Overcoming Objections and Making the Political Argument for UBI

The battle for a universal basic income (UBI) will take place largely outside academia and so, while arguments in its support certainly should be intellectually rigorous, crafting an effective political narrative for its introduction will be the decisive factor in whether or not it is implemented. In this spirit, chapter seven is devoted to ensuring that the intellectual arguments that have been laid out up to this point are augmented by a proposed political strategy to win over converts to the cause of UBI. Central to this strategy is an engagement with the main objections to UBI. The principal objection relates to the annual cost of its operation. For this reason, the chapter will be heavily focused on scrutinising various models for the financing of a UBI, with a discussion of the crucial importance between models that estimate the gross cost of a UBI and those which assess net costs. The chapter suggests ways of overcoming objections to the fear of purported rises in non-work, as well as pointing out that the arguable benefits to citizens’ mental health and wellbeing would place UBI within the context of existing public policies geared towards promoting the same goals. The book ends with advice for policy-makers on how they could sell a universal basic income to their domestic citizens.