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In: Economics

The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) policy has been proposed in many different forms....

The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) policy has been proposed in many different forms. At its most basic, it consists in a guaranteed stipend provided by the state to its citizenry. Proposals for UBI have recently regained political traction as economies face a new kind of industrial revolution, which continues to change the labor market landscape at unprecedented rates.1 Proponents of UBI proposals often argue that with work automation cutting entire labor markets, new jobs cannot be created quickly enough to replace those lost and that laid off workers cannot gain the new skills necessary to make them competitive in the new job landscape while looking for a new position. In the United States, a proposal for UBI has been most notably defended by now-former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Yang’s proposal would guarantee an unrestricted $1,000 monthly stipend, which he calls a “Freedom Dividend,” to every U.S. citizen over 18 years of age. To support the proposal, Yang contends that 1 in 3 Americans is at risk of losing their job within 12 years, and that UBI would give them a chance to both remain afloat and gain the skills necessary to reenter the job market without being haunted by the fear of absolute poverty. This proposal would be paid for by assessing a new value-added tax, and would replace some existing social welfare programs with UBI by giving program recipients a choice between the two plans.

Many economists support, or have supported UBI, including staunch anti-welfare advocates like Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman. Hayek argued that a minimum income floor was a necessary condition for modern life, while Friedman proposed a ‘negative income tax’, providing enough to survive on but low enough to serve as an incentive to strive for more. Both of these economists, as well as those who follow their schools of thought, believed that UBI should completely replace social welfare programs, unlike many of the plans until now implemented.2

Perhaps the best known among UBI policy experimentation is a pilot program conducted in Finland between January 2017 and December 2018. The Finnish government supplied unemployed citizens with the equivalent of $634/month, with the objective of determining whether such a safeguard would help recipients find jobs. The results were notably inconclusive: The unemployment rate was the same as the control group that did not receive the cash transfer, but the beneficiaries did show a marked increase in happiness. Critics of the program argue that its goal was skewed to begin with, but its results remain valid. The long-term effects of UBI also remain unproven, as most experiments undertaken thus far last no longer than the one conducted in Finland.3

Both critics and proponents of UBI make arguments based on fairness as well. Proponents argue that a minimum income, or, more specifically, an unconditional one, would provide a basic level of autonomy for every individual in society to pursue their goals without the fear of poverty, and even provide a safety net to take more economic risks. Critics, on the other hand, argue that society’s allocating unconditional income to people who make no effort to receive it is fundamentally unfair to those who produce the economic value from which the funds for UBI would be redistributed. 4

QUESTION 1: Does the United States have a moral obligation to promote the happiness, autonomy, and economic wellbeing of its members? Why or why not?

QUESTION 2: Does an unconditionally-guaranteed income promote fairness for all members of society, including the least economically advantaged and those who are already economically successful? Why or why not?

Solutions

Expert Solution

Ans: 1 The United States have a moral obligation to promote their happiness, autonomy and economic well being of itsmembers because it is the responsiblity of USA government and it is also their moral right to protect the citizens of its own country and to help them to grow and toprotect the economic interests and not only that autonomy needs to be respected because in a democratic system of government it is the duty as well as under the moral rights of the government to safeguard the interests of those who have elected the government;becauseit is only the people of a country who make the govrnment it is the moral obligation of the government to protect its people and to provide them a basic living standard so that all its citizens are able to survive and provide them will all the basic amenties like proper health,education, food , shelter etc.so that no one in the country is hungry or not die due to lack of proper healthcare system etc. It is their obligation because only beacsue of people government is elected and it has to work for the citizens of its country.

Ans: 2 In my view, An unconditinally- guaranteed income does not promote fairness for all the members of society including the least economically advantaged because if the people are getting sometming for which they are not working nor making any efforts and they are getting the resources there is very less incentive for them to work; and there is redistribution of income from haves to have nots which promote level of equality not the fairness inthe society because by redistributing the wealth there are chances that the government unknowningly is encouraging those who are economically disadvantaged; by providing them unconditional income there are high chances that they will not look for job rather than giving unconditional income wecan help them by providing subsidised food, basic nominal healthcare and education faclities, rather by giving direct income; provide them with subsidies and run social welfare programs for shelterless people, provide basic income but not for the long run, food coupons can be provided and so on .This can induce the fairness in the society.


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