登陆注册
15317300000016

第16章 REAL INCOME: COST AND UTILITY(2)

There is, however, an important qualification to this mode of reckoning the net real income of the nation which needs mention.While the portion of the current product which goes to replace this wear and tear of land and capital is not included in the goods and services represented by the £2,000,000,000 and classed as real net income, the wear and tear or maintenance fund of labour is included in it.When consideration is taken of the distribution of what is often termed the national dividend between the respective owners of the factors of production, this anomaly is seldom borne in mind.In estimating the income of labour the replacement fund is counted; in estimating the income of land and capital it is not counted.But, illogical as this discrimination is, usage has so universally accepted it that it will be best for us in a work not chiefly concerned with the problems of objective distribution to give a provisional acceptance to it.

The real net income, or national dividend, corresponding to the £2,000,000,000, consists of the goods and services at the disposal of the recipients of this money income.By applying each sovereign as they received it in rent, wages, interest, profit, fees, etc., to purchase consumable goods or services, they might consume the whole of it during the current year.In that event, though provision would have been made for the bare upkeep of capital, no provision would have been made for its enlargement or improvement with a view to the future increase of production.In point of fact, that provision is made by applying a considerable portion of the net money income, say £300,000,000, to demand, not consumable goods or services, but more instruments and materials of production.As this process goes on continuously, it implies that some 3/20 of the total industrial activity of the nation is engaged in making not consumable but new capital goods.3 This saving process has an important psychology of its own to which we shall give some attention later on.At present it need only be considered as a reduction in the net income of consumable goods and services at the disposal of a progressive community for current use and enjoyment.This wealth, actually available for current use, the food, clothing, shelter and other domestic necessaries and conveniences, the travel, information, education, recreation, professional, official and domestic services, the various sorts of material and non-material comforts and luxuries, constituting the current net real income of consumer's goods, is the primary object of our valuation.The new machines, tools, buildings, materials and other forms of capital, expressing the £300,000,000 of savings, though entering our analysis upon the costs side equally with goods used for immediate consumption, do not figure directly on the consumption side, but only indirectly in the future consumables which they assist to produce.

§3.But as regards the application of our analysis, it makes no real difference whether we take the narrower connotation of the national dividend which includes only consumable goods, or the broader one which includes savings.It will no doubt easily be admitted that a merely pecuniary statement of the 'value' of this dividend conveys no reliable information as to the human or vital welfare it involves.Making due allowance for all temporal or local variations of price, the statement that the national income has doubled in the last century, or even that the income per head of the population has doubled, affords no positive proof that any increase has been made in the national welfare, much less how much increase.Unless, however, we adopt an attitude of general scepticism towards the economic structure of 'civilisation', we may admit, with Professor Pigou,4 a presumption that a growth of the national dividend faster than the growth of population implies some increase of welfare.But even that presumption must be qualified by the reflection that it really rests upon a view of marketable wealth which has exclusive regard to its supposed utility in consumption without any corresponding consideration of the cost of its production.A pecuniary statement of the national dividend which contained no information as to the nature of the goods and services comprising it, may be repudiated out of hand as useless for our purpose.For upon such a statement £1'worth' of 'trade gin' has precisely the same value as £1 'worth'

of 'best books' or of wholesome bread, £1 worth of handmade lace sweated out of peasant women at the cost of their eyesight has precisely the same weight in the money income of the nation as £1 worth of carpentry or of medical attendance.

