Conclusion

In the introduction to this edited volume, we summarize the contribution of each chapter, and make a proposal for how to read the volume. This edited book features recent work on some pressing normative and empirical debates about Unconditional Basic Income. It draws from several disciplines, with contributions from philosophy, political science and economics. Divided into two parts, the first one, entitled Ecological and Moral Dimensions of Basic Income, features contributions which engage with the fundamental question of whether an unconditional basic income can be compatible with the demands of the ecological crisis. Interestingly, while taking different approaches and having fundamentally different goals, the three chapters all delve around the notion of degrowth, a debate that has exploded, since the 2010s. Those, the three chapters help us navigate the question of whether a UBI can be a green policy, and whether it is an important tool for a society striving to move beyond growth. The second part of this volume, entitled Political Feasibility and Global Perspectives, features the additional four chapters of the edited volume. These chapters provide insights into methodological issues that are of relevance for any contemporary discussion around UBI experiments or its policy adoption. Three major methodological advices can be drawn out from these contributions. The first, argues for diversity in the voices that participate both in debates, experiments and policy work for basic income. The second methodological insight has to do with the importance of context, both when designing experiments, but also when assessing and judging their results. Finally, the third methodological advice is for UBI debates to take into consideration issues related to political feasibility, to avoid misjudgements on both the desirability of UBI, but also its probability of being implemented as a stable policy in the future. This edited volume’s two-part structure can feel challenging to navigate, as if two distinct sets of claims, arguments and proposals are put forth in the seven chapters comprising the book. And while there are certainly more commonalities found in the chapters within each section, and thus readers can choose to focus on one of the sections, given their interests, taking the findings of the volume together can prove to be helpful, namely, in highlighting potential new research pathways for discussions around basic income.