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Sign up todayThe Case for Basic Income
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Inequality is up. Decent work is down. Free market fundamentalism has been exposed as a tragic failure. In a job market upended by COVID-19—with Canadians caught in the grip of precarious labour, stagnant wages, a climate crisis, and the steady creep of automation—an ever-louder chorus of voices calls for a liveable and obligation-free basic income.
Could a basic income guarantee be the way forward to democratize security and intervene where the market economy and social programs fail? Jamie Swift and Elaine Power scrutinize the politics and the potential behind a radical proposal in a post-pandemic world: that wealth should be built by a society, not individuals. And that we all have an unconditional right to a fair share.
In these pages, Swift and Power bring to the forefront the deeply personal stories of Canadians who participated in the 2017–2019 Ontario Basic Income Pilot; examine the essential literature and history behind the movement; and answer basic income’s critics from both the right and left.
Reviews
“An up-to-date, moving, and persuasive study that couldn’t be more timely in pandemic times.” — Emma Donaghue, award-winning author of Room and The Pull of the Stars
“This urgent case study brings to life a grassroots movement whose time has come. Swift and Power write passionately from the inside, shining a vital lens on Ontario’s fight for basic income.” — John Greyson, filmmaker/activist
“This wonderful book captures the stories of the tireless activists and real basic income experts—those who tried to survive with the broken social systems of the past. It documents the opportunities lost when Ontario cancelled its prescient basic income guarantee experiment, but it also captures the hope and optimism that will ultimately prevail.” — Evelyn Forget, author of Basic Income for Canadians: From the COVID-19 Emergency to Financial Security for All
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