首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
It may turn out that the "digital divide"—one of the most fashionable political slogans of recent years—is largely fiction. As y
It may turn out that the "digital divide"—one of the most fashionable political slogans of recent years—is largely fiction. As y
admin
2013-06-10
31
问题
It may turn out that the "digital divide"—one of the most fashionable political slogans of recent years—is largely fiction. As you will recall, the argument went well beyond the unsurprising notion that the rich would own more computers than the poor. The disturbing part of the theory was that society was dividing itself into groups of technology "haves" and "have-nots" and that this segregation would, in turn, worsen already large economic inequalities. It is this argument that is either untrue or wildly exaggerated.
We should always have been suspicious. After all, computers have spread quickly because they have become cheaper to buy and easier to use. Falling prices and skill requirements suggest that the digital divide would spontaneously shrink—and so it has.
Now, a new study further discredits the digital divide. The study, by economist David Card of the University of California, Berkeley, challenges the notion that computers have significantly worsened wage inequality. The logic of how this supposedly happens is straightforward: computers raise the demand for high-skilled workers, increasing their wages. Meanwhile, computerization—by automating many routine tasks—reduces the demand for low-skilled workers and, thereby, their wages. The gap between the two widens.
Superficially, wage statistics support the theory. Consider the ratio between workers near the top of the wage distribution and those near the bottom. Computerization increased; so did the wage gap.
But wait, point out Card and DiNardo. The trouble with blaming computers is that the worsening of inequality occurred primarily in the early 1980s. With computer use growing, the wage gap should have continued to expand, if it was being driven by a shifting demand for skills. Indeed, Card and DiNardo find much detailed evidence that contradicts the theory. They conclude that computerization does not explain "the rise in U.S. wage inequality in the last quarter of the 20th century".
The popular perception of computers’ impact on wages is hugely overblown. Lots of other influences count for as much, or more. The worsening of wage inequality in the early 1980s, for example, almost certainly reflected the deep 1981—1982 recession and the fall of inflation. Companies found it harder to raise prices. To survive, they concluded that they had to hold down the wages of their least skilled, least mobile and youngest workers.
The "digital divide" suggested a simple solution (computers) for a complex problem (poverty). With more computer access, the poor could escape their lot. But computers never were the source of anyone’s poverty and, as for escaping, what people do for themselves matters more than what technology can do for them.
选项
A、that is responsible for economic inequalities.
B、deemed to be positive in poverty-relief.
C、that results from falling computer prices.
D、getting worse because of the Internet.
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/UCsRFFFM
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Whatdoestheword"theatre"(Sentence2,Paragraph1)probablymean’?Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaccordingtot
Accordingtothepassage,whichorganizationraisedtheproposaltostopthepracticeofliedetectionevidenceinmilitarycour
Inaperfectlyfreeandopenmarketeconomy,thetypeofemployer—governmentorprivate-shouldhavelittleornoimpactonthee
ThetoneofthewriterasreflectedinthefirstsentenceisThemainreasonforthelatestcrisisinstockmarketaspointedo
Todevelophispoint,theauthorhasused______.Whichofthefollowingstatementsisfalse?
Inthetwodecadesbetween1910and1930,overtenpercentoftheBlackpopulationoftheUnitedStateslefttheSouth,wheremo
Youmadeatravelwithatravelagencyafewdaysagoandyouweredisappointedwithitsservice.Writealettertotherela
Druguseisrisingdramaticallyamongthenation’syouthafteradecadeofdecline.From1993to1994,marijuanauseamongyoung
AttacksonJoseManuelBarroso,thepresidentoftheEuropeanCommission,haveintensifiedbeforetheEuropeanelectionheldbet
Itisanastonishingfactthattherearelawsofnature,rulesthatsummarizeconveniently(1)_____qualitativelybutquantitati
随机试题
《联合国国际货物销售合同公约》规定,买方的义务包括()
下列不属于复杂化分化程度的是()
在国际运输方式中,按船舶经营方式不同,海洋运输可分为()
Womenearnlessthanmendo.Forexample,in1998thehourlywagesofwomenintheU.S.were26%lessthanthoseofmen.Thega
具有润肠泄热,行气通便功用的方剂是
A.左心室血栓脱落B.心室膨胀缩C.室间隔穿孔D.心肌梗死后综合征E.乳头肌功能失调急性心肌梗死后1天,心尖区出现收缩中晚期喀喇音和吹风样收缩期杂音,最可能出现的并发症是()
期货公司不符合持续性经营规则或者出现经营风险且逾期未改正,其行为严重危及期货公司的稳健运行、损害客户合法权益,或者涉嫌严重违法违规正在被国务院期货监督管理机构调查的,国务院期货监督管理机构可以对其采取下列哪些措施?()
《纽约时报》是美国最有影响的报纸。该报的版面在传统上比较严肃,新闻照片不多,并且尺寸也小。近年来,由于电视的影响和报业的竞争,《纽约时报》上新闻照片的尺寸也扩大了,从《纽约时报》看来,报纸运用照片。不只是作为活跃版面的手段,而且已成为报纸报道工作中的重要环
下列有关非法制造、买卖、运输、邮寄、储存枪支、弹药、爆炸物罪的说法正确的是()。
设曲线y=lnx与y=相切,则公共切线为_______.
最新回复
(
0
)