the.world.is.flat-第63部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


more　the　workforce　feels　mobile　…in　terms　of　health　care；　pension　benefits；　and　
lifelong　learning　possibilities…the　more　it　will　be　willing　and　able　to　jump　into　
the　new　industries　and　new　job　niches　spawned　by　the　flat　world　and　to　move　from　dying　
companies　to　thriving　companies。　
Creating　legal　and　institutional　frameworks　for　universal　portability　of　pensions　
and　health　care　…in　addition　to　Social　Security；　Medicare；　and　Medicaid…will　help　
people　build　up　such　muscles。　Today　roughly　50　percent　of　Americans　don't　have　a　
job…based　pension　plan；　other　than　Social　Security。　Those　who　are　fortunate　enough　
to　have　one　cannot　easily　take　it　with　them　from　job　to　job。　What　is　needed　is　one　
simple　universal　portable　pension　scheme；　along　the　lines　proposed　by　the　Progressive　
Policy　Institute；　that　would　get　rid　of　the　confusing　welter　of　sixteen　different　
tax…deferred　options　now　offered　by　the　government　and　consolidate　them　all　into　a　
single　vehicle。　This　universal　plan；　which　you　would　open　with　your　first　job；　would　


encourage　workers　to　establish　401　（k）　tax…deferred　savings　programs。　Each　worker　
and　his　or　her　employer　could　make　contributions　of　cash；　bonuses；　profit　sharing；　
or　stock；　depending　on　what　sorts　of　benefits　the　specific　employer　offered。　These　
assets　would　be　allowed　to　build　up　tax…free　in　whatever　savings　or　investment　
portfolio　options　the　worker　chose。　But　if　and　when　it　came　time　to　change　jobs；　the　
worker　could　take　the　whole　portfolio　with　him　or　her　and　not　have　to　either　cash　
it　out　or　leave　it　under　the　umbrella　of　the　previous　employer。　Rollover　provisions　
do　exist　today；　but　they　are　complicated　and　many　workers　don't　take　advantage　of　
them　because　of　that。　
The　universal　pension　format　would　make　rollover　simple；　easy；　and　
286　
expected；　so　pension　lockup　per　se　would　never　keep　someone　from　moving　from　one　job　
to　another。　Each　employer　could　still　offer　his　or　her　own　specific　401　（k）　benefit　
plan；　as　an　incentive　to　attract　employees。　But　once　a　worker　moved　to　another　job；　
the　investments　in　that　particular　401　（k）　would　just　automatically　dump　into　his　
or　her　universal　pension　account。　With　each　new　job；　a　new　401　（k）　could　be　started；　
and　with　each　move；　the　benefits　deposited　in　that　same　universal　pension　account。　
In　addition　to　this　simple；　portable；　and　universal　pension　program；　Will　Marshall；　
president　of　the　Progressive　Policy　Institute；　proposes　legislation　that　would　make　
it　much　easier　and　more　likely　for　workers　to　obtain　stock　options　in　the　companies　
for　which　they　work。　Such　legislation　would　give　tax　incentives　to　companies　to　give　
more　workers　more　options　earlier　and　penalize　companies　that　do　not。　Part　of　making　
workers　more　mobile　is　creating　more　ways　to　make　more　workers　owners　of　financial　
assets；　not　just　their　own　labor。　〃We　want　a　public　that　sees　itself　as　stakeholders；　
sharing　in　the　capital…creating　side　of　the　flat　world；　not　just　competing　in　global　
labor　markets/'　argued　Marshall。　〃We　all　have　to　be　owners　as　well　as　wage　earners。　
That　is　where　public　policy　has　to　be　focused…to　make　sure　that　people　have　
wealth…producing　assets　as　they　enter　the　twenty…first　century；　the　way　homeownership　
accomplished　that　in　the　twentieth　century。〃　
Why？　Because　there　is　an　increasing　body　of　literature　that　says　people　who　are　
stakeholders；　people　who　have　a　slice　of　the　pie；　〃are　more　deeply　invested　in　our　
system　of　democratic　capitalism　and　the　policies　thatkeep　itdynamic；〃　said　Marshall。　
It　is　another　way；　besides　home…ownership；　to　underpin　the　legitimacy　of　democratic　
capitalism。　It　is　also　another　way　to　energize　it；　because　workers　who　are　also　owners　
are　more　productive　on　the　job。　Moreover；　in　a　flat　world　where　every　worker　is　going　
to　face　suffer　competition；　the　more　opportunities　everyone　has　to　build　wealth　
through　the　power　of　markets　and　compounding　interest；　the　more　he　or　she　will　be　
able　to　be　self…reliant。　We　need　to　give　workers　every　stabilizer　we　can　and　make　
it　as　easy　for　them　to　get　stock　options　as　it　is　for　the　plutocrats。　Instead　of　just　
being　focused　on　protecting　
287　
those　with　existing　capital；　as　conservatives　so　often　seem　to　be；　let's　focus　instead　
on　widening　the　circle　of　capital　owners。　
On　the　health…care　side；　which　I　won't　delve　into　in　great　detail；　since　that　would　


