達沃斯精英將面對不平等難題

Campaigners sought to pile pressure on the rich and powerful travelling to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, with a prediction that the wealthiest 1 per cent would soon own more than the rest of the world’s population put together.

活動人士尋求給本週匯聚達沃斯參加世界經濟論壇(WEF)的高層人士施加壓力。目前有一項預測認爲，最富有1%人口所擁有的財富很快將超過其餘99%人口的財富之和。

The finding, from the charity Oxfam, will add spice to a gathering that is already under pressure to explain the divergent economic outlook for different nations, and among different groups within them. It comes ahead of the release of data from the International Monetary Fund, expected to show that despite a “shot in the arm” from lower oil prices, the outlook for the global economy is unchanged from its forecasts in October.

慈善組織樂施會(Oxfam)的這一研究發現將爲達沃斯論壇增添討論話題。此前達沃斯論壇已經面臨壓力，要求其解釋不同國家的不同經濟前景，以及一個國家內部不同人羣的經濟前景。與此同時，國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)將要發佈的數據預計將顯示，儘管油價下跌提供了一劑“強心針”，但全球經濟前景同該組織去年10月作出的預測相比沒有變化。

The wealth inequality prediction extrapolated results from the annual Credit Suisse global wealth report in an effort to focus attention on the “more than a billion people” in the world living in “absolute poverty”, those with incomes of less than $1.25 a day.

上述財富不平等預測是在瑞信(Credit Suisse)年度全球財富報告結果的基礎上推算出來的，目的是推動世人關注世界上生活在“絕對貧困”（每天收入不到1.25美元）中的“超過10億人”。

It highlighted the fact that although faster growth in emerging economies had led to a drop in global income inequality on many measures, a select group of super-rich individuals had, at the same time, gained control over a vast amount of the world’s material wealth. To join the band of 37m adults in the top 1 per cent of global wealth holders would require assets of just under $800,000, although the average wealth of this group is significantly higher at $2.7m per adult.

它突顯出的一個事實是，雖然新興經濟體的快速增長導致全球收入不平等在很多衡量標準上有所降低，但與此同時，少數超級富人獲得了對巨量世界物質財富的控制。要躋身於全球3700萬構成最頂層1%財富持有者的成年人行列，需要擁有的資產接近80萬美元，儘管這一人羣的平均財富比這個門檻高得多，達到每個成年人270萬美元。

Credit Suisse estimated that the adults in this category own 48.2 per cent of the total wealth held in the world. Oxfam believes this figure is likely to tip over the 50 per cent mark next year if the rising trend since 2010 persists.

瑞信估計，這個人羣目前擁有世界總財富的48.2%。樂施會認爲，這個數字很可能在明年突破50%大關——如果2010年以來的上升趨勢得以持續。

This is not guaranteed, however, as the wealth share of the top 1 per cent was higher at 48.7 per cent at the height of the dotcom bubble in 2000 and as low as 44 per cent at the height of the financial crisis in 2009.

然而，這一點並無保證，因爲最富有1%人羣的財富份額曾在2000年網絡股泡沫高峯時達到48.7%的更高水平，而在2009年金融危機期間也曾降至44%。

The concentration of top wealth is still skewed towards North America and Europe, even though emerging economies produce a greater output. The two continents account for 77 per cent of the adults in the top 1 per cent.

頂層財富的集中仍偏向北美和歐洲，儘管新興經濟體產出增加。在1%最富成年人羣中，北美和歐洲兩大洲佔77%。

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam who is also a co-chair of the World Economic Forum, said: “Do we really want to live in a world where the 1 per cent own more than the rest of us combined?”

樂施會執行董事維尼•比揚依瑪(Winnie Byanyima)也將在世界經濟論壇主持會議。他問道：“難道我們真的想生活在一個最高層1%所擁有的財富比我們其餘人加起來還要多的世界裏？”

The Oxfam report shows the unease in recent years among the elite in Davos that the global recovery is not sufficiently shared in all sections of society.

樂施會的報告顯示了近年出席達沃斯論壇的精英人士的不安，即全球復甦沒有讓社會各階層得到充分共享。

Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director, last week urged countries to reform their economies to enable more growth, saying: “More than six years after the start of the Great Recession, too many people still do not feel the recovery.”

IMF總裁克里斯蒂娜•拉加德(Christine Lagarde)上週敦促各國改革經濟，爲更大增長創造條件。她表示：“在‘大衰退’開始六年多後的今天，太多人仍感覺不到經濟復甦。”

Such worries have reverberated across Europe, where unemployment has remained stubbornly high at rates above 11 per cent, and in the US, the bright spot in the global economy, where economic growth has not yet helped to increase living standards of middle-income families.

這種憂慮情緒籠罩在整個歐洲和美國。在歐洲，失業率仍徘徊在11%以上的高位，而在當前全球經濟的亮點美國，經濟增長至今未能幫助提高中等收入家庭的生活水平。