政府为何要将大众福利放在首位
日期:2019-10-31 13:42

(单词翻译:单击)

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Just over a mile away from here, in Edinburgh's Old Town, is Panmure House.
距这里仅一英里多的爱丁堡的老城区里,坐落着潘摩尔老屋。
Panmure House was the home of the world-renowned Scottish economist Adam Smith.
潘摩尔老屋是世界著名的苏格兰经济学家亚当·斯密的故居。
In his important work "The Wealth of Nations," Adam Smith argued, amongst many other things,
在他的重要著作《国富论》中,亚当·斯密指出,在诸多事物中,
that the measurement of a country's wealth was not just its gold and silver reserves.
衡量一个国家的财富,不仅仅指它的黄金和白银储备。
It was the totality of the country's production and commerce.
而是该国生产和商业的总体情况。
I guess it was one of the earliest descriptions of what we now know today as gross domestic product, GDP.
我想,这是我们现在所知道的国内生产总值(GDP)的最早描述之一。
Now, in the years since, of course, that measurement of production and commerce, GDP,
从那时起,衡量生产和商业的GDP,
has become ever more important, to the point that today -- and I don't believe this is what Adam Smith would have intended
已经变得越来越重要,发展到今天--我不相信这是亚当·斯密的意图,
that it is often seen as the most important measurement of a country's overall success.
GDP通常被视为一个国家整体成功的最重要的衡量标准。
And my argument today is that it is time for that to change.
我今天的论点是,现在是改变的时候了。
You know, what we choose to measure as a country matters.
作为一个国家,我们选择衡量什么很重要。
It really matters, because it drives political focus, it drives public activity.
这真的很重要,因为它推动政治焦点,它推动了公共活动。
And against that context, I think the limitations of GDP as a measurement of a country's success are all too obvious.
在这种背景下,我认为,将GDP作为一个国家成功的衡量标准,其局限性显而易见。
You know, GDP measures the output of all of our work,
GDP衡量我们所有生产活动的成果,
but it says nothing about the nature of that work, about whether that work is worthwhile or fulfilling.
但它没有说明这项活动的性质、这项工作是否值得做或令人满意。
It puts a value, for example, on illegal drug consumption, but not on unpaid care.
例如,GDP包含了了非法毒品的消费,却没有包含无偿护理的价值。
It values activity in the short term that boosts the economy,
它重视短期内促进经济的活动,
even if that activity is hugely damaging to the sustainability of our planet in the longer term.
即使这种活动长期对地球的可持续性造成巨大损害。
And we reflect on the past decade of political and economic upheaval, of growing inequalities,
我们反思过去十年的政治和经济动荡、不断加剧的不平等现象,
and when we look ahead to the challenges of the climate emergency, increasing automation, an aging population,
当我们展望气候紧急事件的挑战、日益增长的自动化、人口的老龄化时,
then I think the argument for the case for a much broader definition of what it means to be successful as a country, as a society, is compelling, and increasingly so.
我认为,讨论如何更广泛地定义一个国家、一个社会的成功正变得越来越迫切。
And that is why Scotland, in 2018, took the lead,
这正是为何苏格兰在2018年率先采取行动,
took the initiative in establishing a new network called the Wellbeing Economy Governments group,
率先建立了一个名为福利经济政府团体的新型网络,
bringing together as founding members the countries of Scotland, Iceland and New Zealand, for obvious reasons.
将创始成员国苏格兰、冰岛和新西兰聚集在一起,原因显而易见。
We're sometimes called the SIN countries, although our focus is very much on the common good.
我们有时被称为SIN国家,尽管我们关注的更多是共同利益。
And the purpose of this group is to challenge that focus on the narrow measurement of GDP.
这个团体的目的是挑战对GDP的狭隘衡量的关注。
To say that, yes, economic growth matters -- it is important -- but it is not all that is important.
是的,经济增长很重要--它是重要的--但它并非是唯一重要的。
And growth in GDP should not be pursued at any or all cost.
不应以任意成本或所有成本单纯追求GDP的增长。
In fact, the argument of that group is that the goal, the objective of economic policy should be collective well-being:
事实上,我们的论点是,经济政策的目的,即目标,应该是集体福利:
how happy and healthy a population is, not just how wealthy a population is.
人口的幸福和健康程度,而不仅仅是人口的富裕程度。
And I'll touch on the policy implications of that in a moment.
我马上就会谈到政策的影响。
But I think, particularly in the world we live in today, it has a deeper resonance.
但我认为,特别是在我们今天生活的世界中,它有更深层次的共鸣。
You know, when we focus on well-being, we start a conversation that provokes profound and fundamental questions.
当我们关注福利时,我们开始了一个引发深刻和基本问题的对话。
What really matters to us in our lives? What do we value in the communities we live in?
我们生活中真正重要的是什么?在所居住的社区中我们重视什么?
What kind of country, what kind of society, do we really want to be?
我们真正想成为什么样的国家、什么样的社会?

