救济

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救济(relief)

对於受到天灾、战争、经济动荡、长期失业或其他困境而无法谋生的人，由公家或私人给以经济需求方面的帮助。不过，对动乱及灾祸受害者的救济，与对长期失业等社会困境的救济，二者是有区别的，後者现在通常称为社会福利（social welfare）。17世纪的中国政府即曾在饥荒期间实行「平仓法」（ever-normal granaries）。19世纪欧洲的灾难救济作法，大致是透过仓卒组成的委员会提供粮食、衣物、医疗的紧急救助。在20世纪，灾难救济已成为国际红十字会（Red Cross）及其他国际组织的主要活动。传统上，公共基金对贫困者的济助都严格设限，例如英国1834年的济贫法改革法案（Poor Law Reform Act），即要求有工作能力者都必须要进习艺所（workhouse）才能得到公共救助。美国政府因应大萧条时期的新政（New Deal），也是强调采取工作救济方案，例如工作改进组织（Works Progress Administration）。到了20世纪晚期，上述以工代赈的救济作法，在大多数国家都已废止，贫穷者也多直接收到现金给付，不过，美国在1996年实施的「工作福利」（workfare laws）法令，对於四肢健全却拒绝接受政府提供工作的人，则停止发放社会福利救助金。

English version：

relief

Public or private aid to people in economic need because of natural disasters, wars, economic upheaval, chronic unemployment, or other conditions that prevent self-sufficiency. A distinction may be drawn between relief targeting upheavals and natural disasters and relief of chronic social conditions, now usually referred to as welfare. In 17th-century China the government maintained ever-normal granaries for use in the event of famine. Through the 19th century, disaster relief in Europe consisted largely of emergency grants of food, clothing, and medical care through hastily organized local committees. In the 20th century, disaster relief became one of the chief activities of the International Red Cross and other international agencies. Assistance to the needy from public funds has traditionally been strictly limited; in England, the Poor Law Reform Act of 1834 required people able to work to enter a workhouse in order to receive public assistance. The U.S. government responded to the Great Depression with the New Deal, which emphasized work relief programs such as the Works Progress Administration. In the later 20th century, the work requirement was abandoned in most countries, and the needy received direct cash payments, though in the U.S. the movement for welfare reform resulted in the passage in 1996 of “workfare” laws cutting off relief for most able-bodied welfare recipients who fail to take government-sponsored jobs.

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