Even as western economies globalise, it can be a shock to discover how little resemblance the working world bears to the folkloric economy of children’s books and politicians’ rhetoric. These are not economies of butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers. The US has more graphic designers (191,000) than bakers (157,000), according to data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I was taken aback to discover, during the 2008 presidential campaign, that the country also has more choreographers than metal casters. National politicians, though, almost always campaign as if “the economy” is something found only in factories and on farms. A president with a real interest in the economy would also visit some of the nation’s 202,000 sports coaches or its 80,000 substance-abuse counsellors.
在西方經(jīng)濟(jì)已經(jīng)全球化之際，人們?nèi)哉痼@地發(fā)現(xiàn)，就業(yè)市場(chǎng)與兒童書(shū)籍和政客口中的民間經(jīng)濟(jì)幾乎毫無(wú)相似之處。西方經(jīng)濟(jì)不是屠夫、面包師和燭臺(tái)匠的經(jīng)濟(jì)。美國(guó)勞工統(tǒng)計(jì)局(BLS)不久前發(fā)布的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，美國(guó)平面設(shè)計(jì)師人數(shù)（19.1萬(wàn)）超過(guò)了面包師（15.7萬(wàn)）。我驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，在2008年美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選期間，美國(guó)舞蹈設(shè)計(jì)人員人數(shù)超過(guò)了金屬鑄造工。然而，政界人士在競(jìng)選中始終留下這樣的印象：“經(jīng)濟(jì)”似乎只存工廠和農(nóng)場(chǎng)之中。真正對(duì)經(jīng)濟(jì)感興趣的總統(tǒng)也會(huì)拜訪一些體育教練或者為癮君子提供咨詢服務(wù)的顧問(wèn)。美國(guó)從事這兩種職業(yè)的人數(shù)分別為20.2萬(wàn)和8萬(wàn)。