1、2009 年 经 济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读连 载汇 总 大家网 考研论 坛 整 理 更 新 至 8 月 份 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Consumer spending in Asia :Shopaholics wanted.3 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Return of the grave-dancers 坟墓舞 者又 回来 了 .7 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Muffled signals 模糊的 信号.10 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Fatalism v fetishism 宿命论 VS 进口 至上 说 12 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Dismal sc
2、ience 沉闷的 科学 .16 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :The regulatory rumble begins 大张旗 鼓的 金融 监管 改革 开始了.18 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Eggs and baskets 鸡 蛋和 篮子 23 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Wide girls 诈欺女 .25 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Microfinance 微 型金 融 27 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :A conqueror, not an end-user 是征服 者 , 而不 是最 终用 户30 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Language proble
3、ms 都是 文字 惹的祸 32 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :No thanks, Geneva 日 内瓦 , 盛情 被却 .34 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Charlemagne: Lonely at the top : 高 处不 胜寒 37 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Out of sight, out of mind 眼不见 , 心不 烦 40 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Battery Farm 笼架式的 养鸡 场.44 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Blooms in the bust 百花怒 放47 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Still in the sou
4、p 犹陷困 境.49 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Motor ways and wherefores 公路及 其来 龙去 脉 .51 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Mr Nepal lucks out 内帕 尔 侥幸成 功.53 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Chasing ghosts 追逐 战争 幽灵54 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Some are on their own 自 力 更生58 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Old problems in the new south 苏丹 南部 的老 问题.60 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :A merry dance 愉快
5、 的舞 蹈 63 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Prudence can win 谨 慎为 上 .64 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :In need of some snake-blood 蛇血之 渴66 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Back to the future? 回 归 未来 ? 68 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Not by aircraft alone 并不仅 仅依赖 航空 业.70 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :New Yorks new casino 纽约 市新的 赌场.73 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Tough enough? 够 不够 强硬 ? 74
6、经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 : 大不列 颠哥 伦比 亚沦 为南 美哥伦 比亚 ?.78 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Californias budget crisis 加州预算危 机 79 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Milestones 里程 碑 82 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :The last judgment 最后的 审 判.86 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :It is far from over 远未结 束 .90 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :It may make life easier and cheaper 生 活简 捷 , 物价 低廉 .93 经济学 人
7、杂 志双 语阅 读 :Regrettable facts 遗憾 的事 实.95 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Good game? 游戏 有益 ? 98经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Ding dong! Empowerment calling 叮咚 ! 灌能 在召 唤 .100 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Muck, brass and spleen 污 泥 、 黄铜 还有 怨气 104 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Reading between the lines 杂 志业 : 字里 行间 地读105 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Tough enough? 够 不够 强硬 ?
8、 108 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Unlocking the cloud 解 开“ 云锁” 112 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Still in the soup 犹陷困 境.114 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Bauxite bashers 铝 土矿 盛怒 者 116 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Dismal science 沉闷的 科学 .119 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Scuttlebutt 谣 言 121 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Bash for help 猛击 求生 123 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Connecting Up 网络 情缘 .
