Policy Discussion: Universal Basic Income

Policy Discussion: Universal Basic Income
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Universal Basic Income
After reading chapter 23 and conducting original research (5 source minimum) discuss with precision what Universal Basic Income is and touch on the following main themes:
Rationale for using UBI programs
The universal basic income (UBI) program is an amount that the state would guarantee to all citizens for all who have the right to collect this amount. The UBI programs are mostly aimed at reducing and eradicating poverty by targeting the poor including meeting a family’s basic needs (Hoynes & Rothstein, 2018). There is high income and wealth inequality in the US, and in 2017, the highest-earning 20% of U.S. households received 51.5% of the total income compared to 3.1% for the poorest 20%. The program is also meant to cushion, the well-being of poor people as their basic needs are covered. The programs are redistributive and increase the poor people’s disposable income and improve their social welfare.
Historical precedents/experiments
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Thomas Paine and Henry George respectively supported guaranteed incomes to achieve egalitarianism and reduce poverty having witnessed extreme poverty among some groups. In 1934, Huey Long, a senator from Louisiana, proposed a populist program with a minimum income of $2,000 to $2,500 (Floyd, 2020). Supports for UBI programs waned during the Reagan-Thatcher era in the 1980s when there was a more rightward shift in the US and British politics and economic policies (Floyd, 2020). In 2017, approximately 12.3 percent of the U.S. population or 39.7 million people were living in poverty including 553,000 homeless Americans.
Current supporters of UBI programs
There are more supporters for UBI programs among left-wing politicians, academics, supporters, and activists as a way to address...