Stress, domination and basic income: considering a citizens’ entitlement response to a public health crisis

Abstract

In 2015/16, stress was found psychologically to be responsible for 37% of work-related illnesses and 45% of working days lost due to illness in Great Britain. Stress has also been linked to long-term chronic health conditionsincluding heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and depressionresponsible for 70% of NHS England spend, 50% of GP appointments, 64% of outpatient appointments and 70% of inpatient bed days. It is apparent that medical responses to stress-related illness contribute to the NHS funding crisis without resolving underlying causes. It is necessary to address the social bases of this public health issue. We argue that one of the primary causes of stress stems from a basic assumption of modern economics: that hierarchies are essential to organizational success. We argue that the combination of hierarchy and possibility of destitution inflicts domination on individuals. We then consider the potential contribution of Universal Basic Income (UBI) to dealing causally with this public health problem. This marks a new development in both the public health and UBI literatures. We conclude that future trials and studies of UBI ought to measure physiological effects on stress as part of an holistic evaluation of the policy.

Understanding the relationship between income and mental health among 16- to 24-year-olds: Analysis of 10 waves (2009–2020) of Understanding Society to enable modelling of income interventions

“…Some of this study’s authors have argued elsewhere that Universal Basic Income (UBI) may serve to mitigate these social determinants of health [ 11 , 12 ]. Indeed, their model of impact [ 12 p411] sets out the likely causal pathways between welfare systems, UBI specifically, and health outcomes via pathways of poverty reduction, inequality reduction and predictability and security of income which are likely to result in improved satisfaction of material needs, behavioural change that encourages longer-term investment in health and stress reduction.…”

Study for the Design of a Protocol to Assess the Impact of Stress in the Quality of Life of Workers

“…In addition, several studies have reported that the health sector suffers the most from this type of problem [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. In line with this data, occupational stress has become one of the most relevant problems for public and occupational health [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

“…The effects derived from work stress suppose important direct and indirect consequences for public health [ 16 , 37 ]. They generate an expense to the system due to high demand on health services, and the necessity of treatments that must be maintained in the long term like antidepressants or anxiolytics, which have a minimum duration of several months [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Mitigating social and economic sources of trauma: The need for universal basic income during the coronavirus pandemic.

“…By reducing poverty and enabling people to overcome periods of unemployment, UBI reduces “health inequalities and the structural conditions that put people ‘at risk of risks,’” such as “discrimination, poverty, residential segregation, inadequate schools, unemployment” (Thoits, 2010, p. S47). Existing evidence suggests that, by acting as a safety net of predictable, certain income, UBI reduces psychological stress (see Johnson & Johnson, 2019; Kangas et al, 2019, p. 25) as well as having “modest to strong positive effects on a range of health outcomes, including low birth weight, adult and child mental health, service use, and diet” Gibson, Hearty, and Craig, (2018, p. 11).…”