9、125 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :The United States of Entrepreneurs 创 业家 合众 国127 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Asia, An astonishing rebound 亚洲 , 惊 人的 反弹.135 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Taiwans disastrous typhoon 毁灭性 台风 袭击 台湾.139 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Overseas and under siege 困 居海外 .140 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :No way to start out in life 何 去何从.144 经济学
10、人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Separated brothers 分离 的兄 弟147 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :The decline of the English divorce 英 国离 婚衰 退曲.150 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Raising Alabama 阿拉 巴马 , 竿头日 进.153 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :A mountain of trouble 是非 之 地 154 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Iceland and the European Union 冰 岛与 欧盟 158 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Virtual worlds for
11、 children 孩子们的 虚拟 世界 .159 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Towers of debt 债“ 塔” 高筑 161 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Rise of the machines 机器 为 王 165 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :A souring relationship 不 断恶 化的关 系 168 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Mervyns reality check 马尔 文审视 现状 .170 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Zaremas end 萨利 玛之 死.174 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Keeping a grip 保持 抓
12、地 力 176 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Pigheaded policies 针对 猪的 政策178 经济学 人杂 志双 语阅 读 :Spies in the sky 空中间谍.181经 济学 人杂志 双语 阅读:Consumer spending in Asia :Shopaholics wanted Consumer spending in Asia 亚洲消费状况 Shopaholics wanted 购物狂 时代 该来 了 ? Jun 25th 2009 | HONG KONG From The Economist print edition Can Asians replace
13、 Americans as a driver of global growth? 亚洲人能够代替美国人做全球经济的发动机吗 ? ASIAS emerging economies are bouncing back much more strongly than any others. While Americas industrial production continued to slide in May, output in emerging Asia has regained its pre-crisis level (see chart 1). This is largely due
14、to China; but although production in the regions smaller economies is still well down on a year ago, it is rebounding in those countries too. Taiwans industrial output rose by an annualised 80% in the three months to May compared with the previous three months. JPMorgan estimates that emerging Asias
15、 GDP has grown by an annualised 7% in the second quarter. 时下亚洲新兴经济体们的恢复势头比其他任何国家都要迅猛 。在美国工业生产继续下滑的 5 月,亚洲新兴 国 家 的 产 出 已 经回 到 了 它们 危机 前 的 水 平(见 表 一)。 这 很 大程 度 上 要 归 功于 中 国 , 此外 尽管 该 地 区 较 小 经 济体的生产比去年仍有所下降 ,但最近这些国家也在渐渐恢复。台湾截至 5 月的工业产出年度化增长较前 三个月上升了 80% 。摩根大通预计二季度亚洲新兴经济体年度化增长率将达到 7% 。 Asias ability to
16、 decouple from America reflects the fact that the regions downturn was caused only partly by the slump in American activity. In most Asian economies falling domestic demand was more important than the drop in net exports in explaining the collapse in GDP growth. The surge in food and energy prices i
17、n the first half of2008 squeezed profits and spending power. Tighter monetary policy aimed at curbing inflation then further choked domestic demand. 亚洲 与美国脱 钩的能力 说明该地区 经济下滑 只是部分 由于美国经 济活动的 影响。 大 多数亚洲经 济体内需下 降要比净出口下降对经济影响更大,这就解释了 GDP 增长率暴跌的原因。2008 年上半年食品和能源价格 的暴涨让利润和消费能力双双缩减。从紧的货币政策旨在遏制通胀却进一步使得内需受到抑制
