In this piece, McCracken discusses how increased food costs disproportionately hurt the poorest citizens. Acknowledging that many argue for a basic income to address this issue, McCracken believes that a more comprehensive response is needed.
Molly McCracken, “Fight food insecurity with income”
Abstract:
A basic income is typically defined as an individual’s entitlement to receive a regular payment as a right, independent of other sources of income, employment or willingness to work, or living situation. In this article, we examine what it means for the state to institute a right to basic income. The normative literature on basic income has developed numerous arguments in support of basic income as an inextricable component of a just social order, but there exists little analysis about basic income within a jurisprudential or philosophical rights perspective. In our view, strong reasons of either a principled or a pragmatic nature in support of instituting a basic income scheme nevertheless often fall short of ascribing to basic income a distinctive Hohfeldian rights status. This article aims to partially redress this gap by examining two sets of questions. First, what are the implications – ethical and practical – of adopting basic income as a legal right as opposed to a mere policy? Second, we also enquire whether there should be such a right: what, if anything, is the ethical foundation that warrants granting basic income a distinctive legal rights status? This article suggests that any such foundation must be grounded in comparative evaluation and discusses several comparative strategies available to basic income advocates. The aim of this article is not to offer a definite argument in favor of a legal right to basic income, but to chart several lines of argument that a rights perspective might add to the contemporary discussion.
Jurgen De Wispelaere and Leticia Morales, “Is there (or should there be) a right to basic income?”, Philosophy and Social Criticism, 13 January 2016.
Shafarman’s piece focuses on one part of King’s activism that is commonly forgotten: he advocated for a guaranteed basic income for all citizens. Shafarman provides a wide-ranging introduction to the idea, highlighting its flexibility in ideological arguments. Shafarman urges our next president to consider following in King’s footsteps and establishing a basic income for all.
Steven Shafarman, “Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. We can make it come true.”, Fusion, 18 January 2016.
This article scathingly critiques the World Economic Forum’s apparent concern for global inequality, claiming that the elites present at the forum are more concerned with ensuring their own well-being and accepting global inequality as a consequence. These elites hide from society’s view but play major role in politics and in exacerbating inequality. The authors believe a universal basic income could help fight the billionaires and redistribute wealth back to those who need it.
Daniel Raventós and Julie Wark, “We Can’t Afford These Billionaires”, Counterpunch, 5 February 2016.
Abstract:
Following the success of a recent Swiss Citizens’ Initiative to grant each citizen an unconditional income guarantee and the Finnish Government’s plans to conduct the first national pilot project, the idea of a basic income as a citizens’ right has gained much prominence in the policy debate. This article reviews a number of policy developments on the ground through the lens of the policy transfer literature. In the absence of a fully developed basic income in place, proponents must rely on partially implemented schemes or proposals that differ in crucial respects from the basic income ideal. This paper outlines three sets of empirical cases and analyses what (if any) lessons we can draw from them regarding the future of basic income schemes.
Jurgen De Wispelaere, “Basic Income in Our Time: Improving Political Prospects Through Policy Learning”, Journal of Social Policy, Cambridge University Press 2016.
