Rationale, Precedents, Supporters, Arguments and Political Momentum of Universal Basic Income

Policy Discussion: Universal Basic Income
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Policy Discussion: Universal Basic Income
The idea of universal basic income (UBI) has received immense attention recently, bringing it closer to being a policy reality. Comprehensively, UBI is a policy proposition that entails providing every member of society with a guaranteed, fixed amount of money regularly regardless of their income or economic status to facilitate access to basic needs (Bidadanure, 2019; Hanna & Olken, 2018). This amount is unconditional and should be provided throughout the citizen’s lifetime. This idea has been met with support and opposition in equal measures and experimented on in many parts of the world on a limited scale (Bidadanure, 2019). However, it is yet to be implemented fully in any country.
One of the main rationales for using UBI programs is to eradicate poverty and eliminate economic insecurity. According to Hoynes and Rothstein (2019), a UBI program would ensure that citizens who are unable to work or generate income have access to a minimum level of income to meet their basic needs. As such, people living in abject poverty would at least start living above the poverty line. It would eliminate income inequalities and save governments the challenge of income redistribution. Bidadanure (2019) indicates that the growing income inequalities and the gap between the rich and the poor have been a reason why UBI has become popular. Another rationale is that it would reduce stigma and bias towards people who need assistance. As Hoynes and Rothstein (2019) indicate, universal transfer of money to citizens would eliminate stigma among people participating in welfare programs since everyone would be receiving the money. There would also be no bias in selecting who benefits and who does not. Also, it is believed that UBI would eliminate the dangers posed by the looming challenge of labor-saving technologies. It would ensure that people who robots have replaced and cannot find work can receive minimum income (Hoynes & Rothstein, 2019).
Although UBI has just recently started gaining traction, it has a long history that can be dated back to the 1700s. According to Bidadanure (2019), Thomas Paine proposed paying a lump sum of money to individuals after turning into adulthood. In his proposal, Thomas Paine stated that every adult should be paid fifteen pounds sterling when they turn 21 years old as compensation for lost inheritance (Parijs & Vanderborght, 2017). After the American Revolution, this lump sum was meant to save people from poverty. Others, such as Joseph Charlier, a Belgian socialist, proposed a territorial dividend to provide regular income to individuals (Bidadanure, 2019). Also, Parijs and Vanderborght (2017) reveal that the United States experimented in the 1970s, but the pilots were inconclusive....