![]() ![]() Recipients would still be reliant on market forces to meet their needs, and the commanding heights of the economy would remain in private hands. Yet, as detractors pointed out, an income floor without an income ceiling leaves existing inequalities intact. This one-size-fits-all policy, endorsed by critics of capitalism from Yanis Varoufakis to Pope Francis, promised to stave off immiseration with a simplified social safety net. An exemplary case is the proposal for a universal basic income (UBI) – unconditional cash transfers from the state to every citizen – which gained traction during the Covid-19 pandemic, when it seemed to offer an elegant solution to mass job losses. Short-term tactics may conflict with long-term strategies. The immediate alleviation of suffering can inhibit more fundamental change and vice versa. But these two elements aren’t always complementary. The left is defined by its humanitarian impulse as well as its political vision. ![]()
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