Much has been written about universal basic income (or UBI) in recent years. It’s an idea which dates back to the 1500s but is enjoying a reprise due to technological automation, and the threat
of job losses which may ensue.
But basic income and automation get conflated too often. For me, automation may be the means to justify the end, but basic income is so much more than that.
In short, the provision of a basic income means that the state pays every one of its citizens enough money to live off, every month. It is not designed to promote the idea of not
getting a job, but it is designed to ensure people live comfortably even if work is hard to come by (which, in our gloriously automated future, may be the case). Pretty civilised, right?
Transforming the creative sector
At its core, basic income is designed to free a society from the burden of poverty. To enable its inhabitants to break from the shackles of money worries. To emancipate them. It’s aspirational, really. And when applied to the creative sectors it could introduce a wave of change…
There are two very good reasons why the introduction of a universal basic income could enhance the creative industry in the UK.
Firstly, it’s difficult working in the arts. The sector is pretty cutthroat and to survive you need to be highly resilient. Whether it’s theatre, TV or film, gigging in a band or trying to break into the graphic design industry – there are expectations to work long hours for low pay. Sometimes, even for free.
This can be tough, and for people from poor backgrounds, even impossible, as they simply can’t afford it. It doesn’t take much of a leap from here to being in favour of a UBI. By supplying people with enough money to live off comfortably, these creative types will be much more able to pursue their goals without the constant pressure of debt. For poorer people, it could be transformational.
Secondly, and this is more nebulous but bear with me; introducing a basic income could level the playing field in terms of access
to arts. There is evidence to suggest that people from poorer backgrounds perform less well in education if they haven’t been introduced to the arts at a young age. Research has shown that access to arts prepare students for school, work and life, by increasing critical thinking, developing creativity and improving resilience.
Basic income would provide the tools necessary for economically-damaged areas to break the cycle of poverty. And, in the words of UBI advocate Rutger Bregman, people are poor due to a lack of money, not character
.
If you’d like to learn more about basic income and how we can make it happen, visit the Basic Income Earth Network and check out the work of Scott Santens, leading UBI advocate.
— Matt Saunders is the founder and editor of Design is Political. Our mission is to encourage and empower everyone to use creative curiosity to solve social problems and make the world a better place.
You can follow Matt on his twitter @matt5409 or at the @dip_magazine
featured image ARTS