Basic income: a radical proposal for a free society and a sane economy

"It may sound crazy to pay people an income whether or not they are working or looking for work. But the idea of providing an unconditional basic income to every individual, rich or poor, active or inactive, has been advocated by such major thinkers as Thomas Paine, John Stuart Mill, and John K...

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Main Authors: Van Parijs, Philippe, Vanderborght, Yannick
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Cambridge, Mass. 2017
Harvard University Press
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-637212445549-Basic-income-a-radical-proposa.htm
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author Van Parijs, Philippe
Vanderborght, Yannick
author_facet Van Parijs, Philippe
Vanderborght, Yannick
collection Library items
description "It may sound crazy to pay people an income whether or not they are working or looking for work. But the idea of providing an unconditional basic income to every individual, rich or poor, active or inactive, has been advocated by such major thinkers as Thomas Paine, John Stuart Mill, and John Kenneth Galbraith. For a long time, it was hardly noticed and never taken seriously. Today, with the traditional welfare state creaking under pressure, it has become one of the most widely debated social policy proposals in the world. Philippe Van Parijs and Yannick Vanderborght present the most comprehensive defense of this radical idea so far, advocating it as our most realistic hope for addressing economic insecurity and social exclusion in the twenty-first century. The authors seamlessly combine philosophy, politics, and economics as they compare the idea of a basic income with rival ideas past and present for guarding against poverty and unemployment. They trace its history, tackle the economic and ethical objections against an unconditional income including its alleged tendency to sap incentives and foster free riding and lay out how such an apparently implausible idea might be viable financially and achievable politically. Finally, they consider the relevance of the proposal in an increasingly globalized economy. In an age of growing inequality and divided politics, when old answers to enduring social problems no longer inspire confidence, Basic Income presents fresh reasons to hope that we might yet achieve a free society and a sane economy."
format TEXT
id 637212445549_fd2da2bd8959444abfbe9f49d5e3ee86
institution ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
is_hierarchy_id 637212445549_fd2da2bd8959444abfbe9f49d5e3ee86
is_hierarchy_title Basic income: a radical proposal for a free society and a sane economy
language English
physical 384 p.
Paper
publishDate 2017
publisher Cambridge, Mass.
Harvard University Press
spellingShingle Van Parijs, Philippe
Vanderborght, Yannick
basic needs
economics
guaranteed income
income distribution
sociological aspect
welfare state
Basic income: a radical proposal for a free society and a sane economy
thumbnail https://www.labourline.org/Image_prev.jpg?Archive=124298094247
title Basic income: a radical proposal for a free society and a sane economy
topic basic needs
economics
guaranteed income
income distribution
sociological aspect
welfare state
url https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-637212445549-Basic-income-a-radical-proposa.htm