同类推荐
  • 秋日题窦员外崇德里

    秋日题窦员外崇德里

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 鼻门

    鼻门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 小道地经

    小道地经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 牧令须知

    牧令须知

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 入布萨堂说偈文等

    入布萨堂说偈文等

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 佛说太子墓魄经

    佛说太子墓魄经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 小心毅意

    小心毅意

    一个关于欺骗和相信的奇幻爱情故事。林小小是一个具有双重性格的大学女生,心动之人的偶然出现让她卷入一个奇幻瑰丽的精灵世界,那个人居然就是精灵王子!怎么也不相信这种童话般的爱情会发生在自己身上,是在做梦?还是一切有人安排?随着种种接连不断的怪异事件的发生,她终于知道是因为自己小时候的淘气让自己已然成为精灵国的大恩人!小时候不懂事的恶作剧让她放走了人家捉妖师的白狐,事后居然很不负责任地给忘了!谁知那根本不是白狐,而是精灵国的老国王,精灵王子的爷爷!才知道王子的出现根本不是偶然,从她救起白狐的那一天,王子就已经决定要娶这个善良的恩人了……
  • 白色眷恋

    白色眷恋

    因为不满皇马6比2的比分,中国青年律师沈星怒砸啤酒瓶,结果电光火石间,他穿越成了佛罗伦蒂诺的儿子,且看来自09年的小伙子如何玩转03年的欧洲足坛
  • 地狱减负临时工

    地狱减负临时工

    随着时移世易,人类所犯罪孽林林总总,恶德恶行渐多,冥界十八层地狱现已人满为患。根据冥界领导阎王的指示精神,为了缓解十八层地狱人员拥挤的情况。决定创建“地狱减负委员会”,由十殿阎罗担任委员,成立领导小组,尽快制订具体实施方案,积极开展工作。——《关于创建“地狱减负委员会”的通知》离奇死亡,却成了地狱减负委员会的一名临时工!…………好像也不错呀!(本书非严肃的灵异文,请耐心读下前几章!不会让你失望哦)
  • 龙吟天变

    龙吟天变

    已经灭绝物种的基因再现。不需要过多的战斗经验,只有来自生物最原始的战斗本能。内功?古武技?这一切都是挖掘人体内在潜能的一种方式。如果,人体的潜能都被开发,战斗力量的强大将会达到何种地步?请大家多多支持,多砸收藏,推荐,谢谢。
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 永天途

    永天途

    无名小卒邢云背负着绝天之命,继承着龙族希望,踏上永天之界。
  • 陌上花开:腹黑帝王杀手妃

    陌上花开:腹黑帝王杀手妃

    她,世界杀手榜NO.1的杀手――陌离,因爱情和师门的背叛,纵身跳下悬崖,墨发飞扬。重生归来,她,摇身一变,成为慕府大小姐。前世的伤害,让她不再相信任何对她意图不轨的人。她,发誓,定要将那负她的人,血债血偿!他,来自云迁帝国的腹黑邪帝。他,是人人敬仰的冰山帝王。血海深仇,让他不得不坚强起来。身中嗜血寒毒的他,必将让那些杀他亲人的人,付出代价!命运上的不公,他们并没有放弃,选择了坚持。他们相遇,渐渐走进对方的心里。“你会负我么。”“自然不会。”手握着手,甜蜜无比。强强联手,势必夺得天下!关注微博:陌千觞
  • 红白日记

    红白日记

    致我的朋友,亦或者,致我最深爱的人。请原谅我偷看过你的日记,不过放心,如今的我依旧少不更事,依旧如往昔般深爱着你。或许我真的无可救药,请原谅我,将你的故事转述成一部传奇。它不一定会出版,但是,这会是一部属于你的异界史诗,也会是一群可爱的人在一段时间里,共同留下的美好的书斋记忆。我,并不是这个世界的人,但,我想踏遍这大千世界。
  • 独宠邪萌小蛋妃

    独宠邪萌小蛋妃

    她,一朝穿越居然是颗蛋!有没有搞错!某女百般憋屈后准备认命时,没想到她居然破壳而出了,看着眼前美如谪仙的某男,某女果断的毅然的抱上了他的大腿,爹啊!以后女儿跟你混了!他,难得好心的收留了一颗蛋,谁知却破壳而出一小人儿,不带这么坑爹的!本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。