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The Centre for Ethics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs

University of St. Andrews

Confirmed Speakers:

Deryn Thomas – University of St. Andrews/University of Stirling

Maria Koumenta – Queen Mary University of London

Guy Standing – SOAS University of London

Tom Parr – University of Warwick

The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown has provided new momentum for the advocates of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), spurred on by decisions of various governments to pay an income to their citizens with no work requirement attached.  This comes on the heels of 30 years of pro-UBI scholarship, culminating in the launch of several small-scale real-world UBI trials in various countries and municipalities over the last decade.  Discussions of the UBI are now very much part of the policy mainstream.

The UBI is seen as a way to 1) respond to the job losses and casualisation that are seen as a likely result of increasing automation, 2) redistribute the wealth that is now concentrated in the hands of the super-rich and 3) force employers to offer better working conditions.  This workshop will be focused on the philosophical underpinnings of the UBI and a general consideration of the meaning of work in the context of a labour market, including (but not limited to) the following questions:

• On what basis does a citizen become entitled to share in her state’s wealth? Does it depend on her making a contribution to the generation of that wealth, and, must she be in paid employment to make a contribution?
• Can the UBI be defended against the charge that by offering the same benefit to all citizens it treats unfairly those whose needs are, through no fault of their own, greater?
• At what level would the UBI have to be set in order to achieve something morally worth achieving? Which theory of distributive justice (e.g., capability theory, liberal egalitarianism, socialism) should set the standard here?
• How is the meaning of work determined and affected by institutional arrangements within the economy?

This workshop will follow a presentation-and-commentary format.

CALL FOR PAPERS

In addition to our invited speakers, the workshop will also feature a very small number of papers chosen through blind refereeing.  Submissions should be sent to ubiwork2021@gmail.com.  Submissions must be 3000 words or fewer (including notes) and not contain anything that gives away the identity of the author.  We are especially keen to feature the work of scholars who do not have a permanent post, so if this is true of you please say so in your email.  We also welcome submissions from members of underrepresented groups within philosophy.  The deadline for submissions is 17 January, with notification of acceptance by the end of January.

To register for the workshop, please email bas7@st-andrews.ac.uk.  Registration is free, but you need to register in order to receive information on how to join the online event.  If you have any questions please use that same email address.

 With gratefully acknowledged support from the