poverty traps are economic and environmental circumstances

貧窮陷阱是種經濟和環境的境遇，

that reinforce themselves, perpetuating poverty for generations.

會自行強化，讓人們貧窮持續數個世代。

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

有些貧窮陷阱和個人的境況有關，

like a lack of access to healthy food or education.

比如無法取得健康的食物或教育。

Others can affect entire nations,

其他陷阱則會影響整個國家，

such as cycles of corrupt government or climate change.

比如腐敗政府的循環或者氣候變遷。

But the cruel irony of welfare traps in particular

但福利陷阱特別殘酷諷刺的地方在於

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

它們的起源正是設計來對抗貧窮的政策。

Most societies throughout history employed some strategies

歷史上大部分的社會 都會採用某些策略

to help people in poverty meet basic needs.

來協助窮人滿足基本需求。

Before the 20th century, religious groups and private charities

在二十世紀之前，

提供這類計畫的通常是 宗教團體和私人慈善機構。

often led such initiatives.

Today, these are called welfare programs,

現今，它們被稱為福利方案，

and they usually take the form of government-provided subsidies

常見的形式是政府提供的補助金，

for housing, food, energy, and healthcare.

補助住房、食物、能源，以及健康照護。

Typically, these programs are means-tested,

通常，這些方案都附帶經濟情況調查，

meaning that only people who fall below a certain income level

意即，只有薪資不到某個標準的人

are eligible for benefits.

才有資格取得福利。

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

設計這項政策的目的 是要確保最需要援助的人才能得到援助。

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

但也意味著，

一旦賺得的錢多於合格標準， 就無法再取得補助。

than the qualification threshold,

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

不管他們的財務是否繼續足夠穩定。

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

這個惡性循環對貧窮的人 以及非貧窮的人都有害。

Mainstream economic models assume people are rational actors

主流的經濟模型都假設 人是理性的行為者，

who weigh the cost and benefits of their options

會衡量可得選項的成本和利益，

and choose the most advantageous path forward.

並選擇最有利的路來走。

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

如果貧窮的人知道工作 並不會讓他們得到淨利益，

they're incentivized to remain in government assistance.

他們反而會被鼓勵要繼續接受政府援助。

Of course, people work for many reasons,

當然，人會去工作的理由很多，

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.

但收入是追求就業的重要獎勵，

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

當取得新工作的人變少了， 經濟就會放緩，

keeping people in poverty

讓人繼續貧窮，

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

且可能會將最貧窮的人逼上絕路。

Some have suggested this feedback loop could be removed

有些人認為，只要把政府的協助方案

by eliminating government assistance programs altogether.

完全取消，就可以除去這種反饋迴路。

But most agree the solution is neither realistic nor humane.

但一般認為這個解決方案 既不實際也不人道。

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

所以我們要如何重新設計福利， 才不讓人們工作反而變成不利？

Many countries have tried different ways to circumvent this problem.

許多國家嘗試過不同的方式 來處理這個問題。

Some allow people to continue receiving benefits for a given period

有些國家讓人民在找到工作之後

還可以領取一段時間的福利，

after finding a job,

while others phase out benefits gradually as income increases.

其他國家則是隨著收入增加， 漸漸逐步淘汰救濟金。

These policies still remove some financial incentive to work,

這些政策仍然會刪減 一些對工作的財務鼓勵，

but the risk of a welfare trap is lower.

但福利陷阱的風險會比較低。

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

也有政府會提供各種福利， 如教育、兒童照管，或醫療照護，

equally across all their citizens.

且是平等提供給所有公民。

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

有個提案還能將這個 全民福利的點子再推進一步。

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

「全民基本收入」能提供 固定津貼給所有社會的成員，

regardless of wealth or employment status.

不論貧富或者是否就業都一視同仁。

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

這是目前所知唯一可以 完全避開福利陷阱的政策，

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

因為任何賺得的薪水 會補充這收入，而不是取代它。

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

事實上，通過建立一個 任何人都不能低於的穩定收入底線，

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

這個基本收入打從一開始 就已經能預防任何人陷入貧窮。

Numerous economists and thinkers

從十八世紀以來， 有許多經濟學家和思想家

have championed this idea since the 18th century.

都擁護這個想法。

But for now, universal basic income remains largely hypothetical.

但到目前為止，全國基本收入 仍然主要都是假設性的。

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

雖然有些地方 已經小規模測試過這個政策，

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

但這些地方性實驗無法讓我們明確知道

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

在全國或全球的情況下 實施會變成怎樣。

Whatever strategy governments pursue,

不論政府想採用何種策略，

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

要解決福利陷阱，就需要 尊重人們的能動性和自主權。

Only by empowering individuals to create long-term change

唯有透過協助個人發展能力， 在生活和社區中

in their lives and communities

做出長期改變，

can we begin to break the cycle of poverty.

我們才能開始打破貧窮的循環。