政府为何要将大众福利放在首位

And when we engage people in those questions, in finding the answers to those questions,
当我们让人们参与这些问题、去找出这些问题的答案时,
then I believe that we have a much better chance
我相信我们有更好的机会,
of addressing the alienation and disaffection from politics that is so prevalent in so many countries across the developed world today.
去解决当今发达世界中众多国家普遍存在的政治异化和不满问题。
In policy terms, this journey for Scotland started back in 2007,
早在2007年,苏格兰在政策方面就开始调整,
when we published what we call our National Performance Framework,
当时我们发布了所谓的国家绩效框架,
looking at the range of indicators that we measure ourselves against.
着眼于我们衡量的指标范围。
And those indicators are as varied as income inequality, the happiness of children, access to green spaces, access to housing.
这些指标与收入不平等、儿童幸福、绿色空间获得、住房获得等一样各种各样。
None of these are captured in GDP statistics, but they are all fundamental to a healthy and a happy society.
GDP统计中都没有上述这些,但它们都是健康和幸福社会的基础。
And that broader approach is at the heart of our economic strategy,
而这种更广泛的方法是我们经济战略的核心,
where we give equal importance to tackling inequality as we do to economic competitiveness.
我们同样重视解决不平等问题,就像我们对经济竞争力一样。
It drives our commitment to fair work, making sure that work is fulfilling and well-paid.
它推动了我们对公平工作的承诺,确保工作让人满意且收入丰厚。
It's behind our decision to establish a Just Transition Commission to guide our path to a carbon zero economy.
我们决定建立一个公平过渡委员会,来指导我们走上零碳经济的道路。
We know from economic transformations of the past that if we're not careful, there are more losers than winners.
我们从过去的经济转型中知道,如果我们不小心的话,那么失败者就会比赢家更多。
And as we face up to the challenges of climate change and automation, we must not make those mistakes again.
当我们面对气候变化和自动化的挑战时,我们决不能再犯这些错误。
The work we're doing here in Scotland is, I think, significant, but we have much, much to learn from other countries.
我认为,我们在苏格兰所做的工作很重要,但我们有很多东西要向其他国家学习。
I mentioned, a moment ago, our partner nations in the Wellbeing network: Iceland and New Zealand.
就在刚才,我提到了我们在福利网络中的伙伴国家:冰岛和新西兰。
It's worth noting, and I'll leave it to you to decide whether this is relevant or not,
值得注意的是,我将它留给你们来决定这是否相关,
that all three of these countries are currently led by women. They, too, are doing great work.
这三个国家目前都由女性领导。她们也做得很好。
New Zealand, in 2019, publishing its first Wellbeing Budget, with mental health at its heart;
新西兰于2019年发布了第一份福利预算案,其核心是心理健康;
Iceland leading the way on equal pay, childcare and paternity rights
冰岛在同工同酬、儿童保育和养育权利方面处于领先地位,
not policies that we immediately think of when we talk about creating a wealthy economy,
这并非我们在谈论创造富裕经济时立即想到的政策,
but policies that are fundamental to a healthy economy and a happy society.
而是对健康经济和幸福社会至关重要的政策。
I started with Adam Smith and "The Wealth of Nations."
我是从亚当·斯密和《国富论》开始演讲的。
In Adam Smith's earlier work, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments," which I think is just as important,
在我认为同样重要的亚当·斯密的早期的作品《道德情操论》中,
he made the observation that the value of any government is judged in proportion to the extent that it makes its people happy.
他观察到,任何政府的价值都与其使人民幸福的程度成正比。
I think that is a good founding principle for any group of countries focused on promoting well-being.
我认为,对于任何一个致力于促进福祉的国家来说,这都是一个很好的基本原则。
None of us have all of the answers, not even Scotland, the birthplace of Adam Smith.
没人知道所有问题的答案,甚至连亚当·斯密的出生地苏格兰也没有。
But in the world we live in today, with growing divides and inequalities, with disaffection and alienation,
但是,在我们今天生活的世界中,随着分歧和不平等的增加、不满和异化,
it is more important than ever that we ask and find the answers to those questions
比以往任何时候都更重要的是,我们要求并找到那些问题的答案,
and promote a vision of society that has well-being, not just wealth, at its very heart.
并促进以福利为核心的社会愿景,而不仅仅是财富。
You are right now in the beautiful, sunny capital city of the country that led the world in the Enlightenment,
您现在正处于美丽、阳光明媚的首都...领导世界启蒙运动的国家的首都,
the country that helped lead the world into the industrial age,
在这个帮助世界进入工业时代的国家,
the country that right now is helping to lead the world into the low carbon age.
现在正帮助世界进入低碳时代的国家。
I want, and I'm determined, that Scotland will also be the country
我想要,而且我已下定决心,苏格兰将成为
that helps change the focus of countries and governments across the world to put well-being at the heart of everything that we do.
帮助世界各国和政府将关注点改为以福利为所做一切的核心的国家。
I think we owe that to this generation.
我想为了当代人,我们应当这么做。
I certainly believe we owe that to the next generation and all those that come after us.
我当然相信为了下一代人,我们也应当这么做,还有我们身后的世世代代。
And if we do that, led here from the country of the Enlightenment,
如果我们这样做,由启蒙运动的国家带领,
then I think we create a better, healthier, fairer and happier society here at home.
那么我认为,我们会在国内创造一个更好、更健康、更公平和更幸福的社会。
And we play our part in Scotland in building a fairer, happier world as well. Thank you very much.
我们也在苏格兰发挥自己的作用,建立一个更公平、更幸福的世界。谢谢!

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重点单词
  • resonancen. 共鸣,共振,洪亮
  • planetn. 行星
  • profoundadj. 深奥的,深邃的,意义深远的
  • challengen. 挑战 v. 向 ... 挑战
  • budgetn. 预算 vt. 编预算,为 ... 做预算 vi.
  • observationn. 观察,观察力,评论 adj. 被设计用来观察的
  • rangen. 范围,行列,射程,山脉,一系列 v. 排列,归类于
  • frameworkn. 结构,框架,参照标准,体系
  • relevantadj. 相关的,切题的,中肯的
  • conversationn. 会话,谈话