Defining poverty 给贫穷下个定义

Defining poverty 给贫穷下个定义

 

Measure by measure 新标准

 

MOST people have an inherent sense of what it means to be poor. But choosing a definition is much trickier. Is poverty an absolute or relative condition? What is a decent standard of living? Such questions have dogged America's social scientists for decades. This month the Census Bureau published a preliminary estimate of poverty, using a new definition. It was 16 years in the making. But it is not quite finished yet.
很多人有对什么是贫穷有着既定的感觉：但是为贫穷选择一个定义不是那么简单。贫穷是个绝对的还是相对的状态？什么才是生活体面的标准？这样的问题困扰了美国的社会学家几十年。本月，统计局发布了关于贫穷的初级估计，采用的是新的定义。为了制定这个新的标准，花费了十六年，但是还没有完成。

 

Poverty means different things in different countries. In Europe, the poor are those whose income falls below 60% of the median. Britain uses three measures: one relative, one absolute and a broader indicator of material deprivation, such as whether a child can celebrate his birthday. The concept of poverty becomes even more slippery when attempting international comparisons. The United Nations' "human- development index" assesses countries across a range of indicators, such as schooling and life expectancy.
贫困在不同国家有不同的概念。在欧洲，穷人往往是那些收入低于中产阶级60％的人群。英国采用三项措施：一是相对标准，一是绝对标准，三是物质贫困更广泛的指标，如孩子是否能庆祝自己的生日。当试图进行国际比较时，贫困的概念变得更加弹性。联合国"人类发展指数"评估国家的多个指标，如在学校教育和预期寿命指标等。 
America's official poverty measure is far simpler. Developed in the 1960s, the poverty threshold represents the basic cost of food for a household, multiplied by three. A family is judged to be poor if its pre-tax income falls below this threshold. But the official measure provides only a blurry picture. Food spending has become a flimsy reference point-in 2009 groceries accounted for just 7.8% of Americans' spending. The poverty indicator does not account for programmes that help the poor, such as the earned-income tax credit, nor does it adjust for regional variations in the cost of living. In 1995 the National Academy of Sciences recommended changing the measure, but only now is a new one close to being established.
美国的官方贫穷标准却非常简单。这是在二十世纪六十年代提出来的，贫穷的标准是用在食物上面的钱是生活花销的三分之一。如果一个家庭的税前收入降在了标准之下，就被认为是贫穷家庭。但是官方标准只提供了一个模糊的情况。食物开销成为了一个不足信的指标，2009年美国的购买杂物的开支只占7.8%。贫穷指标没有将帮助穷人的项目包含在内，比如收入税收抵免，也没有为生活成本的地区不同而作调整。1995年，国家科学院建议改变标准，但是时至今日新的标准制定才接近尾声。

 

The "supplemental poverty measure" (SPM) will not replace the official one, which is used to determine eligibility for government programmes. Rather, census officials hope the new indicator will provide a better understanding of America's poor, by measuring both the needs of families and the effect of government help. The SPM estimates the cost of food, clothing, shelter and utilities, then adds a further 20% for other expenses. This threshold is adjusted for the cost of living in different regions and for whether a family owns or rents its home. To assess a household's ability to pay for basic expenses, the SPM counts cash income as well as food stamps, tax credits and other government support, minus tax payments, work expenses and out-of-pocket medical costs.
"补充量度贫穷"（SPM）不会取代官方标准的，官方标准是用来确定政府项目的资格的。相反，政府官员希望将新的指标同时参加计算，更好的理解美国的贫穷人口，这是家庭的需要，是政府援助的效果考核的需要。SPM从食物，衣服，住房和公用事业开销几个方面衡量，其他费用则增加了20％。这项新标准根据地区不同做不同调整，还考虑家庭是拥有住房还是租房。为了评估一个家庭的支付基本开支的能力，SPM将现金收入也计算在内，好包括食品券，减税和其他政府补助，税金减免，费用和自费医疗。

 

 

 

Final figures are due to be published in the autumn, but preliminary results were released this month. In 2009 15.7% of Americans were poor, compared with 14.5% in the official measure (see chart). The share of those in extreme poverty fell, relative to the official measure, thanks to the inclusion of government support. The poverty rate dropped in rural areas and rose in urban and suburban ones. It jumped in the north-east and the West, while staying almost level in the South and falling in the Midwest. The most dramatic rise was for the elderly-from 9.9% in the official measure to 16.1% in the SPM, in part because of their high medical expenses.
最终的数据会在秋季公布，但是原始结果本月就会公布。2009年，15.7%的美国人都是贫穷的，而官方计算结果是14.5%。绝对贫穷的人口比例正在下降，这是根据官方标准测算的结果，这多亏了政府涵盖面广的扶贫政策。贫穷率在农村地区有所下降，而在城市和郊区有所上升。在西北部和西部有所上升，而在南部保持水平，在中西部有所下降。而老人中的贫穷人口比例惊人增长，从官方数据的9.9%上升到根据"补充贫穷度量"的16.1%，部分是因为高额的医疗费用。

 

Timothy Smeeding of the University of Wisconsin, long a critic of the old measure, says that the SPM is a massive improvement. Some conservatives, however, are horrified. Most objectionable, according to Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation, is that the new measure pegs household expenses at the 33rd percentile of American spending. This, he argues, makes the SPM a relative measure, rather than an absolute one. "It measures inequality," Mr Rector insists, adding that it will help advance a misguided anti-poverty agenda.
威斯康星大学的Timothy Smeeding是老标准的反对者，他说，SPM是一个巨大的进步。但是一些保守派感到震惊。根据美国传统基金会罗伯特主席所说，令人不快的是，新标准将贫穷标准定为家庭支出是所有支出的三分之一。这一点让他认为，SPM是一个相对标准，而不是绝对的。 "这监测了发展的不平衡，"主席先生认为，并表示这将孕育一个误导扶贫计划。
For all the time spent developing the SPM, it is still a work in progress. Though first official numbers are supposed to be published in the autumn, even this is uncertain. Surveys must be expanded to collect additional data. The project needs about $7.5m, and a newly conservative Congress may be reluctant to provide it.
对于要制定出SPM所花费的所有时间来说，标准的制定还在进行。尽管第一组官方数据会在秋天公布，但是这也不确定。必须扩展调查以增加额外的数据。该项目需要大约七百五十万美元，新的保守国会不情愿支付这笔费用。