Financing Basic Income

“This book is ambitious, and definitely fills a gap that has existed for a long time in the literature on basic income. It can be considered a seminal contribution to the field. As a result of its pioneering nature, it should become a reference on the subject.” -Thibault Laurentjoye, EHESS Paris – PSL Research University, France “This is a very valuable project that will make a critically important contribution to the literature on basic income. By moving from general principles to the question of implementation in a well-researched and empirically sound manner, this book shifts the debate toward more practical considerations at a time when there is renewed interest in the idea. The authors tackle the issue head on of how to fund a basic income.” -Laurent Dobuzinskis, Simon Fraser University, Canada This Palgrave Pivot second edition argues that basic income is, in fact, affordable. The contributors approach the topic from the perspectives of three different countries—Canada, Switzerland, and Australia—to overcome objections that a universal program to keep all citizens above the poverty line would be too expensive to implement. They assess the complex array of revenue sources that can make universal basic income feasible, from the underestimated value of public program redundancies to new and so far, unaccounted publicly owned assets. This new edition adds an analysis for financing basic income in the United States, as well as considering the basic income potential in a country of far more modest economic resources, Portugal. The COVID-19 pandemic is discussed in a new Prologue, demonstrating the need for universal economic security as a precautionary measure for unforeseen crises. New research and compelling analyses are included throughout, to provide support for a dual basic income proposal. Richard Pereira, Global Labour Research Centre, York University, Toronto, former economist with the House of Commons in Canada.