歐洲首個(gè)受政府支持、“不用干活就拿錢”的社會福利試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目于今年1月宣告終止。這項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)從2017年1月開始。芬蘭政府隨機(jī)選擇大約2000名年齡25歲至58歲的失業(yè)公民，每月向他們發(fā)放560歐元的保障性收入，不要求他們找工作。即便這些人找到工作，每月依然會收到這份錢。
2015年，芬蘭的失業(yè)率一度達(dá)到10%，創(chuàng)下17年來的最高值。因?yàn)榘凑沾饲暗纳鐣＠贫?，很多人失業(yè)后不愿意找工作——失業(yè)補(bǔ)助往往比做臨時(shí)工掙的錢多。另一方面，多項(xiàng)研究顯示，長期失業(yè)者將在職場上面臨比短期失業(yè)者多得多的挑戰(zhàn)，“想回但回不去”。
在經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)、老齡化加劇的背景下，如何提供足夠的激勵讓長期失業(yè)者重回勞動市場，成為了歷屆芬蘭政府的心頭之痛。芬蘭中右翼政府倡導(dǎo)財(cái)政緊縮，致力于減少社會保障支出、降低失業(yè)率。支持這項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)是想確認(rèn)，無條件收入是否能激勵民眾找份帶薪工作。
本篇課程首發(fā)于2019年2月12日，選自 The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/08/finland-free-cash-experiment-fails-to-boost-employment
作者：Jon Henley
Finland's 'free cash' experiment fails to boost employment
① Europe's first national government-backed experiment in giving citizens free cash failed to encourage its participants to work more as organisers had hoped.
② Under Finland's two-year basic income trial, which ended a month ago, a random sample of 2,000 unemployed people aged 25 to 58 were paid a monthly €560 (￡475), with no requirement to seek or accept employment. Any recipients who took a job continued to receive the same amount.
③ Aimed mainly at seeing whether a guaranteed income might incentivise people to take up more low-paid or temporary work by removing their concerns about losing benefits, the scheme was strictly speaking not a universal basic income (UBI) trial since the payments were made to a restricted group and not enough to live on.
④ Finland's centre-right government's original aim was to expand the trial after two years in a bid to combat unemployment, which has been persistently high for years.
⑤ But it changed tack last April, instead imposing benefits sanctions on unemployed people who refused work. Joblessness has since hit a 10-year low of 6.6%.
▍生詞好句
experiment /?k?sper?m?nt/: n. 試驗(yàn)；實(shí)驗(yàn)
boost /bu?st/: vt. 推動；增強(qiáng) (increase)
boost tourism: 促進(jìn)旅游業(yè)的發(fā)展
boost one's confidence: 增強(qiáng)某人的信心
government-backed: 政府支持的 (government-supported)
participant /pɑ??t?s?p?nt, pɑ?r?t?s?p?nt/: n. 參與者
basic income: 基本收入
trial /tra??l/: n. 試驗(yàn)
random /?r?nd?m/: adj. 隨機(jī)的
sample /?sɑ?mp?l, ?s?mp?l/: n. 樣本
recipient /r??s?pi?nt/: n. 接受者
guarantee /?ɡ?r?n?ti?/: vt. 保證；擔(dān)保
incentivise /?n?sent?va?z/: vt. 激勵 (encourage)
temporary work /?temp?r?ri, ?temp?reri/: 臨時(shí)工作
scheme /ski?m/: n. 計(jì)劃
in a bid to: 力求；為了 (in order to)
combat unemployment /k?m?b?t, ?kɑ?mb?t/: 降低失業(yè)率
tack /t?k/: n. 方法 (the way you deal with a particular situation or a method that you use to achieve something)
impose /?m?p??z/: vt. 強(qiáng)制實(shí)行
sanction /?s??k??n/: n. 裁撤；制裁
▍詞匯拓展
1. boost: vt. 推動；增強(qiáng) (increase) 的意思
boost tourism: 促進(jìn)旅游業(yè)的發(fā)展
boost one's confidence: 增強(qiáng)某人的信心
The new resort area has boosted tourism.
新的度假區(qū)促進(jìn)了旅游業(yè)的發(fā)展。
The win boosted the team's confidence.
這場勝利增強(qiáng)了隊(duì)員們的信心。
2. government-backed: 政府支持的 (government-supported)
名詞加連字符加過去分詞：
family-led company 家族企業(yè)
The company is led by the family.
student-centred class 以學(xué)生為中心的課堂
The class is centred on students.
3. incentivise: vt. 激勵 (encourage)
Regulators have been trying to incentivise consumers.
監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)一直在努力刺激消費(fèi)者多消費(fèi)。
4. 選自《孟子·告子下》
So it is that whenever Heaven invests a person with great responsibilities, it first tries his resolve, exhausts his muscles and bones, starves his body, leaves him destitute, and confounds his every endeavour. In this way his patience and endurance are developed, and his weaknesses are overcome.
故天將降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，行拂亂其所為，所以動心忍性，曾益其所不能。
▍責(zé)任編輯
高晴、李煥
▍內(nèi)容校對
武志琳、章曉丹
