Has the pandemic revived debate over universal basic income?

4 episodes

1

Universal basic income: utopia or a fuss over nothing?
2

Would universal income eliminate ‘bulls**t’ jobs?
3

“Universal income is more than a new form of welfare state”
4

Examples of “universal basic income”

Épisode 1/4

Universal basic income: utopia or a fuss over nothing?

With Richard Robert, Journalist and Author

On October 13th, 2021

4min reading time

Key takeaways

Formalised in the 1980s, the idea of a “universal basic income” has long remained marginal, even utopian.
But recently, Kenya, India and Finland launched experiments, Switzerland organised a referendum and, in 2020, the United States distributed $1,200 per person to help households cope with the pandemic.
Advocates say it is simple, fair, and effective, referring to the fact that despite the huge sums spent on ‘social’ poverty has not disappeared from rich countries.
However, critics complain about how it would remove the incentive to work, making some jobs less attractive and others much more expensive.
The idea of a minimum universal income thus raises objections as serious as the justifications that support it.

Épisode 2/4

Would universal income eliminate ‘bulls**t’ jobs?

With Richard Robert, Journalist and Author

On October 13th, 2021

4min reading time

Philippe Van Parijs

Guest professor at the Universities of Louvain and Leuven

Key takeaways

The idea of a universal minimum income gained momentum in 2016 thanks to an experiment in Finland, a Swiss referendum and French presidential candidate Benoît Hamon.
Then, in 2020, during the pandemic it became a much less outrageous idea to pay everyone – albeit temporarily – an individual income.
For Philippe Van Parijes, a modest basic income that would not entirely replace pre-existing social welfare schemes could largely fund itself.
Moreover, he believes that an unconditional universal income could help to eliminate so-called ‘bulls**t’ jobs and encourage occupations that pay little or irregularly but are meaningful in themselves.

Épisode 3/4

“Universal income is more than a new form of welfare state”

With Richard Robert, Journalist and Author

On October 13th, 2021

4min reading time

Julien Damon

Lecturer at Sciences-Po, HEC and En3s, columnist and director at Éclairs

Key takeaways

Advocates of universal income fit into various intellectual and political categories; some with the aim of reinforcing the welfare state as a universal base, whilst others push for universal income as way to even overpower said state.
Historically, even though social welfare is public, it remains a charitable or philanthropical service.
For Julien Damon, universal income is not a magic wand; if its objective is to fight poverty, it would not work because pre-existing social welfare schemes have never achieved that.
Rather, he says that as it is envisaged by its advocates, universal income has another objective: to allow freedom in a society where everyone will be able to choose between, for example, a boring but well-paid job or a meaningful but almost unpaid job.

Épisode 4/4

Examples of “universal basic income”

With Richard Robert, Journalist and Author

On October 13th, 2021

2min reading time

Contributors

Richard Robert

Journalist and Author

Richard Robert is editorial director of Telos and conducts forward-looking research as part of the Observatoire du long terme (Long-Term Observatory) and the Institut de prospective CentraleSupélec Alumni (CentraleSupélec Alumni Institute for Forward-Looking Studies). From 2012 to 2018, he was editor-in-chief of the Paris Innovation Review. His latest books include: Le Social et le Politique (The Social and the Political), with Guy Groux and Martial Foucault, CNRS Éditions, 2020; La Valse européenne (The European Waltz), with Elie Cohen, Fayard, 2021; Une brève histoire du droit d’auteur (A Brief History of Copyright), with Jean-Baptiste Rendu, Flammarion, 2024; Les Nouvelles Dimensions du partage de la valeur (The New Dimensions of Value Sharing), with Erell Thevenon-Poullennec, PUF, 2024; Les Imaginaires sociaux des smart cities (The Social Imaginaries of Smart Cities), Presses des Mines, 2025. Forthcoming: Sauver la démocratie sociale (Saving Social Democracy), with Gilbert Cette and Guy Groux, Calmann-Lévy, coll. ‘Liberté de l'esprit’ (Freedom of Thought), 2026.