现代大学英语精读6-Lesson-1-How-to-Get-the-Poor-off-Our-Con

HowtoGetthePooroffOurConscienceJohnKennethGalbraithJohnKennethGalbraith(1908-2006)•ACanadian-Americaneconomist,author,professor,presidentialcounselorandU.S.ambassadortoIndia•The“lastAmericanInstitutionalist”•anunabashedpopularizerofeconomics•“TheAffluentSociety”(1958)•MedalofFreedom,in1946•2000thePresidentialMedalofFreedom,theU.S.government'shighestcivilianhonor.JohnKennethGalbraith4AheterodoxeconomistintheAmericanestablishment•AnacademiccareeratHarvardUniversity•WorksindeputyheadoftheOfficeofPriceAdministrationduringWorldWarII，whosedutyistokeepinflationfromcripplingthewareffort•Participationinpolitics;servedintheadministrationsofFranklinD.Roosevelt,HarryS.Truman,JohnF.KennedyandLyndonB.Johnson;takespartincampaignsfordemocratpresidentialcandidatesStevenson,JohnF.Kennedy,EugeneMcCarthy,andMcGovern•AmbassadorinIndiaunderKennedy,1961-1963•hewasforcedoutinMay1943fromOPAandworkedforFortuneforfiveyearswhereheexpoundedKeynesianismtotheAmericanbusinessleadership.6Hewasaverytallman,eventuallygrowingtoaheightof6'8(203cm).PostwarYears•February1946-September1946,workedforaseniorpositionintheStateDepartmentasdirectoroftheOfficeofEconomicSecurityPolicy.NominallyinchargeofeconomicaffairsregardingGermany,Japan,Austria,andSouthKorea,theseniordiplomatsdistrustedhim,andhewasrelegatedtoroutineworkwithfewopportunitiestomakepolicy.•favoreddétentewiththeSovietUnion,andwasoutofstepwiththeContainmentpolicythenbeingdevelopedbyGeorgeKennanandtheStateDepartment'spolicymakers.•afrustratinghalfyearPoliticalpostsunderKennedy•DuringhistimeasanadvisertoPresidentJohnF.Kennedy,GalbraithwasappointedUnitedStatesAmbassadortoIndiafrom1961to1963.•rapportwithPresidentKennedyGalbraith,firstfromleft,asUSambassadortoIndia,1961Laterlifeandrecognition•theMedalofFreedom,in1946fromPresidentTruman•In1972heservedaspresidentoftheAmericanEconomicAssociation•In1985,theAmericanHumanistAssociationnamedhimtheHumanistoftheYear.•TheAssociationforAsianStudies(AAS)conferredits1987AwardforDistinguishedContributionstoAsianStudies•In1997hewasmadeanOfficeroftheOrderofCanada•In2000hewasawardedtheU.S.PresidentialMedalofFreedom.•awardedanhonorarydoctoratefromMemorialUniversityofNewfoundlandatthefallconvocationof1999.•awardedin2000withtheLeontiefPrizeforhisoutstandingcontributiontoeconomictheorybytheGlobalDevelopmentandEnvironmentInstitute.•ThelibraryinhishometownDutton,OntariowasrenamedtheJohnKennethGalbraithReferenceLibraryinhonorofhisattachmenttothelibraryandhiscontributionstothenewbuilding.•In2001,hewonthePadmaVibhushan,India'ssecondhighestcivilianaward,forhiscontributionstostrengtheningtiesbetweenIndiaandtheUnitedStates.13Importantbooks(outofc.60)•Americancapitalism:TheConceptofCountervailingPower(1952)•TheGreatcrash(1954)•TheAffluentsociety(1958)•TheNewindustrialstate(1967)•Theaffluentsociety(1969)•Money:Whenceitcame,whereitwent(1975)•Economicsandthepublicpurpose(1973)•TheNatureofMassPoverty(1979)•TheAnatomyofPower(1983)•EconomicsinPerspective:ACriticalHistory(1987)•AShortHistoryofFinancialEuphoria(1994)•NumerousbooksabouthisMemoirs(egAnnalsofanAbidingLiberal)14A《liberal》economist•Intheamericansenseof«liberal»,whichcorrespondstoaEuropean«left-wing»or«center-left»•Buthighlycriticalofeconomicliberalismandneoliberalism(cfbookonReaganomics,withMcCracken,1983)•PositionsagainsttheVietnamwar(breakwiththeDemocratpresidentLyndonJohnson,aftercontributingtothe«Greatsociety»project)15Influences•ThorsteinBundeVeblen,(July30,1857–August3,1929)hisanalysisofconsumption,ofthe«leisureclass»,the«businessentreprise»andabsenteeownership,hiscriticismof«neoclassical»economics•Keynes,histheoryofeffectivedemand,hisskepticalattitudetocapitalism,hisdefenseofstateinterventionintheeconomy•Aninstitutionaleconomist16Theroleofthestate•Theemergenceof«countervailingpower»tothepreviousdominationofbigbusiness(tradeunions,government)(Americancapitalism,1952)•Asituationof«privateaffluenceandpublicsqualor»intheamericaneconomy;essentialroleoftaxationtofinanceinfrastructureandeducation(Theaffluentsociety,1958)•Acriticismof«conventionalwisdom»ontheself-regulationofmarkets;mainstreameconomicsignorespower,andneglectsinequalities,itworksinfavoroftherich17Thenewindustrialstate(1967)•Themodelofperfectcompetitioncorrespondsonlytoasmallpartofamericaneconomy,whatdominatesisthe«industrialstate»ofbigcorporations•Thesebiglargefirmsplantheirproduction,theytrytoavoidthemarket•Corporatepowerisinthehandsof«technostructure»,notofdispersedowners;ittriestomakethemarketmorepredictable,itstrivesforgrowth,notforprofit•Influenceofthemilitaro-industrialcomplex•Conventionaleconomicshidesthepoweroflargecorporations18Theinvertedsequence•Inconventionaleconomics,theinfluencegoesfromconsumer’spreferencestoproduction:needsdirectwhatisproduced•Butincapitalismofgreatcorporationsweobservean«invertedsequence»:throughadvertisingandotherwaysofconditioningspecificdemand,producersinfluenceconsumers•The«sovereigntyoftheconsumer»isamyth(criticismofSamuelson)19Economicsandthepublicpurpose(1973)•Themoderncapitalisteconomyisnotcorrectlydescribedbyconv