Universal basic income (UBI) is a regular cash payment from the government to every citizen, with no means test and no work requirement.
Historical proponents:Thomas Paine, Milton FriedmanEvery citizen should receive a from the state.
Nothing is sent anywhere.
The defining features of a UBI are that it is universal (paid to everyone, rich or poor), unconditional (no job search or work requirement) and regular (paid at intervals, such as monthly). The amount is usually meant to cover basic needs, though pilots have mostly paid smaller sums.
Versions of the idea have been supported across the political spectrum, from Thomas Paine to Milton Friedman, who proposed a related scheme called a negative income tax. It has been tested in pilots in places including Finland, Kenya and Stockton, California, with mixed and much-debated results. Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend, which pays residents an annual sum from oil revenue, is often cited as a partial example.
Influential figures in the 12 axes thinker pool who advocated, analyzed or shaped ideas around this concept.
Pamphleteer & revolutionary · 1737–1809
An English-born pamphleteer whose Common Sense and Rights of Man argued for American independence, republican government and public provision for the poor, and whose Age of Reason attacked revealed religion.
“Agrarian Justice proposes taxing inherited land to pay every adult a lump sum at 21 and a pension from 50.”
American economist · 1912–2006
An American economist of the Chicago school who defended free markets, floating exchange rates and school vouchers, and argued that economic freedom supports political freedom.
“Competitive capitalism separates economic from political power, guarding liberty.”
Real cases that people point to when they use the word.
Finland’s 2017–2018 experiment paid 2,000 unemployed people a monthly sum with no conditions attached.
Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend pays residents a yearly amount funded by oil revenue.
The Stockton, California pilot (2019–2021) paid 125 residents $500 a month.
Reasonable people disagree about this. These are the strongest points made on each side.
The test asks about it in a statement. Your answer moves one axis score.
Agreeing that every citizen should receive a basic income moves your score toward the Collectivize side of the Collectivize vs Privatize axis, because it expands state-funded redistribution. Some free-market thinkers back a basic income as a replacement for other welfare, so your answer says more about how you feel about redistribution than about any party.
Which way agreeing pushes the score
Agreeing with a statement about universal basic income (UBI) moves your score toward Collectivize.
Something else on your mind? Get in touch
Three statements gave you a first reading. The full test scores all twelve axes and finds your closest countries and ideologies.