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Basic Income and the Labor Contract

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  • Offe Claus

    (Hertie School of Governance, Berlin)

Abstract

The paper starts by exploring the negative contingencies that are associated with the core institution of capitalist societies, the labor contract: unemployment, poverty, and denial of autonomy. It argues that these are the three conditions that basic income schemes can help prevent. Next, the three major normative arguments are discussed that are raised in opposition to basic income proposals: the idle should not be rewarded, the prosperous don't need it, and there are so many things waiting to be done in the world. After demonstrating that proponents of basic income stand in no way empty-handed when facing these objections, a third part considers basic income in functional terms: would its introduction help to resolve problems of social and economic order that are unlikely to be resolved in more conventional ways?

Suggested Citation

  • Offe Claus, 2008. "Basic Income and the Labor Contract," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-30, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bistud:v:3:y:2008:i:1:n:4
    DOI: 10.2202/1932-0183.1100
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Suplicy Eduardo Matarazzo, 2007. "Basic Income and Employment in Brazil," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 2(1), pages 1-6, June.
    2. Standing Guy, 2008. "How Cash Transfers Promote the Case for Basic Income," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-30, July.
    3. Vanderborght Yannick, 2006. "Why Trade Unions Oppose Basic Income," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 1-20, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lo Vuolo Rubén M., 2015. "Piketty’s Capital, His Critics and Basic Income," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 29-43, June.
    2. Büchs, Milena, 2021. "Sustainable welfare: How do universal basic income and universal basic services compare?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    3. Herbert Gans, 2014. "Basic Income," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(2), pages 80-90.
    4. Fischer Yannick, 2020. "Basic Income, Labour Automation and Migration – An Approach from a Republican Perspective," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 15(2), pages 1-034, December.
    5. Amir, Rabah & FitzRoy, Felix & Jin, Jim, 2024. "A modest basic income can benefit a poor majority," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 537-547.
    6. Harvey Philip, 2012. "More for Less: The Job Guarantee Strategy," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 7(2), pages 3-18, January.
    7. Murphy Jason B, 2010. "Baby Steps: Basic Income and the Need for Incremental Organizational Development," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 1-13, September.

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