The case for a universal basic income in South Africa: A conceptual approach

Abstract

This conceptual study investigates a model for addressing both poverty and income inequality, which is theoretically distinct from the traditional tax and transfer systems adopted by most jurisdictions. It does so against a backdrop of global uncertainty and ongoing challenges to the current economic landscape. The model investigated is known as universal basic income which provides a minimum payment to all citizens of a jurisdiction. In doing so it decouples income from labour and removes any means or employment tests from the receipt of assistance. To adequately address this model, a theoretical rationale for such an approach is first discussed followed by an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages. Current and previous experiments of universal basic income in

The Global Development Formula

“…Through this, the availability of cheap labor for foreign investment enterprises would be greatly reduced. In this domain, the advantages of a universal basic income are already widely explored in the literature [99], in particular, to reduce global inequality [100], thus counteracting the globalization outsourcing processes, which have led to an increasing separation from decision-making in local communities [3]. This general services provision is particularly important in a context marked by growth rates of population vis-a-vis a lagging economic growth rate.…”

Public policy and developmental imperatives: theorising governance in the case of social grants in Endumeni Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal

“…The National Treasury of South Africa (NTSA) claims that this grant might cause additional expenditures the state cannot afford. However, the government states that there is no budget for BIG (Marais, 2020;Sadiq & Du Preez, 2021;Patel, 2005). The government is obliged to search for funds for this grant because the longer it continues to be given to people, the more it will be able to generate its revenue without the state seeking money elsewhere.…”