by Karl Widerquist | Jun 16, 2014 | Research
SUMMARY: Guy Standing’s book, The Precariat: A New and Dangerous Class, addresses labor market insecurity and argues for basic income as a solution. The journal, Global Discourse, devotes an entire issue to the Precariat. According Matthew Johnson, who was the guest editor of the special issue, “This issue of Global Discourse seeks to explore the nature, shape and context of precariat, evaluating the internal consistency and application of the concept, particularly with regard to: changes in the sociology of class; democracy, participation and representation; the relationship between precariat and multitude; the means by which precariat might become a ‘class-for-itself’; place, migration and globalization; poverty and precarity; the subjective experience of precarity, and forms of resistance. The articles published reflect the extent, both with regard to paradigmatic engagement and site of study, to which the concept has permeated the consciousness of academics and those subject to precariousness (indeed, the former appear increasingly to be included in the latter).”
Matthew Johnson (editor), “Special Issue: The Precariat.” Global Discourse: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Current Affairs and Applied Contemporary Thought, Volume 3, Issue 3-4, 2013
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 15, 2014 | Research
Tyler Morning Telegraph’s Editorial Board, “A job is superior to guaranteed income.” Tyler Morning Telegraph [Tyler, Texas], Sunday, 8 June 2014.
by Josh Martin | Jun 15, 2014 | Research
This paper looks at the issue of reparations for group injustice, mainly in the USA, and suggests a basic income guarantee as a possible means of addressing that issue. The need for and legitimacy of such reparations are first established. The author details some personal experience with the issue, which includes encountering frequent resistance to the idea. A basic income guarantee as a means of getting past much of that resistance is then discussed. That is followed by a brief discussion of benefits and limitations. The paper concludes that implementation of a basic income guarantee is the single best way to right the injustices suffered by people due to their inclusion in certain cultural/ethnic groups.
Richa, “A Basic Income Guarantee as Reparations for Group Injustice“, USBIG, December 2009.
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 15, 2014 | Research
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: You are about to become obsolete. You think you are special, unique, and that whatever it is that you are doing is impossible to replace. You are wrong. As we speak, millions of algorithms created by computer scientists are frantically running on servers all over the world, with one sole purpose: do whatever humans can do, but better. That is the argument for a phenomenon called technological unemployment, one that is pervading modern society. But is that really the case? Or is it just a futuristic fantasy? What will become of us in the coming years, and what can we do to prevent a catastrophic collapse of society? Robots Will Steal Your Job, But That’s OK: How to Survive the Economic Collapse and Be Happy explores the impact of technological advances on our lives, what it means to be happy, and provides suggestions on how to avoid a systemic collapse.
One of the solutions discussed in this book is an unconditional basic income (a federal stipend guarantee).
Federico Pistono, Robots Will Steal Your Job, But That’s OK: How to Survive the Economic Collapse and Be Happy, Second Edition. CreateSpace, January 14, 2014.
Robotswillstealyourjob.com
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 14, 2014 | Research
John Aziz -TheWeek.com
SUMMARY: According to this article, “We are at the beginning of a tidal wave of new economic innovation and growth that will change the way we think about the economy forever.” The author concludes, “But on a rising tide of growth, it will be possible to redistribute wealth from richer to poorer, if the political will to do so exists. In fact, high levels of job displacement will probably make it necessary to do so, perhaps through the implementation of a universal income program, where the government taxes the owners of the robots, and pays each citizen a guaranteed basic income.” John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk, and his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.
John Aziz, “Prepare yourselves for the robot economy revolution.” TheWeek.com, June 2, 2014.
-Louis K. Meisel Gallery, Inc./CORBIS, via TheWeek.com
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 13, 2014 | Research
Clive Menzies -BBC
SUMMARY: The BBC asked four writer to discuss what we should do to renew the capitalist system. One of them, Clive Menzies, argued that the system has become unequal because of priviledged ownership of natural resources, which should be reversed by a Citizens Dividend (a basic income financed by resource and rent taxes). Clive Menzies is a political economist with a background in business and investment management. He founded the Critical Thinking research project at the Free University and is a member of the Occupy London Economics Working Group
Clive Menzies, “Viewpoints: What should capitalism do?” BBC News, 26 May 2014.
