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The role of a Universal Basic Income in addressing the socio-ecological crisis – a critical analysis
(2021)
Human induced environmental degradation and the continuous rise in inequality are two of the greatest and most pressing challenges currently facing society (UN, 2020). Climate mitigation, ecological sustainability, combating poverty and social inequality are considered prevailing imperatives to contemporary global policy. On the premise that the challenges of ecological sustainability and social inequality call for a collective response, many scholars claim that it requires alternative proposals designed to initiate a multi-disciplinary socio-ecological transition (SET) that can address both issues in an integrated way (Hall et al., 2019). This paper considers the proposal of a Universal Basic Income (UBI)1 that has long been discussed as redistributive economic policy and at present increasingly receives attention regarding strategies to improve ecological sustainability. Although Basic Income (BI) proposals have been put forward by Green and post-growth movements such as degrowth, the ecological case receives less emphasis as evidenced by the fact that hitherto research on the interface of UBI and the environment has been fairly limited (MacNeill & Vibert, 2019). The present paper will enlarge upon the question of how adequate the concept of a BI policy might be in addressing the socio-ecological crisis by critically discussing arguments that indicate its positive environmental impact. By doing so, the paper contributes to the current academic debate on BI that has been revitalized in recent years.