Why a basic income is necessary for a right to work

Standing, Guy

Abstract

This article makes the proposition that a right to work can only exist if an individual has a prior right to a basic income. It criticizes the perspective that maximizing the number of jobs is a meaningful way of advancing the right to work, since activity in subordinated labour is scarcely consistent with a freedom-enhancing right to work. In recalling the historical right to practise an occupation, it rejects the notion of a "job guarantee" as neither feasible nor desirable in a free society or as part of a progressive vision of a Good Society.

Citation

Standing, G. (2013). Why a basic income is necessary for a right to work. Basic Income Studies, 7(2), 19-40. https://doi.org/10.1515/bis-2013-0007

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2013
• Deposit Date: Apr 24, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 12, 2025
• Journal: Basic Income Studies
• Print ISSN: 2194-6094
• Electronic ISSN: 1932-0183
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 19-40
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/bis-2013-0007
• Keywords: basic income, job guarantee, economic security
• Publisher URL: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/bis.2013.7.issue-2/bis-2013-0007/bis-2013-0007.xml