Universal Basic Income and the Concept of Citizenship

Michael Goldsmith

A “Universal Basic Income” has been defined as a “small but guaranteed income” for “every citizen” and “an income unconditionally paid to all”. The concept of a “Citizen’s Income” is similar, but dissociates itself from the notion of  mere subsistence and raises the question of what it is to be a citizen.

This paper analyses the notion of a universal income in terms of the breadth and depth of citizenship - who should receive it and what this might entail. “Depth” covers things such as the enactment of universal suffrage, and the expansion of state-provided housing and education. “Breadth” addresses who should be classified as a citizen, especially given multicultural societies with permeable national boundaries.

The paper concludes that citizenship ought to be seen as an emergent condition, responsive to changing political and economic circumstances. There has long been inequity in the presumption that those in full-time paid work are the most useful, are full citizens, while those who are unpaid are less so. Universal Basic Income offers a way to resolve these contradictions and to recast citizenship claims in ways appropriate to the contemporary world.