Early-childhood education, preventive medicine, libraries, physical infrastructure, and basic scientific research, for example, all cost money – and studies show that they are worthwhile. But when policymakers need to cut spending, investment in these public goods is often the first thing to go, because voters do not feel the effects in the short term.
举例来讲，早期儿童教育、预防医学、图书馆、基础设施和基础科学研究都需要资金支持&mdash;&mdash;而且研究显示这些钱花得很值。但当决策者需要削减开支时，往往会最先牺牲对这些公共产品的投资，因为选民在短期内不会有所察觉。痛苦大多被推迟了，而这恰恰表明这样的削减在政治上颇具吸引力。