Universal Basic Income What Everyone Needs to Know®

by Zwolinski, Matt; Fleischer, Miranda Perry

• ISBN13: 9780197556221
• ISBN10: 0197556221
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780197556238
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2023-10-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details
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Summary

From Finland to Kenya to Stockton, California, more and more governments and private philanthropic organizations are putting the idea of a Universal Basic Income to the test. But can the reality live up to the hype?

The motivating idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is radically simple: give people cash and let them do whatever they want with it. But does this simple idea have the potential to radically transform our society? Is a UBI the ultimate solution to the problem of poverty? Is it the solution to automation-induced unemployment? Can it help solve gender and racial inequality?

This book provides the average citizen with all the information they need to understand current debates about the UBI. It recounts the history of the idea, from its origins in the writings of 18th century radical intellectuals to contemporary discussions centered on unemployment caused by technological advances such as artificial intelligence. It discusses current pilot programs in the United States and around the world, including how much (or little) we can learn from such experiments about how a large-scale UBI would fare in the real world. It explores both the promises and pitfalls of a UBI, taking seriously the arguments of both supporters and detractors. It also explains why the UBI has attracted supporters from all across the ideological spectrum--from conservatives to liberals, libertarians to socialists--and what the implications of this fact are for its political future.

How much would a UBI cost? Who would be eligible to receive it? Would it discourage work? Would people squander it on drugs and alcohol? Would it contribute to inflation? And how is it different from existing social welfare programs? This book provides an objective, expert guide to these questions and more, and is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand what could be the 21st century's most important public policy debate.

Author Biography

Matt Zwolinski is Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Diego and director of USD's Center for Ethics, Economics, and Public Policy. His research focuses on the intersection of philosophy, law, and economics, with a special interest in issues of exploitation, basic income, and libertarian political theory. He is the editor of Arguing About Political Philosophy, and with Benjamin Ferguson, editor of the Routledge Companion to Libertarianism and the forthcoming Exploitation: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. With John Tomasi, he the author of The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism.

Miranda Perry Fleischer is Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law who was named a 2020-2021 University Professor. Her research focuses on the interaction of distributive justice and tax policy relating to wealth taxation, charitable giving, and redistribution to the poor. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on those subjects, most notably including The Architecture of a Basic Income, 87 U. Chi. L. Rev. 625 and Atlas Nods: The Libertarian Case for a Basic Income, 2017 Wisconsin Law Review 1189.

Table of Contents

Part 1: The Basics of a Basic Income
1. What is a Basic Income?
2. Who first thought of the idea?
3. Who are some recent supporters of a Basic Income?
4. Has anyone ever tried a Basic Income?
5. Won't people stop working?
6. Won't people just waste cash?
7. How does a basic income differ from traditional welfare policies?
8. Is a Basic Income possible politically?

Part 2: How a Basic Income Would Work
9. How big would it be?
10. Would rich people receive a Basic Income?
11. No, really, why are you sending Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos checks?
12. How much would a Basic Income cost?
13. Would a Basic Income replace existing welfare policies or supplement them?
14. How could a Basic Income be funded?
15. Why can't you give me a straight answer about how big it would be and how we'd pay for it?
16. Would the Basic Income be paid to individuals or to families?
17. Would children receive a Basic Income?
18. Would seniors receive a Basic Income on top of Social Security benefits?
19. Would immigrants be eligible for a Basic Income?
20. Would a Basic Income be adjusted for regional differences in cost of living?
21. Would a Basic Income vary based on people's savings/wealth?
22. Would individuals be able to sell or borrow against their Basic Income?
23. How frequently would a Basic Income be paid?
24. Which agency would administer a Basic Income, and how?

Part 3: Basic Income versus Common Alternatives
25. How does a Basic Income compare to Unemployment and Disability?
26. How does a Basic Income compare to the Earned Income Tax Credit?
27. How does a Basic Income compare to in-kind transfers like public housing?
28. How does a Basic Income compare to restricted cash transfers, like food stamps?
29. How does a Basic Income compare to tax credits for the poor, such as the Child Tax Credit?
30. How does a Basic Income compare to proposals like Baby Bonds or a Basic Endowment?
31. How does a Basic Income compare to a Negative Income Tax or Demogrant?
32. Why a Basic Income instead of a Guaranteed Employment program?

Part 4: Examples of a Basic Income
33. Has a Basic Income ever been tried?
34. Doesn't Alaska have something like a Basic Income?
35. Didn't the United States run some experiments on the Basic Income back in the 1970s?
36. What about Canada?
37. Has a Basic Income ever been tried in the developing world?
38. What are some other current experiments with the Basic Income?
39. How much can we really learn about the Basic Income from pilot programs?

Part 5: Common objections to a Basic Income
40. Would a Basic Income be too expensive?
41. Would a Basic Income discourage people from working?
42. Is it unfair to force people who work to support people who freely choose not to?
43. Won't people just waste cash?
44. What about the children of negligent/drug-addicted parents?
45. Could a Basic Income make the poor worse off?
46. Could a Basic Income increase hostility toward immigrants?
47. Would a Basic Income cause inflation?
48. What happens if someone wastes their UBI and is still hungry and homeless?
49. If we implemented a Basic Income, what would stop it from getting bigger and bigger over time?

Part 6: Possible Advantages of a Basic Income
50. Could a Basic Income help us deal with increasing automation and artificial intelligence?
51. Would a Basic Income reduce poverty and inequality?
52. Could a Basic Income improve the position of women?
53. Could a Basic Income improve the position of racial minorities?
54. How would a Basic Income affect families?
55. How would a Basic Income affect communities?
56. How would a Basic Income affect the problem of “bullshit jobs”?
57. Could a Basic Income help us to address environmental problems?
58. What other advantages are there to a Basic Income?

Part 7: The Politics of a Basic Income
59. Is a Basic Income politically feasible?
60. What interest groups could be mobilized to support a Basic Income?
61. What interest groups are likely to oppose a Basic Income?
62. Is the Basic Income a socialist idea?
63. What do conservatives think about a Basic Income?
64. What have feminist theorists said about a Basic Income?
65. What do progressives think about a Basic Income?
66. What do libertarians think about a Basic Income?
67. What's the best level to implement a Basic Income - a country? A city? Globally?
68. Would a Basic Income be politically stable?
69. Is a Basic Income likely to be implemented anytime soon?