be　a　book　unto　itself；　it　is　essential　that　we　develop　a　scheme　for　portable　health　
insurance　that　reduces　some　of　the　burden　on　employers　for　providing　and　managing　
coverage。　Virtually　every　entrepreneur　I　talked　to　for　this　book　cited　soaring　and　
uncontrolled　healthcare　costs　in　America　as　a　reason　to　move　factories　abroad　to　
countries　where　benefits　were　more　limited；　or　nonexistent；　or　where　there　was　
national　health　insurance。　Again；　I　favor　the　type　of　portable　health…care　program　
proposed　by　PPL　The　idea　is　to　set　up　state…by…state　collective　purchasing　pools；　
the　way　Congress　and　federal　employees　now　cover　themselves。　These　pools　would　set　
the　rules　and　create　the　marketplace　in　which　insurance　companies　could　offer　a　menu　
of　options。　Each　employer　would　then　be　responsible　for　offering　this　menu　of　options　
to　each　new　employee。　Workers　could　choose　high；　medium；　or　low　coverage。　Everyone；　
though；　would　have　to　be　covered。　Depending　on　the　employer；　he　or　she　would　cover　
part　or　all　of　the　premiums　and　the　employee　the　rest。　But　employers　would　not　be　
responsible　for　negotiating　plans　with　insurance　companies；　where　they　have　little　
individual　clout。　
The　state　or　federal　pools　would　do　that。　This　way　employees　would　be　totally　mobile　
and　could　take　their　health…care　coverage　wherever　they　went。　This　type　of　plan　has　
worked　like　a　charm　for　members　of　Congress；　so　why　not　offer　it　to　the　wider　public？　
Needy　and　low…income　workers　who　could　not　afford　to　join　a　plan　would　get　some　
government　subsidy　to　do　so。　But　the　main　idea　is　to　establish　a　government…supervised；　
…regulated；　and　…subsidized　private　insurance　market　in　which　government　sets　the　
broad　rules　so　that　there　is　no　cherry…picking　of　healthy　workers　or　arbitrary　denial　
of　treatment。　The　health　care　itself　is　administered　privately；　and　the　job　of　
employers　is　to　facilitate　their　workers'　entry　into　one　of　these　state　pools　and；　
ideally；　help　them　pay　for　some　or　all　of　the　premiums；　but　not　be　responsible　for　
the　health　care　themselves。　In　the　transition；　though；　employers　could　continue　to　
offer　health…care　plans　as　an　incentive；　and　workers　would　have　the　option　of　