18、。 The recent recovery in industrial production reflects the end of destocking by manufacturers as well as the large fiscal stimulus by most governments. But the boost from both of these factors will fade. Meanwhile, export markets in developed economies are likely to remain weak. So the recovery in
19、Asian economies will stumble unless domestic spending, notably consumption, perks up. 近期 工业生产 的回复显 示制造商产 品积压的 状况正在 结束, 同时 多国政府 大规模经 济刺激计划 也已起效。 但是 这些原因 造成的增 长终会消失 ,同时面 向发达经 济体的出口 市场看上 去依旧疲 软。 因此除 非让内需, 尤其是让消费振作起来,否则亚洲经济体的回复之路依旧前途坎坷。 Consumers appetite to spend varies hugely across the region. In Chi
20、na, India and Indonesia spending has increased by annual rates of more than 5% during the global downturn. Chinas retail sales have soared by 15% over the past year. This overstates the true growth rate because it includes government purchases, but official household surveys suggest that real spendi
21、ng is growing at a still-impressive rate of 9%. In the year to May, sales of household electronics were up by 12%, clothing by 22% and cars by a stunning 47%. 消费 者消费的 胃口在这 一地区有着 巨大的差 异性。 中 国、 印度和 印尼在全 球经济下 滑期间消费 额年度化增 长率超过了 5% 。 中国的零售销售额去年暴增了 15%, 但这个数字是被夸大的, 因为它包括了政府采购的花销, 但是官方的家庭调查显示真实的消费增长率依然达到了令
22、人印象深刻的 9% 。 今年截至五月, 家用电器销售 增 长 12% ,服装销售增长 22% 而汽车销售增长则达到了惊人的 47% 。 Elsewhere in the region, spending has stumbled, squeezed by higher unemployment and lower wages. In Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea real consumer spending was 4-5% lower in the first quarter than a year earlier, a much bigger d
23、rop than in America. But Frederic Neumann, an economist at HSBC, sees tentative signs that spending is picking up. Taiwans retail sales rose in May for the third consecutive month. Department-store sales in South Korea rose by 5% in the year to May. 该地 区其它地 方由于受 增高的失业 率和工资 水平下降 的影响, 消 费增长步 履蹒跚。 香港 、
24、新加 坡和韩国一 季 度真实消 费较去年 下降了 4-5% , 这比美 国的情况 还要 糟糕。 但是汇丰 银行的经 济学家弗雷 德里希- 纽曼 认为 ,当下消费止跌上升的趋势已初露端倪。台湾的零售业销售额到五月为止已连续 3 月上升。韩国百货 商场销 售额到五月为止也上升了 5% 。 It is often argued that emerging Asian economies have large current-account surpluses-and are thus not pulling their fair weight in the world-because consume
25、rs like to save rather than spend. Yet this does not really fit the facts. During the past five years consumer spending in emerging Asia has grown by an annual average of 6.5%, much faster than in any other part of the world. It is true that consumption has fallen as a share of GDP, but that is beca
26、use investment and exports have grown even faster, not because spending has been weak. Relative to American consumer spending, Asian consumption has soared (see chart 2).人们 通常认为 新兴亚洲 经济体有着 大量的国 际收支经 常项目顺差 ,而这却 并不能使 它们在世界 贸易中占有 应有 的比重, 因为亚洲 的消费者倾 向储蓄多 过消费。 但这却并不 真正符合 事实, 在 过去五年中 崛起的亚洲 国家消费年均增长率达到了 6.
27、5% ,这要 比世界上任何其他地区都要快。 消费占 GDP 比重确实下降了,但 这并不表明消费减弱,而是因为投资和出口增长的更快。与美国消费相比,亚洲消费是暴增了。 (见表二) In most Asian economies, private consumption is 50-60% of GDP, which is not out of line with rates in countries at similar levels of income elsewhere. China, however, is an exception. Private consumption there f
28、ell from 46% of GDP in 2000 to only 35% last year-half that in America. In dollar terms, spending is only one-sixth of that in America. (Singapores consumption is also low, at just under 40% of GDP.) 在大多数亚洲经济体中 ,个人消费占 GDP 的 50-60% ,这个数字并不比收入水平相同的其他任何地方低。 然而中国是个例外。个人消费占 GDP 从 2000 年的 46% 下降到了去年的 35%
