The Case for Universal Basic Income

The Case For

by Louise Haagh

Advocated (and attacked) by commentators across the political spectrum, paying every citizen a basic income regardless of their circumstances sounds utopian. However, as our economies are transformed and welfare states feel the strain, it has become a hotly debated issue. In this compelling book, Louise Haagh, one of the world’s leading experts on basic income, argues that Universal Basic Income is essential to freedom, human development and democracy in the twenty-first century. She shows that, far from being a silver bullet that will transform or replace capitalism, or a sticking plaster that will extend it, it is a crucial element in a much broader task of constructing a democratic society that will promote social equality and humanist justice. She uses her unrivalled knowledge of the existing research to unearth key issues in design and implementation in a range of different contexts across the globe, highlighting the potential and pitfalls at a time of crisis in governing and public austerity. This book will be essential reading for anyone who wants to get beyond the hype and properly understand one of the most important issues facing politics, economics and social policy today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Thomas Sedkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good book with a solid case. I wish it went in to more depth about finance specifics, but these are the points that spoke to me the most:
- security for ALL as opposed to just poor is less likely to be contested or corrupted over time
- governmental funds respond to crisis (disability e.g.) - UBI is a way to prevent crisis, existential worry, maximizing capabilities & human development
- UBI will not deincentivize taking on low-income work as you don't lose benefits
- Since your life savings need to be spent before receiving benefits, that exacerbates existential dread of losing job
- UBI needs to be embedded in a welfare state as the "strict equality of welfare resources" it offers isnt enough to ensure stable human development. Being young, knowing that you will need more getting old but wont get it, is stressful. Or that your family does.
- stable governance/institutions = freedom
- "only populists/extremes support UBI" is a shitty argument. Supporters of universal suffrage were considered just that in their day.
- social rights amplify the value of individual freedom
- security boosts problem solving ability - i.e. peoople with stable income stay in school longer and do better.
-social dysfunction arises from loss of control. UBI prevents human breakdown. An institution of health.
-Study: more generous income security outside of employment leads to longer employment
-UBI shelters processes of learning outside of competitive drives
-UBI reduces the competitve pressures that force individuals to choose between work and care (in families)
-direct correllation between economic security and control of time in work and leisure
-UBI empowers humanist governance
-Key arguments against: cost of program and risk of lowering societal contribution
-BUT: disassociation from society is linked with lower contributions
- UBI is better than lifting requirements for OI if wealth accrual would be banned
MAIN:
Humanist democratic case: institution-building properties, political stability, civil morality

[Rob Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Starting a piece with "the case for" sets the bar high. The problem with this sort of approach is that there is no one "case" for a strategy, but many different reasons that people land on a certain outcome. In Haagh's book, she makes a case specifically to leftist political theorists, drawing mainly from the area of political theory. While this will be an interesting perspective for a narrow band of political theorists, the case for basic income on a foundation of democratic development, rights talk, and "humanism" vaguely described has little use for policymakers interested in tools for solving social ills, the public trying to wrap their head around basic income schemes, or even policy analysts trying to get information to policymakers.

[Arnon De Mello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with the flow of the book. It reads like a compilation of academic papers. Having said that, I was able to extract a few interesting arguments in favor of UBI which I’ll use for my research.

[Jen Abrahall · Rating 3 out of 5]

although sometimes a little academic for my taste, this really is the perfect place to start when researching UBI. In a way Haagh presented every argument or thought I had considered and needed evidence to back it up with firstly her view but then clear, easy to follow sources to take my research into the specific evidence further. although i wouldn’t describe this as a riveting read it really was the perfect start to my research on UBI.