by Toby | Apr 5, 2015 | Research
ABSTRACT: This article is a follow-up to The Obsolescence of Capitalism: And the Transition to a Resource Based Economy, which examined the effects of ongoing social and technological trends on the capitalist economic system, and the potential for humanity to restructure society and move from a system of scarcity to one of global abundance. While the previous article presented a long-term vision for transitioning towards an alternative Resource Based Economy of abundance, this article will examine the more immediate conditions affecting society and how, over the coming years and decades, the capitalist market will increasingly be eclipsed, circumvented and overshadowed by an emerging Collaborative Commons.
“In order to prevent a sudden and catastrophic collapse of the capitalist system, a Universal Basic Income (UBI) will be required to stabilize a transitional hybrid economy as it moves towards a Commons.”
Christopher J. Dew, “Post-Capitalism: Rise of the Collaborative Commons“, Medium, 2015 March 19
by Toby | Apr 2, 2015 | Research
The author argues that it’s desirable to attempt to eliminate work done only “for economic compulsion” via a Guaranteed Minimum income and addresses various objections.
John Bentley, “Full Unemployment“, Philorum, 2005 December 15
by Josh Martin | Mar 25, 2015 | Research
Jeffery reviews (and has submitted this review to Political Studies Review) Basic Income: An Anthology of Contemporary Research by Widerquist, Anguera, Vanderborght, and de Wispelaere, which consolidates significant basic income research into 74 chapters split into the categories of freedom, justice, reciprocity and exploitation, feminism, economics, post-productivism, implementation, institutions, and politics. The book also includes the major critiques of basic income, mostly in feminism and economics, but Jeffery argues that as a whole the research has been too philosophical and not empirical enough.
David Jeffery, “Review: Basic Income: An Anthology of Contemporary Research”, What’s David Thinking?, 24 February 2015.
by Josh Martin | Mar 21, 2015 | Research
Irani writes a review of Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee’s book The Second Machine Age, in which they argue for a basic income as a solution to increasing automation and technology.
Lilly Irani, “Justice for ‘Data Janitors’”, Public Books, January 15, 2015.
by Josh Martin | Mar 16, 2015 | Research
Drover, Moscovitch, and Mulvale write on behalf of the Canadian Association of Social Workers to share their concerns about the direction of Canadian social policy. They fear that it has become too decentralized, potentially harming health care, social inclusion, and social protection. Their policy recommendations to promote pan-Canadian equity are a national basic income scheme, continued funding of the Canada Social Transfer, and to continue to fund the health system, among other policy recommendations.
This may be the first time a national professional organization in Canada has advocated a basic income, and Jim Mulvale is Vice-Chair of the Basic Income Canada Network.
Glenn Drover, Allan Moscovitch, and Jim Mulvale, “Promoting Equity for a Stronger Canada: The Future of Canadian Social Policy”, Canadian Association of Social Workers, 22 May 2014.
by Josh Martin | Mar 13, 2015 | Research
This article is very important in the discussion about a citizen’s income (basic income) in the UK. Hirsch is writing from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a prestigious social policy organization in the UK, and his analysis of the citizen’s income debate revolves around a few main issues: it would require increased taxes of up to fifty percent, it does not necessarily eliminate all means-tests since Housing Benefit would likely still exist, and the “something for nothing” idea is still politically unpopular throughout the UK. That said, Hirsch highlights the attractiveness of a citizen’s income as well as listing its faults.
Donald Hirsch, “Could a ‘Citizen’s Income’ Work?”, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, March 2015.
