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The Case for Universal Basic Income Illustrated Edition

by Louise Haagh (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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Advocated (and attacked) by commentators across the political spectrum, paying every citizen a basic income regardless of their circumstances sounds utopian. However, as our economies are transformed and welfare states feel the strain, it has become a hotly debated issue.

In this compelling book, Louise Haagh, one of the world's leading experts on basic income, argues that Universal Basic Income is essential to freedom, human development and democracy in the twenty-first century. She shows that, far from being a silver bullet that will transform or replace capitalism, or a sticking plaster that will extend it, it is a crucial element in a much broader task of constructing a democratic society that will promote social equality and humanist justice. She uses her unrivalled knowledge of the existing research to unearth key issues in design and implementation in a range of different contexts across the globe, highlighting the potential and pitfalls at a time of crisis in governing and public austerity.

This book will be essential reading for anyone who wants to get beyond the hype and properly understand one of the most important issues facing politics, economics and social policy today.

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  1. ISBN-10
    1509522964
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1509522965
  3. Edition
    Illustrated
  4. Publisher
    Polity Press
  5. Publication date
    July 22, 2019
  6. Part of series
    The Case For
  7. Language
    English
  8. Dimensions
    4.9 x 0.7 x 7.4 inches
  9. Print length
    140 pages
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'An outstanding book which makes a major contribution to the debate on basic income, highlighting its potential to supplement rather than replace the welfare state and to make economic life more democratic.'
Andrew Gamble, University of Sheffield

About the Author

Louise Haagh is Professor of Politics at the University of York.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Polity Press; Illustrated edition (July 22, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 140 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1509522964
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509522965
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.9 x 0.7 x 7.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
15 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

CocoLoco
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for those interested in solutions
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2020
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
Great book for those interested in economics and potential solutions to rising inequality. I’ve been curious about idea of universal basic income since I first heard about the concept a few years ago. It sounds simple - and in a way, it is - but the implications are complex and far reaching. This book very thoughtfully lays out arguments not only for how UBI could help to alleviate poverty but also how guaranteed financial security for all would positively effect the way we all grow and develop as people and how that would ultimately benefit society as a whole.

I really appreciate that the author discusses the psychological and emotional effects that poverty and welfare have on people and how UBI is not just about handing out money it’s about investing in people and changing our fundamental ideology as a society. The author argues the potential benefits of seeing financial security as a basic human right instead of seeing it as “hand outs.”

I think that this book and the subject of UBI in general are pertinent given whats been going on in the USA right now as we face so much economic uncertainty despite trillions of dollars in stimulus bills from the government. Would UBI have been a better way to spend that money? Is it possible the government might end up implementing something along those lines? The stimulus checks and the expansion of unemployment benefits etc are only temporary but I think they could easily be seen as first steps heading in the direction of UBI.
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Joanna D.
5.0 out of 5 stars In depth book on "Universal Basic Income"
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2020
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Interesting book with lots of data and it's technical. If you are interested in the pros and cons of the concept of giving people who "free money" (well, it's not free, it's tax money from those who pay taxes) this is a worthy book to get some information of a more scholarly sort.

