Basic Income by Guy Standing

Author:Guy Standing
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141985497
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2017-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

Prioritizing Work and Leisure

A basic income set at a modest level is most unlikely to deter work and labour. On the contrary, it is more likely to enhance the quantity and quality of work. It would also give meaning to the ‘right to work’. We must differentiate between work and labour, and between recreation and leisure. All must be recognized and all are needed, not just labour and recreation. That is why the demand to reconceptualize work is Article 1 of the twenty-nine articles of my suggested precariat charter.37

Existing social security systems impose a treble penalty on the valuable work we all do that is not labour: first, we do not get paid for doing it; second, we deprive ourselves of the time that could be used in doing labour that would be paid; and third, we do not build entitlement to contributory social benefits that come from labour but not from most other forms of work. If a basic income helped shift our focus from jobs and labour to other forms of work that we value more, and to forms of leisure that are cultivating, invigorating and/or political, that would be a significant achievement.

Unfortunately, prejudiced perspectives on work have dogged mainstream political discourse. In a House of Commons debate on basic income in September 2016, employment minister Damian Hinds said: ‘Even the most modest of universal basic income systems would necessitate higher taxes … At the same time it would cause a significant decrease in the motivation to work amongst citizens with unforeseen consequences for the national economy.’

He added that a basic income would ‘disincentivise work’ in contrast to the government’s scheduled Universal Credit scheme. That statement was wrong in every respect: the marginal ‘tax’ rate on earnings under the Universal Credit scheme can be over 80 per cent compared with 32 per cent (at current tax and national insurance rates) with a basic income. The minister also failed to recognize that there are other forms of work that are not labour in jobs.

A basic income would increase the incentive and opportunity to do work perceived as most important for the individual. Better still, it might stimulate a desire and ability to enjoy more productive leisure, with more reflective laziness in the spirit of schole. In an economic system based on incessant labour and consumerism, we need to slow down. A basic income would encourage us to do so.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.