British Malaise

Japanese: イギリス病 - イギリスびょう（英語表記）British Malaise

The phenomenon of stagnation seen in the UK after World War II. Specifically, it refers to economic stagnation, such as the decline in industrial production and exports, chronic inflation and the worsening balance of payments, and the resulting depreciation of the pound, as well as the rigidity unique to British society, which was unable to deal with this. The causes of this were, first of all, a labor shortage caused by the improvement of the social security system and the realization of full employment, and in addition, labor union demands for wage increases put pressure on business management, which was ultimately transformed into commodity prices, resulting in a vicious cycle of rising prices and workers demanding further wage increases. On the other hand, rising labor costs promoted the outflow of capital overseas, and austerity measures and monetary tightening to suppress inflation and improve the balance of payments led to a decrease in domestic investment and economic stagnation. Furthermore, the decline in the international competitiveness of commodity exports led to a trade deficit and a direct decline in the value of the pound. The situation did not improve at all, even though successive cabinets, both Conservative and Labour, tried to promote exports by implementing austerity measures, freezing wages and prices, and devaluing the pound. This economic stagnation was said to have been caused by social factors specific to the UK, such as the lack of mobility of traditional social classes, the extreme division of jobs into white-collar and blue-collar, and the hesitation to rationalize due to conservative management ideology. However, production from the North Sea oil fields discovered off the coast of Scotland in 1967 began in 1975, and in 1978 produced 45 million tons, half of the domestic demand, which not only contributed greatly to the improvement of the UK's balance of payments, but also stimulated the economy through the huge investment in oil field development. Furthermore, Thatcher, who became prime minister in 1979, promoted economic revitalization through thorough tightening policies and significant relaxation of government regulations during her 11-year term, raising the economic growth rate to around 4%, giving the impression that the UK had escaped from the "British disease". However, in 1989, the country was hit again by high inflation and a weak pound, and concerns about a recurrence of the "British disease" began to arise. The Major government that succeeded Thatcher's resignation was also unable to escape the effects of the global recession, and was forced to withdraw from the European Monetary System (EMS) in 1992.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

第2次世界大戦後，イギリスにみられた停滞現象。具体的には工業生産や輸出力の減退，慢性的なインフレと国際収支の悪化，それに伴うポンド貨の下落といった経済の停滞と，これに対処しえないイギリス社会特有の硬直性を総称していう。この原因としては，社会保障制度の充実および完全雇用の実現によって労働力が不足し，加えて労働組合の賃上げ要求が企業経営を圧迫，最終的には商品価格に転化され，物価の上昇と労働者の賃上げ再要求という悪循環を招いたことがまずあげられる。一方，労働コストの上昇は資本の国外流出を促進し，インフレの抑制，国際収支の改善のための緊縮財政と金融引締めは，国内投資の減少，景気の停滞をもたらした。さらに商品輸出の国際競争力の低下は，貿易収支の赤字となり，ポンド貨の下落に直結した。保守党，労働党を問わず歴代内閣が緊縮政策，賃金・物価の凍結，ポンド切下げによる輸出促進をはかっても事態はいっこうに改善されなかった。このような経済の停滞は伝統的な社会階級の非流動性，ホワイトカラーとブルーカラーに代表される極端な職能分化，保守的な経営思想からくる合理化のためらいなど，イギリス固有の社会的要因が背後にあり，これらが複合的に作用して，このような事態を招いたといわれていた。しかし 1967年スコットランド沖に発見された北海油田の生産が 75年から開始され，78年には国内需要の2分の1にあたる 4500万tを生産，イギリスの国際収支の改善に大きく寄与したばかりでなく，油田開発のための巨額投資が景気を刺激し，イギリス経済のカンフル剤となった。さらに，79年に首相に就任したサッチャーは 11年間の任期中に徹底した引締め政策，政府規制の大幅緩和などの経済活性化を推進し，経済成長率を4%前後に上昇させた結果，「イギリス病」からの脱却を果したかの感を呈した。しかし 89年に入るとインフレ高進，ポンド安に再び見舞われ，「イギリス病」再現の懸念が頭をもたげるようになった。サッチャー辞任のあとを受けたメージャー政権も世界同時不況の影響から逃れられず 92年にはヨーロッパ通貨制度 EMSからの離脱を余儀なくされている。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: British Union of Fascists

>>: British Artists Association