Open AccessTHE CONCEPT OF BASIC INCOME IN THE BRITISH POLITIAL CONTEXT
Author(s) -
Yuri Kvashnin,
AUTHOR_ID
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
naučno-analitičeskij vestnik instituta evropy ran
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2618-7914
DOI - 10.15211/vestnikieran6202196103
Subject(s) - basic income , unemployment , context (archaeology) , politics , development economics , ideology , population , cash , payment , economic inequality , economics , inequality , political science , economic growth , political economy , sociology , market economy , geography , law , mathematical analysis , demography , mathematics , archaeology , finance , macroeconomics
The article explores the current debate on basic income in the UK. The growing interest in this concept, which implies the introduction of unconditional and equal for all regular cash payments, is caused by problems common to Western European countries, i.e. an increase in income inequality, the risk of technological unemployment, as well as the need to take urgent measures to support the population at times of pandemic. In the British context, however, ideological and political factors play a significant role, such as a rich intellectual tradition of developing universal approaches to social security and the desire of a number of parties, both national and regional, to use this increasingly popular concept for their own political purposes. It is concluded that in the medium term, the UK's transition to basic income is unlikely, but the very discussion on its introduction can serve as a catalyst for serious social transformations.