My point is not to argue that existing welfare systems are UBI. I don’t use any non-standard definitions. I don’t call existing welfare systems UBI.
My point is that the real-world policy we’re likely to eventually call UBI probably won’t actually be universal, and if it emerges as a consequence of more and more people relying on social welfare, or else is associated with social welfare culturally, bad things will likely happen. Then I give some examples of the sort of bad things I mean.
I frequently hear people saying something like “and this is why we need a UBI”
This is a good point. I would like it very much if we could implement a UBI policy that did not come with the cultural baggage of existing social welfare systems. I would like it if existing social welfare systems would become more unconditional. I see why people think UBI would achieve this. I think they’re more optimistic than I am about our ability to shed our social attitudes to work and welfare. Maybe it’ll change with demographics, who knows...
My point is that the real-world policy we’re likely to eventually call UBI probably won’t actually be universal, and if it emerges as a consequence of more and more people relying on social welfare, or else is associated with social welfare culturally, bad things will likely happen.
Why? Every universal healthcare system I have heard of was introduced at a stroke.
My point is not to argue that existing welfare systems are UBI. I don’t use any non-standard definitions. I don’t call existing welfare systems UBI.
My point is that the real-world policy we’re likely to eventually call UBI probably won’t actually be universal, and if it emerges as a consequence of more and more people relying on social welfare, or else is associated with social welfare culturally, bad things will likely happen. Then I give some examples of the sort of bad things I mean.
This is a good point. I would like it very much if we could implement a UBI policy that did not come with the cultural baggage of existing social welfare systems. I would like it if existing social welfare systems would become more unconditional. I see why people think UBI would achieve this. I think they’re more optimistic than I am about our ability to shed our social attitudes to work and welfare. Maybe it’ll change with demographics, who knows...
Is your point then a ‘true UBI’ system is practically impossible? And any feasible implementable system shouldn’t be called UBI?
Why? Every universal healthcare system I have heard of was introduced at a stroke.
And is “we” just the US?