The idea of providing a basic income for all, paid to each individual without means tests or work requirements, is not a new one. But it is only in the past decade, with the emergence of a permanent underclass of unemployed, that politicians and academics have begun to argue seriously for minimum income as a route to stability in societies riven by the grotesque inequalities of modern capitalist economics. The central objection to basic income is simple: there is a widespread feeling that a basic income would be unfair because hard workers would be exploited by loafers. In these pages, a group of specialists describe the type of society in which unconditional income would be legitimate. In so doing they question and clarify some of the central principles of modern political philosophy. The contributors are John Baker, Brian Barry, Alan Carling, Michael Freeden, Robert Goodin, Andre Gorz, Bill Jordan, Richard Norman, Claus Offe, Guy Standing, Hillel Steiner and Philippe Van Parijs.

In this book, a group of specialists describe the type of society in which unconditional income would be legitimate. In doing so, they question and clarify some of the central principles of modern political philosophy.

About the Author
Philippe Van Parijs is Professor of Economic and Social Ethics at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. His books include Evolutionary Explanation in she Social Sciences (1981) and Marxism Recycled (1993).


Book Information
ISBN 9780860915867
Author Philippe Van Parijs
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 382g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 152mm * 20mm