史上最大規模：印度錫金將試行普遍基本收入制

普遍基本收入制，簡而言之就是不工作也有錢拿。在芬蘭、加拿大等福利好的發達國家都已經進行過小規模的試驗，結果都是無疾而終。

如今，印度錫金也要學發達國家搞普遍基本收入制，而且是“全邦出動”，不知道理想能否照進現實呢？

High in the Himalayas, Sikkim is one of the tiniest states in India. But it is about to embark on an experiment of global interest.

位於喜馬拉雅山坡上的錫金是印度最小的邦之一，但這裏即將進行一項全球矚目的試驗。

Sikkim's ruling party has announced an ambitious plan to implement a universal basic income for every one of its 610,577 citizens.

錫金的執政黨宣佈了一項雄心勃勃的計劃：爲其610577名公民提供普遍基本收入。

If successful, the scheme would represent the largest trial run anywhere in the world of a concept that supporters such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg say could provide a safety net, help alleviate poverty and address the challenge of job automation.

如果計劃成功實施，那麼這將是迄今爲止世界範圍內最大規模的試點。臉譜網總裁扎克伯格等支持者表示這一制度能提供一個安全網，以幫助減輕貧困和應對工作自動化帶來的挑戰。

Detractors, meanwhile, say it would reduce the incentive to work and would come at a huge expense.

與此同時，批評者表示，這將降低人民工作的積極性，最終會付出巨大代價。

A universal basic income is a regular, guaranteed income paid by the government, universally and unconditionally, to all citizens. It is a cash payment that aims to replace the often confusing array of assistance that states offer to citizens and place spending decisions in the hands of recipients.

普遍基本收入是政府無條件向所有公民定期支付的收入，用現金償付，旨在取代政府向公民提供的複雜的援助系統，將支出的決定權交給受助人。

"If there is one chance of it happening anywhere, it is Sikkim," said P.D. Rai, the sole member of India's Parliament from the state.

該州在印度議會唯一的代表P·D·雷表示：“錫金是唯一有可能實施這一制度的地方。”

Sikkim already has a progressive track record: In 1998, it was one of the first Indian states to ban plastic bags - a ban that it has implemented successfully, unlike many other states.

錫金此前已經有不少先進的舉措：1998年，錫金成爲印度首批禁止使用塑料袋的邦。與其他邦不同，錫金的禁令得到了徹底的實施。

It also provided housing for all its citizens. Most recently, it became the country's first organic state, eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

錫金還爲所有公民提供住房。最近，錫金徹底停止了農藥和化肥的使用，成爲印度第一個有機邦。

Its social indexes also stand out from the rest of the country, with a literacy rate of 98 percent, and it has reduced the percentage of people living below the poverty line to about 8 percent - compared with nearly 30 percent nationally. Sikkim's small geographic area and low population density have been responsible, in part, for its success.

錫金的各項社會指數也在印度衆邦之中脫穎而出：識字率達98%；將貧困線以下人口比例降到大約8%，而印度平均比例接近30%。錫金地狹人少，是它成功的原因之一。

Rai acknowledged that there will be challenges. "It's a matter of political will ultimately," he said.

雷承認錫金將會面臨挑戰。他說：“歸根結底這是一個政治意願的問題。”

"With the rise of global inequality, we want to ensure that we bridge the gap." Rai declined to reveal how much the program, which was announced ahead of upcoming elections this spring, would potentially cost the state.

“隨着全球不平等加劇，我們希望可以克服差距。”雷拒絕透露這項計劃會讓錫金花費多少錢。今春印度就要舉行大選。

The tourism and power sectors will be tapped to raise the resources. Tourism is a major source of revenue, with more than 2.5 million visitors annually.

錫金將利用旅遊業與電力部門的收入來籌集項目所需資金。旅遊業是錫金的主要收入來源，每年接待超過250萬遊客。

tap[tæp]: vt. 採用，利用

As a surplus power generating state, Sikkim sells 90 percent of its hydropower. For now, he said, the government is holding meetings with experts and stakeholders and expects to roll out the scheme by 2022.

作爲一個發電盈餘的邦，錫金90%的水力發電量用於出售。他說，目前政府正在與專家和利益相關者進行探討，預計在2022年推出該計劃。

India has a large existing social security apparatus: The central government alone spends 5 percent of GDP on 950 programs. These range from free rice, an allowance to build houses and even guaranteed employment for some residents of rural areas.

