Description

The basic income makes access possible to an income that allows even those who become unemployed or are experiencing a difficult period to live in dignity without having to wait several months for the initial payment of an allowance or having to endure drawn‑out procedures or humiliating treatment. The universal nature of this income and the absence of access criteria would also make it possible to leave behind categorising and stigmatising attitudes. The basic income is also a way of attaching value to domestic work, care activities and unpaid social work. The fact that it is paid to the individual also makes it possible to improve the position of the less well‑off members of a family, providing them with an allowance, potentially giving each person greater freedom and limiting the harmful consequences of inequalities within the family. Furthermore, the introduction of a basic income would help to raise the minimum wage and improve working conditions, enabling unemployed persons to be more demanding as they look for a job that will suit them. In particular, finally, it would enable those so wishing to engage in forms of community participation, express their views in the public arena and manage common goods.

Links

Basic income Earth Network: http://www.basicincome.org/bien/ European Citizens’ Initiative for an Unconditional Basic Income : http://basicincome2013.eu/