What do you think?
Rate this book
Basic Income: A Guide for the Open-Minded
Shouldn’t everyone receive a stake in society's wealth? Could we create a fairer world by guaranteeing income to all? What would this mean for our health, wealth, and happiness?
Basic income is a revolutionary idea that guarantees regular, unconditional cash transfers from the government to all citizens. It is an acknowledgement that everyone plays a part in generating the wealth currently enjoyed by only a few and would rectify the recent breakdown in income distribution.
Political parties across the world are now adopting this innovative policy and the idea generates headlines every day. Guy Standing has been at the forefront of thought surrounding basic income for the past thirty years, and in this book he covers in authoritative detail its effects on the economy, poverty, work, and labor; dissects and disproves the standard arguments against basic income; explains what we can learn from pilots across the world; and illustrates exactly why basic income has now become such an urgent necessity.
Basic income is a revolutionary idea that guarantees regular, unconditional cash transfers from the government to all citizens. It is an acknowledgement that everyone plays a part in generating the wealth currently enjoyed by only a few and would rectify the recent breakdown in income distribution.
Political parties across the world are now adopting this innovative policy and the idea generates headlines every day. Guy Standing has been at the forefront of thought surrounding basic income for the past thirty years, and in this book he covers in authoritative detail its effects on the economy, poverty, work, and labor; dissects and disproves the standard arguments against basic income; explains what we can learn from pilots across the world; and illustrates exactly why basic income has now become such an urgent necessity.
392 pages, Hardcover
Published August 29, 2017
10 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
Guy Standing
55 books172 followersGuy Standing is a British professor of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN).
Standing has written widely in the areas of labour economics, labour market policy, unemployment, labour market flexibility, structural adjustment policies and social protection. His recent work has concerned the emerging precariat class and the need to move towards unconditional basic income and deliberative democracy.
Standing has written widely in the areas of labour economics, labour market policy, unemployment, labour market flexibility, structural adjustment policies and social protection. His recent work has concerned the emerging precariat class and the need to move towards unconditional basic income and deliberative democracy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 23, 2023
A very convincing book for Basic Income. It is hard to find counter arguments for the points the author makes in this book. The fact of the matter is that there are poor people and that there disabled people, among others who have financial trouble. The problem turns out to be systemic rather than individual. In countries all over the world welfare programs have been introduced with little effect and with the consequence of shaming their recipients. Standing argues strongly against all forms of paternalism and insists that people who receive benefits know better what they need than bureaucrats that decide if they get benefits or not.
June 6, 2019
Compelling and logical arguments in favor of universal basic income. With our current broken system, it is not a question of if, but when. UBI is the future!
November 16, 2023
"Basic Income: A Guide for the Open-Minded" by Guy Standing is a thought-provoking exploration into the concept of basic income and its potential impact on society. The book opens with a powerful quote by Barbara Wootton: “It's from the champions of the impossible, rather than from slaves of the possible, that evolution draws its creative force.” This quote encapsulates the essence of Standing's examination of a revolutionary idea that challenges conventional wisdom.
Standing connects the idea of basic income to Tocqueville's vision of standing in society with equal status, adding depth to the economic discussions. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of predictability in an economic system, highlighting how a basic income system ensures this predictability by meticulously calculating how money will be financed and spent.
The book delves beyond economic aspects, exploring how basic income ideology supports equality and justice in various aspects of life. Drawing from literature, Standing references Thomas More's depiction of the impact of reliable and healthy foundations on societal peace, and Shakespeare's King Lear, illustrating the consequences of excess and personal greed even among siblings. Standing also underscores the pivotal role of government in building systems, emphasizing the positive impact when politicians act as role models.
One of the book's standout features is Standing's personal experiences in creating a pilot application for basic income in India. This hands-on approach adds credibility to his arguments, demonstrating that he is not merely a theoretical advocate but someone who has applied the principles of basic income in real-world scenarios.