印度現有的社保攤子已經鋪得很大：光是中央政府就在950個社保項目上投入了5%的國內生產總值——從免費大米、建房補貼到農村居民的就業保障。

But inefficient implementation and diversion of funds because of corruption have long plagued the system, leading many to propose a universal basic income as a possible solution.

但是，長時間以來，印度的社保體系一直飽受執行不力和由腐敗導致的資金挪用之害，因此許多人提議採用普遍基本收入制。

Elsewhere in the world, there have been several small-scale experiments with implementing a universal basic income, but they have met with limited success.

世界的其他地方也曾實施過幾次小規模的普遍基本收入制試驗，但收效甚微。

In April 2017, the government of Ontario in Canada announced a pilot project involving 4,000 people that would have cost 150 million Canadian dollars.

2017年4月，加拿大的安大略省政府宣佈試行普遍基本收入制，試驗人數爲4000人，項目資金1.5億加元（7.6億元人民幣）。

The project ended abruptly after a year when the local government changed and the new administration described the program as expensive and unsustainable.

在試行一年後，當地政府換屆，項目突然終止，新政府認爲該項目昂貴且不可持續。

In Finland, an experiment with universal basic income ended in December after completing its two-year trial run, and there are currently no plans to continue the program. The trial included a $630 monthly payment to 2,000 unemployed citizens.

在芬蘭，普遍基本收入制的試驗在試行兩年後於去年12月終止，目前沒有繼續該項目的計劃。該項目給2000名無業公民每月分發630美元的收入。

In the United States, meanwhile, the concept has been floated in Stockton, California, by its young mayor. Last year, it announced that 100 residents would receive $500 a month for 18 months.

與此同時，美國加州斯托克頓市的年輕市長提出試行類似的項目。去年，該市宣佈100名居民將在18個月的時間內每月得到500美元的收入。

The notion of a universal basic income has found backers in Silicon Valley, with tech moguls such as Zuckerberg and Elon Musk endorsing it.

普遍基本收入的概念得到了扎克伯格、伊隆·馬斯克等硅谷大亨的支持。

mogul['moɡl]: n. 有權勢的人；顯要人物

In his Harvard commencement address in 2017, Zuckerberg spoke of the need for a "new social contract," with ideas like a basic income to provide a "cushion" for everyone. Musk has described it as a "necessary" step as automation takes over human jobs.

2017年在哈佛大學畢業典禮的演講中，扎克伯格倡議一種“新的社會契約”，認爲普遍基本收入可以爲每個人提供“緩衝”。馬斯克則認爲，隨着人類工作被機器取代，實行普遍基本收入制是“必經之路”。

But economists have pointed to various possible pitfalls. Some question whether giving cash instead of something like a food subsidy would lead to spending on wasteful items.

但是經濟學家也指出了潛在的陷阱。一些人質疑分發現金而非食物補貼是否會導致人們浪費錢買一些沒用的東西。

Plus as prices rise, a cash handout would buy fewer goods. Others say a basic income would disincentivize work, raising the possibility of a shrinking labor force.

而且，隨着物價上漲，分發的現金能買到的東西更少了。其他專家則表示，普遍基本收入會降低工作積極性，可能會加劇勞動力縮減的情況。

Hailing Sikkim's initiative, Pranab Bardhan, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley, said the rationale behind a universal basic income in a place such as Sikkim is very different from a place like Stockton.

加州大學伯克利分校的經濟學家普拉納‧巴德翰則對錫金試行的項目表示讚賞。他說，在錫金這種地方實施普遍基本收入制和在斯托克頓市實施這一制度，背後的原理大不相同。

rationale[,ræʃə'næl]: n. 基本原理

"In developed countries, the main purpose is to restructure or economize the existing welfare schemes, like unemployment benefits," Bardhan said.

巴德翰說：“在發達國家，實施該制度的主要目的是對現有的福利制度（比如失業補助）進行重組或優化。”

"In low- or mid-income countries, like India, the rationale will be to address the minimum economic insecurity of a larger section of the population, not just the poorest, without touching the existing anti-poverty measures."

“在印度這樣的中低收入國家實施這一制度，目的是在不動用現有的扶貧措施的情況下，解決大多數人口的溫飽問題，而不是僅限於最貧困人口。”