Unscarcity Notes

Universal Basic Income (UBI)

Universal Basic Income (UBI) UBI proposes unconditional cash payments to all citizens to prevent poverty. The book contrasts this with UHI and ultimately rejects cash approaches in favor of direct...

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Universal Basic Income (UBI)

UBI proposes unconditional cash payments to all citizens to prevent poverty. The book contrasts this with UHI and ultimately rejects cash approaches in favor of direct provision. Injecting money into scarcity-based markets risks inflation and leaves power with asset owners; it also fails to address meaning or status once survival is solved.

UBI debates inform Unscarcity’s design by highlighting administrative simplicity and dignity from unconditional benefits, but the system replaces currency with infrastructure to avoid rent extraction. Merit handles motivation and allocation of scarce opportunities without tying survival to employment.

Policy experiments (Alaska, Finland) show modest welfare gains but limited structural change, reinforcing the argument that cash alone cannot manage a Labor Cliff driven by automation.

References

  • UnscarcityBook, chapter1
  • Finland Basic Income Experiment results (2020)
  • Philippe Van Parijs, “Real Freedom for All” (1995)
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