Wellbeing, Quality of Life and Social Policy: Implications in Relation to the Financial Tsunami

福利、生活品質和社會政策：金融海嘯的啓示

David Phillips

《臺大社會工作學刊》 20期 (2009/12) Pp. 93-131

https://doi.org/10.6171/ntuswr2009.20.03

摘要

1929年，全球最近一次的主要的國際金融海嘯，導致十年的世界性經濟衰退，大量失業産生，並在高部政治不穩定之下爆發世界戰爭。近期金融危機導致國際政治不穩定的其中一個主要因素，可能來自主要貿易國家的保護主義。美國政府已推出的「買美國貨」的政策條款，已引起中華人民共和國關注。國際間不穩定的問題核心在於國家穩定。政治、經濟和社會。而我們的福利和生活品質主要取決於國家的穩定。大衆無家可歸，失業，貧窮和絕望的感覺曾在20世紀30年代流行。而正是社會政策，可以解決這些生活品質問題。本文涉及的主題包含生活品質、福利、社會政策與當代金融動盪的關係。第一部分利用提默斯對社會福利部門的建構，定義了生活品質和社會政策，並探討了它們之間的關係；接著，本文簡潔討論了金融海嘯對生活品質的影響，並以分析金融危機對於社會政策及生活品質的影響作結。若以物質條件衡量，本文得出的結論相當悲觀，但也有人說，當代金融危機提供了一個機會，讓個人和國家重新平衡物質和非物質方面的福利和生活品質。

關鍵字

社會政策 ； 福利 ； 生活品質 ； 金融危機

並列摘要

The last major international financial tsunami, starting in 1929, led to a decade of world-wide economic depression, mass unemployment and political instability culminating in a world war. One of the major factors that could lead to international political instability in the present crisis is the threat of economic protectionism by the major trading countries. Already the American government is introducing ”buy American” clauses in its policies which is causing concern to the People's Republic of China. Central to the threat of international instability is national stability, political, economic and social. And our wellbeing and quality of life are major determinants of national stability. Mass homelessness, unemployment, poverty and a sense of hopelessness were endemic in the 1930s. It is social policy which can address these quality of life issues. This paper deals with the implications for the relationship between quality of life, wellbeing, and social policy of the contemporary tumultuous financial catastrophes. The first part of the paper defines quality of life and social policy and explores the relationship between them, utilising Titmuss's construct of the social division of welfare. This is followed by a brief exploration of the extent and consequences of the financial tsunami for quality of life. The paper finishes with an analysis of the implications of the financial crisis for social policy and for quality of life. The conclusions are rather bleak in material terms but it is also argued that the contemporary financial crisis provides an opportunity for us-both as individuals and as nations-to reconsider the balance between material and non-material aspects of wellbeing and quality of life.

並列關鍵字

social policy ； wellbeing ； quality of life ； financial crisis

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