I'm not making any political assessment here. If I'm studying the proposal of giving everyone a basic income, then I want all the sides and all the data I can read. So this is a useful text in pursuing the topic. Whether or not you feel it's a just concept or a foolish one, you should read all you can. So I like this book and make no opinion on its take other than to say, it very detailed and rather like a graduate school treatise, not like a news article.
One person found this helpful
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Sierra Gentleheart
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a basic book on UBI
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2020
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I needed a basic book on the concepts of Universal Basic Income. I was intrigued by Andrew Yang's introduction of the concept to a wide audience during his presidential bid. Yang has a ton of charm and knows how to make a point and keep his audience engaged. So, I was eager to learn more: how might UBI be funded? what would the appropriate level of income be? Pragmatic, real life questions. So, I moved too fast when I ordered this book. The title should have told me exactly what this is. It's THE CASE FOR Universal Basic Income. It's not answers to the real world challenges of how you get this done, what you aim for, etc. So, my error. As a result, I found the book mind-numbingly repetitious. The language was often dense for me to understand. British English is quite different from American English. We don't have progressive health care in the U.S., so the supportive social concepts that underlie the NHS and other institutions are more foreign to our governments. It was a difficult read for me and I still don't know what I wanted to know. But, my bad.
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EAH
2.0 out of 5 stars Dry, Academic, Redundant and Boring.
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book makes good points; but I’m warning you, it’s very very dry, academic and redundant. After you read the first so many pages, the rest of it is boring. I recommend Utopia For Realists by Swedish economist Rutger Bregman. Journalist Annie Lowrey’s Give People Money is also quite a bit more interesting. The subject of universal basic income needs to be explored; in fact, I think it’s time has come. However, the academic world needs to quit writing this way if they want to reach the general public.
2 people found this helpful
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Brian F.
1.0 out of 5 stars The first 20 pages of the book are put on loop for the remaining 137 pages.
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
" The Case for" is spelled out in a few pages, then there is not much else, no real framework or possible consequences explained. I would recommend another book in this series, the Case for A Jobs Guarantee, which spells out clearly, the problem, a solution, a framework to build from, how to fund it, possible positive and negative consequences...
One person found this helpful
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sanoe.net
4.0 out of 5 stars Good explainer
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2020
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I found "The Case for Universal Basic Income" by Louise Haagh to be a good explainer of the concept. I am not sure if I buy into the idea, but after reading Haagh's take and scenarios, I feel like I understand UBI a lot more. I feel like it is instinctive to go "Yeah, uhm, not gonna happen and should it?" but Haagh actually presents a solid counter as to why it should happen and she does it in language that is accessible and engaging. Whether curious, on the fence or all-in for the concept, this book is worth a look.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Geoff Crocker
3.0 out of 5 stars A Partial Case for Basic Income
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2020
Verified Purchase
In her new book ‘The Case for Universal Basic Income’, Louise Haagh, chair of BIEN, and Reader in Politics at the University of York, UK, sets out a case for basic income based on ‘democratic equality’ and ‘existential security’ (p3). Basic income ‘enables a sense of community’ (p6) and ‘is civilising’ (p7). She later amplifies this to a case for ‘human development and social equality’ (p15), further defined as ‘the ability to function and choose’ (p17), claiming that this goes beyond the arguments for basic income advanced by Guy Standing, Philippe Van Parijs and Yannick Vanderborght. Hers is an argument for basic income based on ‘a defence of the public realm’ (p136). She includes the case for basic income based on reduced administrative cost (p111), and refutes the objection that basic income disincentivises work (p39).

Louise is highly critical of the ‘competition economy’, arguing briefly for a planned economy, although she doesn’t specify her exact definition of an alternative economic structure, or the ‘wider governance change’ (p49) she is proposing, except to say that it ‘emphasises the role of the state and strategic planning’ (p51). We may all agree that ‘humanist principles (have) priority over the market’ (p53), but the two are not necessarily always in conflict, and her proposal needs amplification. Her approach is highly partisan. People and points of view are labelled into pigeon-holed groups, eg ‘left libertarians’, ‘right libertarians’ etc which is too generic, is not ‘person-centred’, and obscures specific arguments.

Importantly and regrettably, she is dismissive of the case for basic income from technology, characterising this argument as ‘futuristic projections about artificial intelligence and a workless society, rather than practical problems we face right now’ (p12). Later, she writes ‘the idea that technology-enabled lifestyles will be possible in the coming decades seems far-fetched. Similarly, the ‘end of work’ argument for basic income is a fairy tale that never comes true. (p121). We are in fact already living extensively technology enabled lifestyles, and for many the end of work has become a reality. This is a very unfortunate mis-representation of the argument from technology which, in its nuanced form, claims that technology will reduce the labour content of output, and lead to aggregate income deficiency which basic income can correct. Extensive empirical economic data supports this hypothesis, which is a major support argument, and a funding resource, for basic income. Why so casually dismiss such a powerful complementary argument for basic income?

Similarly, she wrongly claims that ‘basic income does not resolve the debt-creating structure of modern economies’ (p105) whereas basic income would clearly reduce the need for the levels of household debt taken out by low income households which eventually cause economic crisis.

No mention is made of the key ecological benefits of basic income derived from breaking the income-employment-output-depletion-pollution linkage of the current economic model.

Louise also skips the issue of funding an adequate basic income, which is the common objection to basic income proposals. She merely sets out Malcolm Torry’s revenue neutral UK CBIT scheme whose annual £164bn cost is funded by tax increases and benefit withdrawals, claiming it is conservative. She claims that ‘there is no single way in which basic income can be financed or organised’ (p29). Both CBIT and Compass UK have shown how basic income can be funded from tax increases and reduction in means-tested welfare benefits, and others have developed proposals for funding from displaced household debt, and sovereign money which would simultaneously avoid austerity policy. None of this is discussed.

She concludes with a critique of the necessity or value of pilot basic income projects (p152).

Louise’s book is therefore welcome, but represents only a partial case for basic income, rather than the stronger full case.
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