新概念英語(yǔ)第四冊(cè)（美音版）The cost of government

[ti:未知][by:https://www.lrc.com.cn][00:04.23]Lesson 36[00:05.98]The cost of government[00:13.41]What's the most important factor,both in government or business,[00:18.26]for keeping running costs low?[00:22.74]If a nation is essentialy disunited,it is left to the government to hold it together.[00:29.34]This increases the expense of government,[00:32.07]and reduces correspondingly the amount of economic resources[00:36.42]that could be used for developing the country[00:39.93]And it should not be forgotten[00:41.60]how small those resources are in a poor and backward country.[00:46.72]Where the cost of government is high,[00:48.81]resources for development are correspondingly low.[00:53.65]This may be illustrated by comparing the position of a nation[00:57.41]with that of a private business enterprise.[01:01.24]An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business.[01:08.35]For our purposes,we are concerned only with one kind of cost--[01:13.16]the cost of managing and administering the business.[01:18.56]Such administrative overheads in a business[01:20.97]are analogous to the cost of government in a nation.[01:25.17]The administrative overheads of a business are low to the extent[01:29.85]that everyone working in the business can be trusted to behave[01:33.27]in a way that best promotes the interests of the firm.[01:37.80]If they can each be trusted to take such responsibilities,[01:41.53]and to exercise such initiative as falls within their sphere,[01:46.28]then administrative overheads will be low.[01:50.42]It will be low because it will be necessary to have only one man looking after each job[01:56.47]without having another man to check upon what he is doing,[02:00.12]keep him in line,and report on him to someone else.[02:04.74]But if no one can be trusted to act in a loyal and responsible manner towards his job[02:11.48]then the business will require armies of administrators,checkers and foremen[02:17.72]and administrative overheads will rise correspondingly.[02:22.44]As administrative overheads rise,[02:25.16]so the earnings of the business after meeting the expense of administration,will fall;[02:31.08]and the business will have less money to distribute as dividends[02:35.25]or invest directly in its future progress and development.[02:40.05]It is precisely the same with a nation.[02:43.00]To the extent that the people can be relied on[02:46.21]to behave in a loyal and responsible manner[02:49.22]the government does not require armies of police and civil servants[02:53.24]to keep them in order.[02:55.10]But if a nation is disunited,the government cannot be sure[02:59.57]that the actions of the people will be in the interests of the nation;[03:03.63]and it will have to watch,check,and control the people accordingly.[03:09.19]A disunited nation therefore[03:11.26]has to incur unduly high costs of government.

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