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
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