Universal Basic Income and Recognition Theory – A Tangible Step towards an Ideal
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Roisin Mulligan
Abstract
The philosophical “Recognition” debate may be advanced by exploring recognition theory as a means to justify a concrete policy in the form of Universal Basic Income (UBI). UBI advocacy may also be strengthened by exploring the potential effects of UBI on the manner in which individuals value each other, using theories of recognition. Following a review of the Fraser/Honneth “redistribution or recognition?” debate, Honneth’s theory is deemed most suitable for the purpose of a normative justification of UBI. What is of interest is his emphasis on the manner in which recognition principles change over time, through processes of social reproduction and conflicting values, and his treatment of the importance of reciprocity of recognition. By separating out the spheres of recognition in Honneth’s theory and their developmental trajectories, it is possible to highlight the value of UBI as a concrete policy initiative that will potentially make significant progress towards the recognition ideal.
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- 1
This explanation is more representative of Honneth, Taylor and Young than Fraser, who resists recognition as a view of human flourishing.
- 2
This aspect of Honneth’s theory obviously leads to the undesirable conclusion that those unable to contribute to society are incapable of achieving human flourishing via reciprocal recognition. Despite my uneasiness with this, I do not see an alternative method of subsuming distributive struggles under Honneth’s encompassing theory of recognition.
- 3
Van Parijs’ approach to the question of unemployment is to accept that jobs are limited in number and represent “the most significant category of assets … people are endowed with” (1995, p. 90). Seen in this way, the Van Parijs argues that the scarcity of jobs means that “those who hold them appropriate a rent which can be legitimately taxed away”, giving rise to a UBI (1995, p. 90).
©2013 by De Gruyter
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Universal Basic Income and Recognition Theory – A Tangible Step towards an Ideal
- The Most Effective Means of Social Protection? An Evaluation of the Impact of Conditional Cash Transfers on Schooling and Child Labour in Peru
- The Basic Income Guarantee: A General Equilibrium Evaluation
- Book Reviews
- Citizen’s Income and Welfare Regimes in Latin America: From Cash Transfers to Rights, Rubén Lo Vuolo. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, pp. 286 (hardcover). ISBN: 978-0-230-33821-0
- Independence, Propertylessness, and Basic Income: A Theory of Freedom as the Power to Say No, Karl Widerquist. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, pp. 256, $100.00 (hardback). ISBN: 978-1-137-27472-4
- Public Policy for Women: The State, Income Security, and Labour Market Issues, Marjorie Griffin Cohen and Jane Pulkingham. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2009, pp. 417, $35.00 (Paperback). ISBN: 978-0-8020-9500-8
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Universal Basic Income and Recognition Theory – A Tangible Step towards an Ideal
- The Most Effective Means of Social Protection? An Evaluation of the Impact of Conditional Cash Transfers on Schooling and Child Labour in Peru
- The Basic Income Guarantee: A General Equilibrium Evaluation
- Book Reviews
- Citizen’s Income and Welfare Regimes in Latin America: From Cash Transfers to Rights, Rubén Lo Vuolo. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, pp. 286 (hardcover). ISBN: 978-0-230-33821-0
- Independence, Propertylessness, and Basic Income: A Theory of Freedom as the Power to Say No, Karl Widerquist. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, pp. 256, $100.00 (hardback). ISBN: 978-1-137-27472-4
- Public Policy for Women: The State, Income Security, and Labour Market Issues, Marjorie Griffin Cohen and Jane Pulkingham. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2009, pp. 417, $35.00 (Paperback). ISBN: 978-0-8020-9500-8
