Universal Basic Income

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is the proposal that every citizen should receive a regular, unconditional cash payment from the government — enough to cover basic needs, regardless of employment status or income. Once a fringe idea, UBI has entered mainstream political debate as automation, artificial intelligence, and gig economy precarity raise urgent questions about the future of work and economic security.

The concept has a surprisingly long intellectual history. Thomas More imagined something similar in 'Utopia' (1516). Thomas Paine proposed a 'citizen's dividend' in 1797. Milton Friedman advocated a negative income tax. Martin Luther King Jr. called for a guaranteed income. In the 21st century, technology leaders from Silicon Valley to social democrats in Europe have championed UBI as a response to technological unemployment and extreme inequality.

Pilot programs in Finland, Kenya, Stockton (California), and elsewhere have produced encouraging but inconclusive results — recipients generally did not stop working, reported better health and reduced stress, and invested in education and small businesses. Critics argue UBI is unaffordable, would reduce work incentives, and addresses symptoms rather than causes of inequality. Supporters counter that it provides freedom, dignity, and a safety net for an era of rapid technological change. The debate touches fundamental questions about the purpose of work, the obligations of society, and the kind of future we want to build.