What are “quack policies”? The name has been coined by the writer Jamie Whyte for policies that are claimed to be based on evidence but which do not stand up to scrutiny. Examples are given in a publication of that name issued by the Institute of Economic Affairs. Leading examples he gives are the attempt to impose a minimum price of alcohol, the attack on “passive smoking”, the global warming crusade and “happiness engineering”. The fact the book is published by the free-market IEA and that the policies he scrutinises find support in the left and centre of the political spectrum (including UK Prime Minister David Cameron) may cause many to ignore it. The loss will be theirs.
什么是“庸醫政策”(quack policies)？它是由作者杰米?懷特(Jamie Whyte)為那些聲稱基于證據但經不起推敲的政策所創造出來的一個詞匯。他在英國經濟事務研究所(Institute of Economic Affairs，IEA)出版的《Quack Policy》里列出了這種政策的實例。他列出的主要實例是，試圖對酒類設定最低價，打擊“被動吸煙”、應對全球變暖以及“幸福工程”(happiness engineering)。本書由推崇自由市場的IEA出版，他挑毛病的那些政策得到了政界左翼和中間力量的支持（包括英國首相戴維?卡梅倫(David Cameron)），這個事實可能會讓很多人忽視這本書。那將是他們的損失。