Full Description
'A carefully argued case for basic income as central to a democratic transformation of society' Carole Pateman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, UCLA
'This path-breaking work throws new light on how we understand work, freedom, and emancipation in today's highly precariatised and insecure world ... A must-read' Sarath Davala, Chair, Basic Income Earth Network
As the rich get richer and take more of our wealth, our democratic freedoms are also in danger. The elite are gaining large profits without contributing back to society, hollowing out our public services and institutions and preventing the vast majority of us from living our lives to the fullest.
In Unconditional Freedom, David Casassas argues that for us to live freely, we need unconditional resources such as Universal Basic Income. In a sharp and lucid analysis, he shows that UBI would not only liberate us from the nightmare of social exclusion and precarious employment, it would also increase our bargaining power as individuals and collectives, opening doors to democratise our lives.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Cap and Life
Part One: Cartographies Of Social (Dis)Order: Why Something Like a Basic Income?
1. Psychosociology and Politics of Elitist Verticalism
2. The Fallacy of Autogenous Social Orders
3. The Liberal-Organicist Synthesis
4. Resisting Tutelage: Fraternity for the Civilising of a Conflictive World
Part Two: Holding the Gaze: Republicanism and Democracy
5. Socioeconomic Independence and Worlds in Common
6. Bargaining Power: Exit Options for Entry Doors and the Emancipatory Potential of Basic Income
7. Universalisation of Citizenship and Universalisation of Property
8. Unconditional Freedom: Basic Income as Predistribution
Part Three: Flexible, Multi-Active Lives: The Dimensions of Social Power
9. Basic Income and Democratisation of Work
10. Why Do We Want Bargaining Power?
11. Our Flexibility Is Our Freedom
Part Four: The Dream Is Over: Post-Neoliberalism (or Why a Basic Income Now And How)
12. "Wanting Everything Back": Basic Income in Contemporary Social Movements
13. Societies of the Market or Societies with Markets?
14. Grappling with Customs in Common: A People's Political Economy?
15. Leaving the Proletariat and Becoming Free Workers
Epilogue: Unconditional Freedom at the Frontiers of Capitalism
Bibliography
Index
