Skip to main content

Unconditional Basic Income as a Solution to Technological Unemployment

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Surviving the Machine Age

Abstract

The single most important change to make to an economic system where more and more labor is done by machines is to no longer require human labor to live. An unconditional basic income not only accomplishes this necessary decoupling of work and income to transform technological unemployment due to task automation from a fear to a goal, it also solves the problem of technological underemployment due to task atomization, establishes the existence of missing economic rights, and serves as a tool of transition to what lies beyond. As productivity grows with technology, so too should the basic income grow as a prosperity dividend. What is at first basic should eventually be the right of every citizen shareholder to the vast wealth of an automated nation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Scott Santens .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Santens, S. (2017). Unconditional Basic Income as a Solution to Technological Unemployment. In: LaGrandeur, K., Hughes, J. (eds) Surviving the Machine Age. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51165-8_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51165-8_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-51164-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-51165-8

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics