Towards a Universal Subsistence Income?

Looking beyond the noxious political climate that has tainted the presidential campaign of 2017 (the second round of the election takes place a dozen or so days after this issue appears), we can see that a number of basic subjects have come to the fore in debates, including the question of a universal income. Advocated by the socialist candidate Benoît Hamon, this idea of an allowance paid unconditionally and without obligation to all citizens, so as to guarantee them a minimum income each month, isn’t a new one and Futuribles has aired it on many occasions over the last thirty years or so. Hugues de Jouvenel reviews the way the concept has developed historically and the attention it has received in this journal, particularly in a special issue on the subject published in February 1994.