Basic Income in America: Exploring the Ideology Behind the Agenda

Author: Jack McShane

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 72

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: While basic income is experiencing renewed interest in American political, scholarly, and public discourse, it is often presented within two conflicting ideological frameworks. Scholars such as Anton Jäger and Daniel Zamora have labeled it a chiefly neoliberal policy while others like Philippe Van Parjis have described it as a socialist effort to expand the welfare state and even undermine capitalism. This podcast seeks to address these conflicting perspectives by providing a comprehensive analysis of the ideologies driving historical and contemporary basic income proposals in the U.S. The podcast begins with a discussion of the early basic income proposals of the National Welfare Rights Organization and Nixon’s Family Assistance Plan. It then examines contemporary proponents and critics of basic income and their differing ideologies. This culminates in an analysis of the core motivations for basic income proposals in America whilst providing the listener with the context to formulate their own conclusion.