Basic Income: A Guide for the Open-Minded
Description
Shouldn’t everyone receive a stake in society's wealth? Could we create a fairer world by guaranteeing income to all? What would this mean for our health, wealth, and happiness?
Basic income is a revolutionary idea that guarantees regular, unconditional cash transfers from the government to all citizens. It is an acknowledgement that everyone plays a part in generating the wealth currently enjoyed by only a few and would rectify the recent breakdown in income distribution.
Political parties across the world are now adopting this innovative policy and the idea generates headlines every day. Guy Standing has been at the forefront of thought surrounding basic income for the past thirty years, and in this book he covers in authoritative detail its effects on the economy, poverty, work, and labor; dissects and disproves the standard arguments against basic income; explains what we can learn from pilots across the world; and illustrates exactly why basic income has now become such an urgent necessity.
Praise for Basic Income: A Guide for the Open-Minded
“Guy Standing makes the case for universal basic income in this compelling and thoughtful book.”—Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator
“The world needs an honest and informed primer on the idea of basic income, and there’s no one better to write it than Guy Standing.”—Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar and author of Peers, Inc.
“Basic income is an idea whose time for serious debate has come. Guy Standing illuminates the way in this lucid and well-argued book.”—Simon Johnson, author of 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown
"The social and economic disruptions created by the Fourth Industrial Revolution make it imperative that we explore new models of providing opportunity, social justice and security to all citizens, including via a universal basic income. In Basic Income, Guy Standing provides a compelling and thoughtful review of the motivations and options for as well as common objections to universal basic income, making this an important book for anyone interested in ensuring we collectively create an inclusive, human-centered future."—Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
“This book is the most comprehensive guide ever written on basic income, and offers both a history and a road map forward to a more just and economically sustainable future.”—Andy Stern, author of Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew Our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream