Foreign Rights

The aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis has spurred renewed enthusiasm for the idea of a universal basic income in both Europe and America. The project finds support from the left as well as the right and, according to many experts, could form the foundation for future social policy. More than one critical thinker has advocated for it – Philippe Van Parijs, Toni Negri, José Bové, or André Gorz – but what does this astonishing consensus really mean? According to the authors of this book, universal basic income, under the guise of a benevolent redistribution of wealth, confirms the abandonment of the central political issue of the last one hundred and fifty years: the conflict between capital and labour. Each of the texts in this book invokes the crucial importance of this question, and demonstrates why it is imperative to oppose universal basic income.