29、,这个数字才是美国的一半。 以美元结算的话,消费只有美国的六分之一。( 新加坡的消费也很低,不足 GDP 的 40%) This explains why Chinas government has recently taken bolder action than others to boost consumption. Over the past six months the government in Beijing has introduced a host of incentives to encourage households to open their wallets. Rur
30、al residents get subsidies for buying vehicles and other goods such as televisions, refrigerators, computers and mobile phones; urban residents get a subsidy if they trade in cars and home appliances for new goods; tax rates on low-emission cars have also been cut. There is huge potential for higher
31、 consumption in the countryside as incomes rise: only 30% of rural households have a refrigerator, for example, compared with virtually all urban households. 这也解释了中国政府为何最近比任何国家都大力促进消费。在过去 6 个月中北京政府颁布一揽子激励政策 来鼓 励家庭打 开他们的 钱包。 农村 居民得到 了购买车 辆和电 视、 冰箱、电 脑以及手 机等商品的 政策倾斜; 城市居民则得到了购买汽车和家电换新方面的政策倾斜; 小排量汽车的税率
32、也被下调。 随着农村收入增加 , 消费上升有着巨大潜力:与城市家庭近乎每家一台相比,只有 30% 的农村家庭拥有电冰箱。 The government has also introduced several measures this year to improve the social safety net, such as spending more on health care, pensions and payments to low-income households. On June 19th it ordered all state-owned firms that had li
33、sted on the stockmarket since 2005 to transfer 10% of their shares to the National Social SecurityFund to shore up its assets. The short-term impact is likely to be modest but if such measures ease households worries about future pensions and health care, it could in the long term encourage them to
34、save less and spend more. 政府 也在今年 颁布了几 项举措改善 社保网络 , 比如对 医疗卫生领 域加大投 入、 向低 收入家庭发 放养老金和 收入补助。6 月 19 日还命令 2005 年以来的国有上市公司向国家社保基金转让 10% 的股份,以稳固后者资 产。 虽然看起 来短期效 果有限, 但 是如果这 一系列举 措能够缓解 家庭对未 来养老金 和医疗问题 的担忧, 长 远的看还是能鼓励人们存得更少花得更多的。 Another way to boost consumption is to make it easier to borrow. In most Asian
35、 economies household debt is less than 50% of GDP, compared with around 100% in many developed economies; in China and India it is less than 15%. South Korea is the big exception: households have as much debt relative to their income as Americans and their saving rate has fallen over the past decade
36、 from 18% of disposable income to only 4%. In many other Asian economies financing for consumer durables is virtually nonexistent. Promisingly, the Chinese bank regulator announced draft rules in May to allow domestic and foreign institutions to set up consumer-finance firms to offer personal loans
37、for consumer-goods purchases. 另一个刺激消费的方法是让借贷更容易 。 多数亚洲国家家庭借贷不足 GDP 的 50% , 与此对比发达经济体这 个数字在 100% 左右;在中国和印度则更是少于 15% 。韩国却是个特例:与美国一样,家庭举债和他们收 入一样多,储蓄率也已经在过去十年中从可支配收入的 18% 下降到了只有 4% 。在其他亚洲经济体中面向 耐用消费品的金融服务事实上是不存在的。幸运的是,中国银监机构已经在 5 月宣布了一些规则草案,允 许中外机构建立消费金融公司为消费者购买商品提供个人贷款。 These measures are a modest ste
38、p in the right direction. But a bigger test of Asian governments resolve to shift the balance of growth from exports towards domestic spending is whether they will allow their exchange rates to rise. A revaluation would lift consumers real purchasing power and give firms reason to shift resources to
39、wards producing for the domestic market. But so far, policymakers have been reluctant to let currencies rise too fast. 这些 措施只不 过是正确 方向上有限 的一小步 。 但亚洲 各国政府想 要将增长 平衡由出 口向内需转 变的更大实 验能 否成功将 取决于它 们是否允许 本国货币 汇率上升 。这种再估 价将会提 升消费者 的实际消费 能力, 并让 企业有理由转移资源为国内市场生产商品。但迄今为止,政策制定者们都不情愿让货币升值太快。 Asian spending is alr
