Mich “Between Charity and Entitlement: Unconditional Basic Income as a Gift”

Mardi intime de la Chair Hoover par Catarina Neves

Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) is often discussed as an alternative to conditional social transfers. These so-called workfare programs tend to be ineffective by creating poverty traps, but also contribute to stigmatization, hence jeopardizing individuals’ self-respect. As a universal, individual, and unconditional grant, defined at the highest level possible i.e., or at least at the poverty rate level (Van Parijs e Vanderborght 2017), a UBI offers a possible solution to such problems. Its proponents argue it can contribute to a non-stigmatizing and broader safety net for the poor and precarious, but also enhance worker’s bargaining power and equalize the possibility for choosing different projects in life. Opposition is still significant, namely among those who endorse a view of justice as reciprocity. Reciprocity can be broadly defined as a norm that impels us to return benefits we received. While a commitment with economic reciprocity governing just transfers establishes that those who are able bodied should contribute productively to be entitled the fruits of social cooperation (White, 2003). In this presentation, I will try to reconcile UBI with a commitment with reciprocity, by proposing that we acknowledge the ‘Gift-like qualities’ of basic income. I will argue that we have reasons to consider that a UBI is experienced as a Gift, and further claim that as such, UBI triggers a strong moral obligation to reciprocate. This will, in turn, allow us to reconcile the idea of unconditional cash with the norm of reciprocity.