Basic Income and Unequal Longevity
Abstract Universal basic income proposes providing instalments of constant magnitude to all. One problem with a stable basic income across life is that it seems unfair to shorter-lived persons, who are worst-off due to premature death and receive less over their whole lives. Basic capital solves this problem by providing a one-off grant to the young, but I argue that it mistreats long-lived persons, as it does not guarantee their real freedom across life. There is a dilemma between these proposals regarding their respective unfairness to the short- and long-lived. The solution I propose is a net basic income of decreasing magnitude until a specific age, after which the income is constant. This solution is compatible with constant income benefits across life, and it offers a fair answer to the problem of unequal longevity, a widely neglected but essential challenge in debates about basic income.
Year of publication: |
2022
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Authors: | Sá Valente, Manuel |
Published in: |
Basic Income Studies. - De Gruyter, ISSN 1932-0183, ZDB-ID 2243790-3. - Vol. 17.2022, 1, p. 1-14
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Publisher: |
De Gruyter |
Subject: | basic income | longevity | distributive justice | egalitarianism |
Saved in:
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