Basic Income

Is unconditional basic income a viable alternative to other social welfare measures?

“…An alternative policy (as a radical replacement of, or a complement to traditional income support policies) is the unconditional basic income (UBI) [5]. It is shown in Figure 4(b), where G now represents the unconditional transfer.…”

“…Third, it would improve labor supply incentives, since the welfare-trap effects illustrated in Figure 2 would be eliminated, or at least reduced. It might also promote more efficient choices along other dimensions [5]. For example, experiments with non-means-tested transfers implemented in developing countries show positive results on labor supply and human capital investments such as education, occupation, and health.…”

Social Security: Past, Present and Future

“…The strongest case for the unconditionality of a UBI was put forward by Phillipe van Parijs, in his 1991 paper 'Why Surfers Should Be Fed: The Liberal Case for an Unconditional Basic Income [11],' and developed in his latest book [12], with the argument based upon Rawls' Theory of Justice [13]. Van Parijs argues that someone who chooses not to work, and who therefore has a low income, falls among the least-advantaged members of society.…”

Basic Income and the Rights of Persons With Disabilities

“…The effects of basic income from the redistributive perspective are clear. Many authors have pointed out how universal basic income prevents poverty, reduces inequalities in societies, and achieves a level of equality of opportunities (Rey Pérez, 2007;Raventós, 2007;Van Parijs & Vanderborght, 2017). These positive effects would be enjoyed equally by people with and without disabilities.…”