（一）WorldeconomyThejobscrisis失业危机It’scoming,whatevergovernmentsdo;buttheycanmakeitbetterorworse不论政府如何努力，失业危机已经到来。不过政府可以在这场危机中起到关键作用IllustrationbyBelleMellorNOTHINGevokesthemiseryofmassunemploymentmorethanthephotographsoftheDepression.Youcanseeitinthedrawnfacesofthemen,intheirshabbyclothes,intheireyes.Theirdespairspawnedpoliticalextremismthatleftastainonsociety;butitalsotaughtsubsequentgenerationsthatpublicpolicyhasavitalpartinalleviatingthesufferingofthosewhocannotgetwork.Thankstowelfareschemesandunemploymentbenefits,manyofwhichhavetheiroriginsinthosedarkdays,joblessnessnolongerplungespeopleintodestitution,atleastinthedevelopedworld.再没有什么比关于经济大萧条的照片更能让人体会大量失业的痛苦。这种痛苦显见于人们紧绷的面容，褴褛的衣衫，还有他们的眼神。由人们的绝望所引发的政治极端主义给社会留下污点；失业问题也使后人懂得公共政策在减轻失业痛苦方面所起到的重要作用。很多福利计划和失业救济金方案都发轫于那些灰暗的失业时期；受惠于这些计划，至少发达国家的人们不再因为失业而陷入穷困。Noteventhegloomiestpredictthattoday’sslumpwillapproachtheseverityoftheDepression,whichshrankAmerica’seconomybymorethanaquarter,andputaquarteroftheworking-agepopulationoutofajob.Butwiththeworldinitsdeepestrecessionsincethe1930sandglobaltradeshrinkingatitsfastestpacein80years,themiseryofmassunemploymentloomsnonetheless,andraisesthebigquestionposedintheDepression:whatshouldgovernmentsdo?即使是最悲观的预计都不认为眼下的衰退会接近大萧条的程度，后者使美国经济缩水四分之一，四分之一的就业人口失去工作。但随着世界经济出现自1930年代以来的最大幅度衰退以及全球贸易80年来的最快速萎缩，大规模失业的恶魇再度凸显，并且抛出了和大萧条时期一样的大问题：政府应该做些什么？Jointhequeue加入失业队伍IntherichworldthejoblossesarestarkestinAmerica,wheretherecessionbegan.Itsflexiblelabourmarkethasshed4.4mjobssincethedownturnbeganinDecember2007,includingmorethan600,000ineachofthepastthreemonths.Theunemploymentratejumpedto8.1%inFebruary,thehighestinaquarter-century.AnAmericanwholoseshisjobtodayhaslessofachanceoffindinganotheronethanatanytimesincerecordsbeganhalfacenturyago.Thatisespeciallyworryingwhenthefinancesofmanyhouseholdshavecometodependontwofullincomes.富裕国家的失业问题在衰退肇始的美国最为显著。自从07年12月经济陷入低迷以来，美国灵活的劳动力市场已经溢出了440万份失业，其中在过去三个月内每月产生了60万份。二月的失业率跃升至8.1%，是25年来的最高数字。比起有纪录的半个世纪内的任何时期，眼下失业的美国人更难再找到一份工作。特别是当很多家庭的财政依靠双职工收入的时候，这种情况尤其令人堪忧。ButitisalreadyclearthatunemploymentwillstrikehardfarbeyondAmericaandBritain.InJapanoutputisplungingfasterthaninotherricheconomies.Althoughunemploymentislow,rapidjoblossesamongJapan’sarmyoftemporaryworkersareexposingtheunfairnessofatwo-tierlabourmarketandstraininganegalitariansociety.然而显而易见的是，失业问题的沉重打击远不止于美国和英国。日本的生产量比其他富裕经济体下降得更快。尽管失业率尚低，但临时工当中快速增长的失业大军显示了“双层劳工市场”的不公平性，加剧了一个平等社会中的紧张。InEuropejoblessnesshasgrownfastestinplacessuchasSpainandIreland,wherebuildingboomshavecrashed,buthasonlybeguntoedgeupelsewhere.TheunemploymentratesinmanyEuropeancountriesarebelowAmerica’s,butthatmaybebecausetheirmorerigidlabourmarketsadjustmoreslowlytofallingdemand.GivenhowfastEuropeaneconomiesareshrinking,nobodydoubtsthatworselie...