Standing quotes Thomas Paine, stating that "Time makes more converts than reason." However, I find myself in disagreement with this sentiment. The author's perspective suggests that time inherently possesses a healing quality. I strongly disagree with this notion, as we have lived almost 200,000 years in this world, and yet, essential problems persist, causing babies to cry, innocents to be convicted, and patients to succumb. Time, in my view, is not an ally or an enemy; it is an uncontrollable phenomenon. Contrarily, the mind can be both a force for good and evil. Therefore, the emphasis should lean toward the mind rather than time.
In conclusion, "Basic Income: A Guide for the Open-Minded" is a multifaceted exploration that combines philosophical depth, literary references, personal experiences, and economic analysis. Guy Standing's ability to blend theory with practical application, coupled with a balanced consideration of both the advantages and challenges of basic income, makes this book an invaluable resource for readers interested in the future of economic and social systems.
Standing connects the idea of basic income to Tocqueville's vision of standing in society with equal status, adding depth to the economic discussions. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of predictability in an economic system, highlighting how a basic income system ensures this predictability by meticulously calculating how money will be financed and spent.
The book delves beyond economic aspects, exploring how basic income ideology supports equality and justice in various aspects of life. Drawing from literature, Standing references Thomas More's depiction of the impact of reliable and healthy foundations on societal peace, and Shakespeare's King Lear, illustrating the consequences of excess and personal greed even among siblings. Standing also underscores the pivotal role of government in building systems, emphasizing the positive impact when politicians act as role models.
One of the book's standout features is Standing's personal experiences in creating a pilot application for basic income in India. This hands-on approach adds credibility to his arguments, demonstrating that he is not merely a theoretical advocate but someone who has applied the principles of basic income in real-world scenarios.
Standing quotes Thomas Paine, stating that "Time makes more converts than reason." However, I find myself in disagreement with this sentiment. The author's perspective suggests that time inherently possesses a healing quality. I strongly disagree with this notion, as we have lived almost 200,000 years in this world, and yet, essential problems persist, causing babies to cry, innocents to be convicted, and patients to succumb. Time, in my view, is not an ally or an enemy; it is an uncontrollable phenomenon. Contrarily, the mind can be both a force for good and evil. Therefore, the emphasis should lean toward the mind rather than time.
In conclusion, "Basic Income: A Guide for the Open-Minded" is a multifaceted exploration that combines philosophical depth, literary references, personal experiences, and economic analysis. Guy Standing's ability to blend theory with practical application, coupled with a balanced consideration of both the advantages and challenges of basic income, makes this book an invaluable resource for readers interested in the future of economic and social systems.
July 12, 2021
This book did a good job presenting the arguments for a universal basic income. It was interesting to read about UBI pilots and their outcomes.
Unfortunately, the author didn't deliver well on his promise at the beginning of the book to walk the reader through the arguments against a basic income. I don't feel that my objections were covered well at all. Without addressing the problems that concern me, the author couldn't sway me to his point of view, and by the end of the book I no longer enjoyed reading his ideas about how to achieve the policies he favored.
I would have liked the book much more if a few of the entirely pro-UBI chapters had been replaced with more discussion of possible downsides. Everything has downsides, and they were all completely dismissed to the point where I just felt that the author was being unrealistic. I did learn quite a bit about the arguments in favor of a universal basic income, though.
Unfortunately, the author didn't deliver well on his promise at the beginning of the book to walk the reader through the arguments against a basic income. I don't feel that my objections were covered well at all. Without addressing the problems that concern me, the author couldn't sway me to his point of view, and by the end of the book I no longer enjoyed reading his ideas about how to achieve the policies he favored.
I would have liked the book much more if a few of the entirely pro-UBI chapters had been replaced with more discussion of possible downsides. Everything has downsides, and they were all completely dismissed to the point where I just felt that the author was being unrealistic. I did learn quite a bit about the arguments in favor of a universal basic income, though.
October 2, 2018
An excellent read on the subject of Universal Basic Income! Anyone who is interested in learning about the topic or learning new things about it/ways to look at it are going to enjoy this...Warning there are 2 or 3 grammatical errors and the author has a tendency to spell "Enroll" incorrectly more than once and there was another misspelling I saw somewhere. Outside of that. It's excellent.
January 19, 2019
If you have an open mind and you're interested in basic income, this is your source.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews