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Philosophy

Basic Income, Employment and Welfare Reform

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

On The Political Feasibility Of Universal Basic Income, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Jose A. Noguera Aug 2012

On The Political Feasibility Of Universal Basic Income, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Jose A. Noguera

Jurgen De Wispelaere

For much of the last two decades, debate around the proposal of a universal basic income (BI) centered on arguing the ethical and economic case for instituting a policy that grants each adult citizen a guaranteed income as a right, without a means test or work requirement. The question of how to bring about such a policy—the question of political feasibility—has only recently gained traction amongst BI advocates. Leaving aside some notable exceptions, much work remains to be done to further our understanding of the challenges faced by BI advocates and the strategies available to overcome these. In this chapter, …


A Disarmingly Simple Idea? Practical Bottlenecks In Implementing A Universal Basic Income, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Lindsay Stirton Apr 2012

A Disarmingly Simple Idea? Practical Bottlenecks In Implementing A Universal Basic Income, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Lindsay Stirton

Jurgen De Wispelaere

This article considers the implementation of a universal basic income, a neglected area in basic income research. We identify and examine three important practical bottlenecks that may prevent a basic income scheme from attaining the universal reach desired and proclaimed by its advocates: i) maintaining a population-wide cadaster of eligible claimants ensuring full takeup; ii) instituting robust modalities of payment that reach all intended beneficiaries; and iii) designing an effective oversight mechanism in a policy context that actively opposes client monitoring. We argue that the implementation of universal basic income faces unique challenges that its proponents must consider carefully.


The Alaska Model: A Republican Perspective, David Casassas, Jurgen De Wispelaere Apr 2012

The Alaska Model: A Republican Perspective, David Casassas, Jurgen De Wispelaere

Jurgen De Wispelaere

Since 1982, each Alaskan has received an equal share of the returns to the Alaska Permanent Fund (APF), a publicly owned investment portfolio funded by the state’s oil revenue. These returns come in the form of a Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) allocating an annual grant of roughly $1,200 to each man, woman, and child who meets the residency requirement. In this chapter we assess the pros and cons of the Alaska model from the perspective of contemporary republicanism, an approach in political theory most famously associated with the work of Quentin Skinner and Philip Pettit. This chapter argues that for …


Elementos Para Una EconomíA PolíTica Del Republicanismo: Un AnáLisis CríTico De La Renta BáSica De Alaska, David Casassas, Jurgen De Wispelaere Dec 2011

Elementos Para Una EconomíA PolíTica Del Republicanismo: Un AnáLisis CríTico De La Renta BáSica De Alaska, David Casassas, Jurgen De Wispelaere

Jurgen De Wispelaere

En este artículo presentamos las ideas básicas que subyacen a la teoría política republicana y establecemos una línea de demarcación entre la perspectiva republicana y el libertarianismo de izquierdas, el cual tiene en la renta básica de Alaska su plasmación institucional más natural e inmediata. A partir de ahí, abordamos tres conjuntos de problemas que presenta el modelo de Alaska: la falta de una base económica sustancial, la falta de frenos a la acumulación de poder económico privado y la falta de mecanismos de control democrático sobre los procesos de extracción, imposición tributaria y distribución de los recursos naturales. Así, …


Renta Básica Y Emancipación Social: Principios, Diseños Y Coaliciones, David Casassas, Jurgen De Wispelaere Oct 2011

Renta Básica Y Emancipación Social: Principios, Diseños Y Coaliciones, David Casassas, Jurgen De Wispelaere

Jurgen De Wispelaere

¿Constituye la renta básica una medida potencialmente emancipatoria? ¿Se halla dicho potencial emancipatorio presente en cualquier proyecto de renta básica que podamos alumbrar? Este artículo nace del convencimiento de que el primer interrogante merece una respuesta afirmativa y de que el se- gundo ha de ser contestado con una cautelosa negación. En efecto, estas páginas aspiran a mostrar que el potencial emancipatorio de la renta básica no es algo que venga dado de forma necesaria por su propia definición como política de transferencia de rentas de carácter universal e incondicional, sino que depende de la naturaleza del contexto social e …


The Administrative Efficiency Of Basic Income, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Lindsay Stirton Jan 2011

The Administrative Efficiency Of Basic Income, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Lindsay Stirton

Jurgen De Wispelaere

Basic income advocates typically praise the administrative efficiency of universal income maintenance. This article exposes several misconceptions, unwarranted generalisations or careless assumptions that permeate discussion of the administrative properties of basic income. Each of these obscures a significant constraint on the possibility of administrative savings, or else inflates the likely size of such efficiencies where they do exist. Our analysis also reveals a number of important political choices faced by policy makers and advocates intent on implementing an administratively efficient basic income policy. The absence of systematic administrative analysis in the basic income literature has obscured these hard choices.