美国国家公共电台 NPR For Global Investors, 'Uncertainty' Over Business Climate Under Trump

 

ALLISON AUBREY, HOST: 

It can take decades for a country to build up a name as a good place to do business, and the U.S. ranks among the best. But some economists² say its reputation could be challenged if President-elect Trump³ makes good on threats to rip up international agreements. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE⁴: Having a good reputation is a huge economic plus for any country - and one the U.S. has enjoyed for a long time.

SIMEON DJANKOV: The U.S. is consistently among the top five, the top 10 countries in the world in terms of the environment for doing business. And this is mostly because of the rule of law and the transparency of government decision.

NORTHAM: That's Simeon Djankov, the senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and formerly⁵ the chief economist¹ at the World Bank. He says America's solid reputation could quickly disappear if President-elect Trump carries through with some of his campaign promises.

He points to the Paris climate accord, signed by world leaders a year ago. Djankov says there was an underlying⁶ expectation in the global business community that an international contract would be honored when the next U.S. president took office.

DJANKOV: And suddenly, the president-elect says, well, I don't like this agreement. I may not abide⁷ by it. These businesses are thrown into panic since they already may have spent maybe hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars abiding⁸ by this new regulation. Now it's for nothing, so to speak.

NORTHAM: Scuppering such agreements can erode⁹ trust with international investors¹⁰, says Ray Fisman, a professor of economics at Boston University.

RAY FISMAN: If there's one thing that deters¹¹ investment, it is uncertainty¹². You don't quite know what you're in for if you consider doing business in the U.S.

NORTHAM: It's still unclear whether there will be a bright line between Trump's business dealings and the White House. His children have sat in on meetings with world leaders and advisers¹³. Trump has said his sons would run his companies while he's president. But he could still make money off his name used on hotels across the world.

ALEJANDRO SALAS: We should not forget that perceptions are important.

NORTHAM: Alejandro Salas is a director at Transparency International, which produces an index every year looking at the impact of perceived corruption¹⁴ on international investment in more than 160 countries. Salas says the higher level of corruption, the less attractive a country is to investors - and vice¹⁵ versa. The U.S. ranked 16th last year. Salas says that may change because Trump appears to disregard many rules and regulations.

SALAS: The fact that there could be so much conflict of interest - the fact that he says, as far as the conflict of interest, laws don't apply to the president - that's very dangerous.

NORTHAM: Salas says the American system of checks and balances will help hold the government accountable. For now, investors will give the new president time and latitude¹⁶ to settle into the job. And the stock market is going gangbusters.

Jackie Northam, NPR News.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

6 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

7 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

8 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

9 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 deters   

v.阻止，制止( deter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The filth here deters all but the invited guest. 这里污秽不堪，除非有事，外人是裹足不前的。 来自辞典例句
• Many people believe that capital punishment deters crime. 很多人相信极刑能阻止犯罪。 来自互联网

12 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

13 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

14 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

15 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

16 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。