Debating Universal Basic Income

Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Robert E. Wright, Aleksandra Przegalińska

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9783031175121
• eBook ISBN:
  9783031175138
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Labour Economics
• Index: Economics

This book presents the most compelling arguments for and against implementing a basic income guarantee today, in the voice of proponents and critics, in alternating chapters. Tables, figures, and pictures illustrate the key concepts and evidence, which include benefit cliffs and disincentive deserts, time series macroeconomic data, business, economic, and technological change (BETC), artificial intelligence and other general purpose technologies, along with advanced robotics, the environmental Kuznets Curve, income distributions, democracy, social justice, dependence, autonomy, and economic freedom. A neutral, non-partisan tone introduction defines UBI and covers the history of universal income plans, while the conclusion summarizes the main arguments for and against UBI before surveying alternative policies, including universal basic asset, credit, service, job, and training plans.

Table of contents

• Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee
• Debating Universal Basic Income
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• 1. UBI Basics
• 2. In Favor: Something for Everyone
• 3. Opposed: Less for All
• 4. In Favor: Safety from Artificial Intelligence
• 5. Opposed: No Country for New Robots
• 6. In Favor: Another Weapon Against Climate Change
• 7. Opposed: The Centralized Control Conceit
• 8. Opposed: Too Dear or Too Little
• 9. In Favor: UBI Pays for Itself
• 10. Opposed: Democracy Destroyed
• 11. In Favor: Democracy Enhanced and Social Justice, Too!
• 12. Opposed: Dependency
• 13. In Favor: Autonomy
• 14. Summary and Alternatives
• References
• Index