Unconditional Basic Income and Reciprocity

The principle of reciprocity has been the essence of many different reciprocity arguments against the unconditional basic income (UBI). In brief, this entails that one who enjoys the benefits of social cooperation, should also contribute to the social cooperation. In this essay I introduce three perspectives on the reciprocity objection against basic income that reflect current societal tendencies. I also counter the objections against the basic income these perspectives pose. First the libertarian perspective combines the principle of reciprocity with a strong focus on self-ownership, private property and the minimal state. Second, the societal perspective entails that UBI undermines the political, economic and social structures of society through the lack of a reciprocity element in its program. Third, the market perspective shows that UBI poses a threat to the market mechanism, which pursues the common good, because there is no need for reciprocating the basic income. If these...Show moreThe principle of reciprocity has been the essence of many different reciprocity arguments against the unconditional basic income (UBI). In brief, this entails that one who enjoys the benefits of social cooperation, should also contribute to the social cooperation. In this essay I introduce three perspectives on the reciprocity objection against basic income that reflect current societal tendencies. I also counter the objections against the basic income these perspectives pose. First the libertarian perspective combines the principle of reciprocity with a strong focus on self-ownership, private property and the minimal state. Second, the societal perspective entails that UBI undermines the political, economic and social structures of society through the lack of a reciprocity element in its program. Third, the market perspective shows that UBI poses a threat to the market mechanism, which pursues the common good, because there is no need for reciprocating the basic income. If these objections are true, this poses a serious problem for UBI. Yet, I demonstrate that the underlying arguments of these objections are flawed and inconsistent, so that it is fair to conclude that these reciprocity objections do not hold in relation to UBI.Show less

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Unconditional Basic Income and Reciprocity