Unconditional Freedom

Universal Basic Income and Social Power

David Casassas, Julie Wark

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English

Pluto Press
20 January 2024

Social theory; Sociology: work & labour; Labour economics; Political economy

As the rich get richer, taking more of our wealth, our democratic freedoms are also in danger. The elite are gaining large profits without duly contributing to society, hollowing out our public services and institutions and preventing the vast majority of us from living our lives fully and developing productive and reproductive projects of our own.

In Unconditional Freedom, David Casassas argues that for us to live freely, we need unconditional resources such as Universal Basic Income. In a sharp and lucid analysis of the power of 'pre-distributing' resources, he shows that UBI would not only liberate us from the nightmare of precarious employment, but that it would also increase our bargaining power as a class, opening doors to democratising our lives.

While it would be naive to say that UBI alone would put an end to capitalist social relations, Casassas convincingly argues that it would help pave the way for social emancipation.

By: David Casassas
Translated by: Julie Wark
Imprint: Pluto Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9780745348636
ISBN 10: 0745348637
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 20 January 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements Introduction: Cap and Life Part One: Cartographies Of Social (Dis)Order: Why Something Like a Basic Income? 1. Psychosociology and Politics of Elitist Verticalism 2. The Fallacy of Autogenous Social Orders 3. The Liberal-Organicist Synthesis 4. Resisting Tutelage: Fraternity for the Civilising of a Conflictive World Part Two: Holding the Gaze: Republicanism and Democracy 5. Socioeconomic Independence and Worlds in Common 6. Bargaining Power: Exit Options for Entry Doors and the Emancipatory Potential of Basic Income 7. Universalisation of Citizenship and Universalisation of Property 8. Unconditional Freedom: Basic Income as Predistribution Part Three: Flexible, Multi-Active Lives: The Dimensions of Social Power 9. Basic Income and Democratisation of Work 10. Why Do We Want Bargaining Power? 11. Our Flexibility Is Our Freedom Part Four: The Dream Is Over: Post-Neoliberalism (or Why a Basic Income Now And How) 12. “Wanting Everything Back”: Basic Income in Contemporary Social Movements 13. Societies of the Market or Societies with Markets? 14. Grappling with Customs in Common: A People’s Political Economy? 15. Leaving the Proletariat and Becoming Free Workers Epilogue: Unconditional Freedom at the Frontiers of Capitalism Bibliography Index

David Casassas is Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona, where he teaches social and political theory. He was the Secretary of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and he is now a member of its International Advisory Board. He has widely published on republicanism, socialism and basic income and is the author of the highly praised Spanish book The City in Flames: The validity of Adam Smith’s commercial republicanism. Julie Wark is a translator and human rights activist. She is correspondent for Europe for CounterPunch and author of The Human Rights Manifesto and Against Charity (with Daniel Raventós).

Reviews for Unconditional Freedom: Universal Basic Income and Social Power

"'A very important and timely book. This excellent study ... brings together in a single work the contributions David Casassas has made over many years to the analysis of basic income. This is a must-read for anyone who wants a broader perspective on basic income as a transformative measure.' -- Louise Haagh, author of 'The Case for Basic Income' 'A useful, militant book, useful because it clearly, rigorously, and skilfully sets out the basic principles of the universal basic income, and militant because it doesn’t hide its position, which I’d describe as radical. In this, [Casassas] follows the advice of our mutual friend and teachermentor, Antoni Domènech, for whom, ""If you don’t know how to be sufficiently radical, you’ll always end up in the folly of hyperrealism.""' -- Daniel Raventós, author of 'Basic Income: The Material Conditions of Freedom' 'An ethical defence of basic income constructed on the value of republican freedom, an important proposal in an era of rentier capitalism that allows plutocrats to pocket more and more wealth. We need a new system of distribution with basic income acting as an anchor.' -- Guy Standing, author of 'The Corruption of Capitalism'"