40、eady an important engine of global growth. Even before the crisis, emerging Asias consumer spending contributed slightly more (in absolute dollar terms) to the growth in global demand than did Americas. But it could be even bigger if Asians enjoyed the full fruits of their hard labour, rather than s
41、ubsidising Western consumers through undervalued currencies. It is time for an even greater shift in spending power from the West to the East. 亚洲 的消费已 经是世界 经济增长的 重要引擎 。 甚至在 危机之前, 亚洲新兴 经济体的 消费者对全 球经济增长 的 贡 献 也 要 比 美国 消 费 者稍 大一 点 点(在 完 全 以 美 元 作为 结 算单 位 的 前 提 下)。 而 如 果亚 洲 人能 够 充 分 享 用 他们 辛勤劳动 的果实, 而不是
42、通过 低估本国 货币补贴 西方消费者 的话, 这 种作用将 会更明显。 现在是将消 费能力从西向东做更大转移的时候了。经 济学 人杂志 双语 阅读:Return of the grave-dancers 坟 墓 舞者又 回来 了 Banks and private equity 银 行和私 人股本 Return of the grave-dancers 扫墓舞 者又 回来 了 Jun 4th 2009 | NEW YORK From The Economist print edition Buy-out firms chafe under ownership restrictions, but
43、 pile in nonetheless 尽管被严格的所有权监管挫伤 ,但是投标人还是有一大堆 PRIVATE equity has been bitten once, but it doesnt do shy. Though some of its better-known names were left scarred after investing too early in troubled banks and thrifts-remember TPGs disastrous foray into Washington Mutual-buy-out shops are lining up
44、 for a second shot at finance as confidence picks up again. 私人 股本已经 上过一回 当了, 但是 他们并不 为此感到 害羞。尽管 他们中已 经对过早 投资那些问 题银行和存 款 机 构 而 留 下 了 可 怕 的 名 声- 记 得 摩 根 大 通 对 华 互 银 行 损 失 惨 重 的 收 购- 但 是 现 在 当 对 金 融 市 场 重 拾 信 心 后 ,第二轮的收购者们又排成了队。 For much of 2008 dealmaking was dead. But since the sale of IndyMac, a col
45、lapsed Californian lender, to a group of private buyers in January, “ the logjam has broken” , says Josh Lerner of Harvard Business School. In recent weeks Blackstone, Fortress, Carlyle, Wilbur Ross and others have bought stakes in banks, among them Floridas First Southern and BankUnited, the states
46、 largest home-grown lender. Several other deals are said to be in the works, including the possible sale of Atlanta-based Silverton Bank, seized by regulators in May, to a group that includes Carlyle. Bidding wars are even breaking out. 2008 年很多收购几乎停滞 。 但自从 1 月份私人买家团体对加州一个名为 IndyMac 的 破产贷款公司的收购“ 打 破
47、了僵 局” , 哈 佛商学院的乔 希. 勒纳如 是说。最近几 周, 黑石公司、 要塞公司、凯 雷集团、 威尔伯 罗 斯等 都在 购买银行 的股权, 其中有佛罗 里州最大 的贷款机 构, 第一南 方联合银 行。 还有 几个收购案 据说 也在进 行中 ,包括亚 特兰大的 希尔佛顿银 行, 其在 五月被监 管机构责令 停业, 买 方包括了 凯雷集团。 竞标的战争 甚至都要爆发了。 Private equity has piles of unallocated capital, although it has become much more difficult to wrest undrawn fu
48、nds from investors. It also has a lot more raw material to work with, as the pace of bank failures accelerates (see chart). Hundreds of lenders will need help to survive but most large banks are too capital-constrained to step in. Those that have raised fresh equity, such as JPMorgan Chase, will use
49、 it to repay taxpayers. 尽管 它越来越 难从投资 者那里获得 那些不打 算取回的 资金, 私人 股本仍然 怀揣大量 无处可投的 资金。 随着 银行 破产步伐 的加快, 他会有更多 的原材料 可以利用 。数以百计 的贷款机 构需要帮 助来存活, 但是多数大 银行对准入资本的限制太严格。那些获得注资的,如摩根大通,将会用它来偿还纳税人。Hence the focus on private equity. The favoured strategy is to snap up a small bank, healthy or not, and turn it into a vehicle to scoop up failed local rivals. John Kanas, a veteran banker charged with reviving BankUnited, sees in it the foundation of a regional powerhouse. The Florida market is particularly attractive, he says, as many competitors there are shackled by reg