Guy Standing’s Writings on Universal Basic Income

Guy Standing’s Writings on Universal Basic Income (UBI)

Guy Standing is a leading expert and advocate for Universal Basic Income (UBI), having written extensively on the subject for over thirty years. His work spans books, academic articles, public debates, interviews, and policy advocacy, making him a central figure in the international UBI movement.

Standing’s writings present UBI not just as an economic tool, but as a new human right—an unconditional, regular payment to all individuals, intended to provide economic security and greater freedom. He grounds the justification for UBI in ethical and philosophical arguments, emphasizing it as a remedy for the social and economic inequalities caused by rentier capitalism—the concentration of wealth and power among those who derive income from property and financial assets rather than labor.

Key Works and Ideas:

• Basic Income: And How We Can Make It Happen (2017): Standing provides an accessible, comprehensive analysis of UBI’s effects on the economy, poverty, and work. He synthesizes evidence from global pilot studies, addresses common criticisms (such as affordability, disincentives to work, and universality), and outlines practical pathways for implementation. He contends that UBI is urgent given rising inequality, technological automation, precarious work conditions, and the failings of traditional welfare systems.
• Basic Income: A Guide for the Open-Minded: This book offers further in-depth analysis, substituting instrumentally focused policy arguments with an ethical rationale. Standing insists that basic income is a matter of social justice and enhanced personal freedom.
• Empirical Evidence: Standing frequently highlights findings from UBI pilot programs worldwide, showing that UBI improves individual mental and physical health, reduces stress, increases educational participation, and fosters social solidarity.
• Addressing Objections: He rebuts common objections, arguing that unlike means-tested benefits, UBI avoids welfare traps, enhances incentives to accept employment, and can be funded through changes in taxation and the redistribution of public assets.
• UBI During COVID-19: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Standing argued that the crisis underscored the urgency and feasibility of UBI, exposing the limitations of tying social protection to employment and the vulnerability of the “precariat”—a term he coined to describe people in insecure, unstable forms of work.
• Battling Eight Giants: Basic Income Now (2020) and related lectures: These recent works focus on the multifaceted crises facing society (inequality, insecurity, climate change, etc.) and frame UBI as part of the solution.
• Policy Experience: Standing’s approach is practical as well as visionary—he has participated in more than 50 UBI pilots and draws on this experience in advocating for incremental but meaningful policy shifts towards an unconditional basic income.

In summary, Guy Standing’s writings on UBI are characterized by their breadth, their ethical emphasis, practical proposals, and integration of empirical research and policy experience. He frames UBI as a transformative proposal for both freedom and fairness in 21st-century economies.