Universal Basic Income and its Compatibility with Amartya Sen

Abstract

Parijs advocates for a basic income as a means of achieving a society that upholds individual rights and allows people to pursue their interests. For him, a just society has an enforced structure of rights; this structure is such that each person owns herself and permits each person to have the greatest possible opportunity to do whatever she wants. Conversely, Sen aims to enhance human life by expanding capabilities and promoting development through policy and political changes. For him, development has two aspects. Firstly, it pertains to evaluating improvements in human lives as an explicit development objective and employing human achievements as crucial indicators of progress. Secondly, the agency aspect focuses on what human beings can do to attain these improvements. In this article, we explore whether these theories share common ground and could be reconciled. Initially, we analyze Parijs’ theory to understand the concept of basic income. Then, we study Sen’s theory, focusing on functionings and capabilities. Subsequently, we inspect whether guaranteeing a income expands freedom. Ultimately, we conclude that the basic income is compatible with the capability approach but should not be implemented by itself. The analysis employs the deductive approach method and the indirect documentary research technique.