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RE: The Progressive Case for Greatly Replacing the Welfare State with Unconditional Basic Income
Hi Scott. Great discussion of basic income (as always). I hadn't seen the Nation A/Nation B infographic before - such a good illustration of the concept.
I don't know that I'm enough of an expert on economics to say for sure if this would work - though I 'm pretty certain it would. What I can say is that the ethical justification for unconditional basic income is sound. I'm a believer in Rawls' arguments that a rational and just society is one in which even the worst-off have a reasonable standard of living and as much opportunity to achieve as anyone else. I also think the idea, that inequality is only as justifiable as the good it does for society as a whole, applies here too.
Thank you. I originally had the infographic created for my first World Economic Forum piece last year.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/why-we-should-all-have-a-basic-income
The economics of UBI are sound, and it has backing from an increasing number of economic Nobel winners in addition to a growing pile of evidence in favor. And I agree the ethical justification for UBI is absolutely sound as compensation for the privatization of the commons. Our great challenge is a matter of collective will. We have to decide nation by nation as citizens, that a just society, and even a strong economy, requires UBI as a starting point below which no one is allowed to fall, and on top of which everyone is allowed to thrive.