Basic income, decommodification and the welfare state
Philosophy and Social Criticism 37 (8):935-945 (2011)
| Abstract | According to Philippe Van Parijs, the superiority of an unconditional basic income (UBI) over conventional means-tested liberal welfare state programs lies in its decommodifying potential. In this article I argue that even if a UBI was sustainable at high enough a level to lessen the extent to which an individual is forced to sell his or her labor power in the market, it would nonetheless have the adverse and simultaneous effect of forcing that individual into further market transactions to satisfy his or her most basic needs. I conclude that the relative directness with which a welfare regime responds to basic needs qualifies as a crucial dimension of decommodification, and that the conventional liberal welfare state scores rather higher along this dimension than a UBI would | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | No categories specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,664 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesMatt Zwolinski (2011). Classical Liberalism and the Basic Income. Basic Income Studies 6 (2):1-14.
Philippe van Parijs (1995). Real Freedom for All: What (If Anything) Can Justify Capitalism? Oxford University Press.
Shlomi Segall (2005). Unconditional Welfare Benefits and the Principle of Reciprocity. Politics, Philosophy and Economics 4 (3):331-354.
Colin Farrelly (1999). Justice and a Citizens' Basic Income. Journal of Applied Philosophy 16 (3):283–296.
Norman P. Barry (1990). The Philosophy of the Welfare State. Critical Review 4 (4):545-568.
Lesley A. Jacobs (1993). Rights and Deprivation. Clarendon Press.
Simon Wigley (2006). Basic Income and the Problem of Cumulative Misfortune. Basic Income Studies 1 (2).
Philippe Van Parijs (1997). Real Freedom for All: What (If Anything) Can Justify Capitalism? Clarendon Press.
David L. Prychitko (1990). The Welfare State: What is Left? Critical Review 4 (4):619-632.
Philippe Van Parijs (1991). Why Surfers Should Be Fed: The Liberal Case for an Unconditional Basic Income. Philosophy and Public Affairs 20 (2):101-131.
Philippe Van Parijs (1991). Why Surfers Should Be Fed: The Liberal Case for an Unconditional Basic Income. Philosophy and Public Affairs 20 (2):101 - 131.
S. Birnbaum (2011). Should Surfers Be Ostracized? Basic Income, Liberal Neutrality, and the Work Ethos. Politics, Philosophy and Economics 10 (4):396-419.
Anca Gheaus (2008). Gender Justice and the Welfare State in Post-Communism. Feminist Theory 9 (2):185-206.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2011-07-30Total downloads10 ( #106,196 of 549,014 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,261 of 549,014 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
