A Debate on Universal Basic Income

A universal basic income would provide a safety net that is both simple and dignified.

全民基本收入将提供一张既简单又有尊严的安全网。

Simple, perhaps, but the fiscal implications would be nothing short of staggering.

简单也许是简单，但其财政影响将是惊人的。

Not necessarily, since it would replace a labyrinth of overlapping welfare schemes.

未必，因为它将取代一座由相互重叠的福利计划构成的迷宫。

Even so, I'm unconvinced that a flat payment addresses the diverse needs of vulnerable people.

即便如此，我仍不相信统一发放的金额能够满足弱势群体的多样化需求。

Pilot studies have found little evidence that recipients withdraw from the labour market.

试点研究几乎没有发现受助者退出劳动力市场的证据。

Those pilots were short-lived and small-scale, so extrapolating from them is precarious.

那些试点持续时间短、规模小，因此据此推断是靠不住的。

Granted, but automation may soon render our current arrangements untenable anyway.

的确如此，但无论如何，自动化可能很快就会使我们目前的安排难以为继。

Then let's invest in retraining people, rather than resigning ourselves to their redundancy.

那就让我们投资于对人们的再培训，而不是听任他们沦为冗员。