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谁将是下任美联储主席？

The economist¹ who guided the world's largest economy through the worst financial crisis in decades is expected to step down early next year.  The financial press is filled with speculation² about who will take over from Ben Bernanke, the current chairman of the Federal Reserve, as the U.S central bank is known. There are many possible candidates, but most of the speculation focuses on just two.

指导世界第一经济大国渡过几十年来最大金融风暴的经济学人伯南克预计明年初卸任，金融媒体纷纷猜测，谁将成为现任美国联邦储备委员会主席伯南克的接班人。被看好的人选很多，可是人们议论的焦点集中在2个人身上。

President Obama appointed Ben Bernanke to a second term as head of the Federal Reserve in 2009.

2009年，奥巴马总统任命伯南克连任第二届美联储主席。

To fight the recession, Bernanke took unprecedented³ steps to cut interest rates in a bid to boost economic growth, which came slowly.

为了对抗经济衰退，促进经济增长，伯南克前所未有地大幅度减息，这个措施正在缓慢见效。

Now, as his term ends, an online Irish betting site "Paddy Power" is taking wagers⁴ on who might replace Bernanke.

伯南克任期将满，爱尔兰博彩网站“帕迪·鲍威尔”正在下赌注，看谁来接替伯南克。

One contender is the Fed’s current vice⁵ chairman, Janet Yellen, a former economics professor at Berkeley who headed the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and was an economic adviser⁶ to the White House.

竞争者之一是现任美联储副主席珍妮特·耶伦，她曾经是伯克利大学经济学教授，旧金山联邦储备银行行长，也担任过白宫经济顾问。

Bets are also being placed on former U.S. Treasury⁷ Secretary, one-time presidential economic adviser and former president of Harvard University, Larry Summers.

另外还有原美国财政部部长，曾经担任过总统经济顾问的原哈佛大学校长拉里·萨默斯。

Critics say Summers is too abrasive⁸ to win consensus⁹ among top fed officials.

批评人士说，萨默斯脾气不好，不能赢得美联储高级官员的共识。

But LaSalle University finance professor Walter Schubert says Summers' toughness might help get economic and budget decisions out of the bickering¹⁰ Congress.

可是拉塞尔大学金融学教授沃尔特·舒伯特说，萨默斯的强硬也许有助于促使争论不休的国会通过经济和预算决策。

"Well, the best argument for Larry Summers, I think, is his personality. He’s driven, he wants to have an impact and I think he would put a lot of pressure on Congress. I think he’d be excellent at pressuring Congress to move in the proper direction," said Schubert.

舒伯特说：“我认为，萨默斯最有利的条件是他的个性，他有闯劲，希望带来改变。我想他会给国会很多压力，会出色地促使国会向正确方向前进。”

Rival Janet Yellen is seen by some experts as doing less to push Congress, but more to regulate the economy.

一些专家认为，他的竞争对手珍妮特·耶伦虽然不会给国会太多压力，可是会更好地调控经济。

Abby McCloskey researches economic issues at the American Enterprise Institute and says Yellen’s long experience at the fed would reassure¹¹ investors¹².

美国企业研究所经济问题研究员艾比·麦克洛斯基说，耶伦在美联储的资深经历可以让投资者放心。

“She is predictable. The markets know what she thinks. When she gets in there, no surprises, no wild cards. We have enough wild cards in the rest of the economy,” says McCloskey.

麦克洛斯基说：“她很稳定，市场了解她的想法，她的决定不会让人吃惊，让人猜不透，经济中已经有太多出人意料的因素。

Michael Cox, a former chief economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, who is now at Southern Methodist University, says Yellen is a strong candidate.

原达拉斯联邦储备银行首席经济师迈克·考克斯通过SKYPE对美国之音说，耶伦是一个有力的候选人。现在南方卫理公会大学任职的考克斯说：

"She is a very good economist in my opinion, more seasoned and more reasoned and more experienced in the fed," says Cox.

“在我看来，她是一个非常好的经济学人，更老练，更理智，更有美联储的经验。”

But Cox adds that both Yellen and Summers are too quick to meddle¹³ in the economy.

不过考克斯说，无论是耶伦，还是萨默斯，都不宜太快地干预经济。

Said Dawlabani, author of a book that advocates a new approach to economics, says it's time to put more women in charge of large companies and major financial institutions.

作家萨伊德·达勒班尼提出一项新的经济方略，他说，现在应该让更多妇女来管理大公司和大金融机构。

“Because women see the bottom line through the lens of care and responsibility, their leadership style is different than men. Men have to learn to use emotional intelligence; women are naturally equipped with these soft skills," says Dawlabani.

达勒班尼说：“因为妇女从认真负责的角度来看待底线，她们的领导风格不同于男人。男人要学着控制情商，而妇女天生就有这种软技术。”

Dawlabani adds that companies and countries would be more prosperous if they focused less on next quarter’s profits and more on the impact that a company has on society, the environment, suppliers, customers and employees.

达勒班尼说，如果管理者少关注一点下季度的效益，更多地关心公司对社会、环境、供应商、消费者和雇员的影响，公司和国家就会更加繁荣昌盛。

Choosing the right approach and the right candidate is up to the president, and the candidate must be confirmed by the Senate.

选择正确的措施和正确的候选人取决于总统，而确认候选人必须通过参议院。

While most news stories focus on just two candidates, Obama has made appointments in the past that were a surprise to most economists¹⁴.

虽然大多数新闻报道集中在这2位候选人身上，可是奥巴马总统过去任命的人选，曾经出乎大多数经济学家的意料。