2012翻译大赛(原文)-豆柴文库

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WhyEconomicsCan’tExplainOurCulturalDivide
Evenduringupturns,blue-collarAmericansaremarryingandworkingless.
Somereviewersof“ComingApart”,mynewbookaboutthegrowingculturaldividebetweenAmerica’supperandlowerclasses,havefaultedmeforignoringtheroleofthelabormarketinunderminingoncewidelysharedvaluesinvolvingmarriageandhardwork.
Asthesecriticsseeit,thelossofourcommoncultureisaresultnotofculturalchangesbutofshiftsinpolicyandtheeconomy.Overthepastfourdecades,theyargue,theU.S.hasshippedhigh-payingmanufacturingjobsoverseasandunderminedthelaborunionsthatcouldprotectworkers’payandbenefits.Working-classearningsfellmorethan20%fromtheirhighpointin1973,menwerenolongerabletosupportfamilies,andmarriageerodedaccordingly.Demoralizedworkersfelloutofthelaborforce.Theproblemsofthenewlowerclasswouldfadeaway,theysuggest,ifonlywewouldusepublicpolicytogenerateworking-classjobsatgoodwages.
Therearetwoproblemswiththislineofargument:Thepurportedcausesdon’texplaintheeffects,andwhethertheyreallywerethecausesdoesn’tmakemuchdifferenceanyway.
Startwiththeprevalentbeliefthatthelabormarketaffectedmarriagebecauseofthedisappearanceofthe“familywage”thatenabledaworking-classmantosupportafamilyinmybaselineyearof1960.
Itistruethatunionizedjobsatthemajormanufacturersprovidedgenerouswagesin1960.Buttheydidn’tdrivetheoverallwagelevelintheworkingclass.Inthe1960census,themeanannualearningsofwhitemalesages30to49whowereinworking-classoccupations(expressedin2010dollars)was$33,302.In2010,theparallelfigurefromtheCurrentPopulationSurveywas$36,966–morethan$3,000higherthanthe1960mean,usingtheidenticaldefinitionofworking-classoccupations.
Thisoccurreddespitethedeclineofprivate-sectorunions,globalization,andalltheotherchangesinthelabormarket.What’smore,thisfiguredoesn’tincludeadditionalincomefromtheEarnedIncomeTaxCredit,abenefitnowenjoyedbythosemakingthelowendofworking-classwages.
Ifthepaylevelin1960representedafamilywage,therewasstillafamilywagein2010.Andyet,just48%ofworking-classwhitesages30to49weremarriedin2010,downfrom84%