評論
打印
Structural reform in southern Europe
南歐的結構性改革
Patchy progress
進展參差不齊
Some signs of improvement. Must try harder
改革小有成效，同志仍需努力
CYPRUS is suffering a vicious recession as it struggles to adjust after a huge banking crisis. Despite its ailing economy a cab ride from the airport at Larnaca to Nicosia—a journey that takes around 40 minutes—costs 50. Such high fares, reflecting the power of the taxi trade, hinder the country's attempts to rekindle its tourist industry.
銀行業大危機之后，塞浦路斯陷入惡性經濟衰退，調整步伐舉步維艱。盡管經濟疲軟，從機場到尼科西亞一段40分鐘左右的的士車程卻高達50歐元。如此高價折射了的士業界的力量，從而阻礙了塞浦路斯重振旅游業的種種努力。
Reforms to tackle these kinds of uncompetitive markets are vital if the beleaguered countries of southern Europe are to be able to survive in the euro area. By making wages and prices more flexible, they allow countries like Spain and Portugal that have lost competitiveness to regain it even though they can no longer devalue against their euro-zone trading partners. They also hold out the promise of higher growth, which is vital if they are to shrug off heavy debt burdens. Four years after the euro crisis began with the first Greek bail-out, what has been achieved?
如果陷入困境的南歐國家想要在歐元區內生存下去，解決這類競爭力缺乏的改革至關重要。雖然像西班牙和葡萄牙這類失去競爭力的國家不能再對歐元區貿易伙伴貶值，但只要通過更為靈活的工資和價格，它們就可以恢復競爭力。這些國家還承諾取得更高的增長，這對擺脫沉重債務至關重要。以希臘首次救市開始的歐債危機過去四年后，它們的成果如何？
Assessing the scale and effectiveness of reforms is hard, not least since they tackle a multitude of sins. There are three main categories: enhancing competition, especially in services; promoting business activity rather than stifling it; and overhauling labour markets. In practice a determined effort to improve performance involves reforms across government. In Portugal, for example, 400 measures have been introduced in the past three years.
由于涉及層面紛繁復雜，評估改革的規模和效益非常困難。改革主要涉及三大方面：提高競爭力，特別是服務業的競爭力；促進，而非扼殺，商業活動；對勞動力市場全面改進。在實踐中，各國提高經濟表現的堅定努力還包括了整個政府的改革。例如，過去三年在葡萄牙就有400個新措施出臺。
One gauge of progress in southern Europe is the World Bank's “Doing Business” survey. This annual study, covering over 180 economies, monitors regulation from the perspective of small and medium-sized companies. Its overall index has ten components, ranging from the ease of founding a company to how readily contracts can be enforced. Countries are ranked according to how light the burden of regulation is, as measured by the number of procedures involved and their cost. Other factors include how easily firms can access credit and how well they protect outside investors. A lack of regulation is not deemed a strength; rather the focus is on efficient regulation.
世界銀行的“營商環境報告”的調查是南歐國家的進展的衡量之一。這項年度研究從中小型企業的角度監測政府管制，范圍涵蓋超過180個經濟體。其整體指數由十部分組成，包括創辦公司和執行合同的難易程度。政府管制由這些活動所涉及的程序和成本數量構成，各個國家據此排名。其他因素還包括企業取得信貸的難易程度以及他們保護外部投資者的能力。這項研究的聚焦點在于有效監管——政府監管制度的缺乏并未被視作可取之處。
The findings suggest that progress has been made in southern Europe but that it has been patchy both between different countries and within them. Between mid-2009, before the euro crisis took hold, and mid-2013 Greece's rank improved from 109 to 72. Portugal has also gained ground, from 48 to 31. Advances by Italy and Spain have been less marked, and France has actually slipped down the rankings, from 31 to 38.
研究結果表明，南歐改革已經小有成效，但在不同國家，以及同一國家的不同地區之間，進展參差不齊。在歐元危機爆發前的2009年中期和2013年中期之間，希臘的排名從109上升到了72。 葡萄牙也有所斬獲，從48上升到了31。意大利和西班牙則差強人意，而法國則干脆從31下降到了38名。
Even where progress has been made there is cause for concern. Greece may have improved its ranking the most, but that was from a desperately poor starting-point. Its current performance remains extremely disappointing within some crucial categories. It ranked 161st in the world as a place to register property easily, a handicap for a country urgently needing to encourage inward investment. Another concern is its 98th-place finish for the ease of enforcing contracts, a crucial condition for firms to flourish.
即使在小有成效的國家，情況也令人擔憂。盡管希臘在排名上進步喜人，但是其起點卻是出奇的低。在一些關鍵的方面，它的表現依舊極其令人失望。在登記財產的難易程度方面，希臘僅排全球第106位，而這是一個迫切需要鼓勵外來投資的國家的掣肘。還叫人憂心忡忡的是，執行合同的難易程度是企業蓬勃發展的關鍵之一，其排名僅居全球第98名。
Such patchiness is widespread. The mountain that Matteo Renzi, Italy's new prime minister, must climb is clear from his country's performance. Its overall rank is dismal enough, at 65. But Italy is even farther down the league table for the tax burden on businesses; ease of getting construction permits; credit access; and enforcing contracts . Spain ranks particularly poorly as a place to start a business, at 142. That is a worry because research has established a strong link, unsurprisingly, between the regulatory ease of starting a business and how many are actually set up.
這種進展參差不齊的問題廣泛存在。從意大利的表現來看，其新任總理利瑪竇壬茲任重而道遠。意大利的整體表現可謂慘淡，僅居65位；而在企業賦稅，取得施工許可，獲取信貸和執行合同方面的排名則更為糟糕。西班牙在創辦公司指標的表現尤其糟糕。研究已經毫無懸念地指出，創業監管難易度和新企業數量之間聯系緊密，因此如此情形令人擔心。
The World Bank's index does not include the impact on firms of employment regulations. But other evidence suggests similarly patchy progress on labour-market reforms in southern Europe. Despite overhauls in Portugal and Spain, southern Europe still suffers from bifurcated markets, in which the gap between “insiders” on cosy, permanent contracts and “outsiders” employed on a temporary basis is particularly pronounced. With so much yet to be done it is worrying that the pace of reform already seems to be slackening.
世界銀行的指標并不包括就業法規對企業的影響。但其他證據表明了，南歐勞動力市場的改革同樣參差不齊。盡管在葡萄牙和西班牙對勞動力市場的改革可謂大刀闊斧，南歐市場依舊苦于分化嚴重，特別是一方面“自己人“高枕穩定的長期合同，而另一方面”外來人“雇傭于臨時合同，差距尤為顯著。由于未來依舊任重而道遠，目前已經放緩的改革步伐叫人憂心忡忡。