going　with　either　the　plan　offered　by　their　employers　or　the　menu　of　options　available　
through　the　state　purchasing　pools。　（For　details；　go　to　ppionline。org。）　
One　can　quibble　about　the　details　of　any　of　these　proposals；　but　I　think　the　basic　
inspiration　behind　them　is　exactly　right：　In　a　flattening　world；　where　worker　security　
can　no　longer　be　guaranteed　by　Fortune　500　corporations　with　top…down　pension　and　
health　plans；　we　need　more　collaborative　solutions…among　government；　labor；　and　
business…that　will　promote　self…reliant　workers　but　not　just　leave　them　to　fend　for　
themselves。　
When　it　comes　to　building　muscles　of　employability；　government　has　another　critical　
role　to　play。　Each　century；　as　we　push　out　the　frontiers　of　human　knowledge；　work　
at　every　level　becomes　more　complex；　requiring　more　pattern　recognition　and　problem　
solving。　In　the　preindustrial　age；　human　strength　really　mattered。　Strength　was　a　
real　service　that　lots　of　people　could　sell　on　the　farm　or　in　the　workshop。　With　the　
invention　of　the　electric　motor　and　steam　engine；　though；　physical　strength　became　
less　important。　Small　women　could　drive　big　trucks。　There　is　little　premium　for　
strength　anymore。　But　there　is　an　increasing　premium　for　pattern　recognition　and　


complex　problem　solving；　even　down　on　the　farm。　Farming　became　a　more　
knowledge…intensive　activity；　with　GPS　satellites　guiding　tractors　to　make　sure　all　
the　rows　being　planted　were　straight。　That　modernization；　plus　fertilizer；　put　a　lot　
of　people　out　of　work　at　the　previous　wage　they　were　earning　in　agriculture。　
Society　as　a　whole　looked　at　this　transition　from　traditional　agriculture　to　
industrialization　and　said；　〃This　is　great！　We　will　have　more　food　and　better　food　
at　lower　costs；　plus　more　people　to　work　in　factories。〃　However；　muscle…bound　field　
hands　and　their　families　said；　〃This　is　a　tragedy。　How　will　I　ever　get　a　job　in　the　
industrial　economy　with　only　muscles　and　a　sixth…grade　education？　I　won't　be　able　
to　eat　any　of　that　better；　cheaper；　plentiful　food　coming　off　the　farms。　We　need　to　
stop　this　move　to　industrialization。〃　
Somehow　we　got　through　this　transition　from　an　agriculture…based　so…　
289　
ciety　one　hundred　years　ago　to　an　industrial…based　one…and　still　ended　up　with　a　higher　
standard　of　living　for　the　vast　majority　of　Americans。　How　did　we　do　it？　
〃We　said　everyone　is　going　to　have　to　have　a　secondary　education；〃　said　Stanford　
University　economist　Paul　Romer。　〃That　was　what　the　high　school　movement　in　the　early　
part　ofthe　twentieth　century　was　all　about。〃　As　economic　historians　have　demonstrated　
in　a　variety　of　research　（see　particularly　the　work　of　Harvard　economists　Claudia　
Goldin　and　Larry　Katz）；　both　technology　and　trade　are　making　the　pie　bigger；　but　they　
are　also　shifting　the　shares　of　that　pie　away　from　low…skilled　labor　to　high…skilled　
labor。　As　American　society　produced　more　higher…skilled　people　by　making　high　school　
mandatory；　it　empowered　more　people　to　get　a　bigger　slice　of　the　bigger；　more　complex　
economic　pie。　As　that　century　progressed；　weadded；　on　top　ofthe　high　school　movement；　
the　GI　Bill　and　the　modern　university　system。　
〃These　were　big　ideas；〃　noted　Romer；　〃and　what　is　missing　at　the　moment　is　a　political　
imagination　of　how　do　we　do　something　just　as　big　and　just　as　important　for　the　
transition　into　the　twenty…first　century　as　we　did　for　the　nineteenth　and　twentieth。〃　
The　obvious　challenge；　Romer　added；　is　to　make　tertiary　education；　if　not　compulsory；　
then　government…subsidized　for　at　least　two　years；　whether　it　is　at　a　state　univ