The intellectual underpinning of a government-guaranteed basic income fails to overcome several objections on historical, economic, and moral grounds. But if it ever did, the adoption of a basic-income guarantee would deserve only cautious consideration because major policy changes always have numerous unknown and often irreversible consequences.

Robert M. Whaples is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Co-Editor of The Independent Review.
EconomyEntitlements and WelfareFederal Budget PolicyFederal Tax PolicyFree Market EconomicsGovernment and PoliticsPublic ChoiceSocial SecurityTaxesTaxes and Budget
Other Independent Review articles by Robert M. Whaples
Spring 2025 Millennials, Gen Zs, Capitalism, Socialism, and Confusion
Spring 2025 Not Stolen: The Truth about European Colonialism in the New World
Spring 2025 Green Breakdown: The Coming Renewable Energy Failure
[View All (106)]