Unconditional Freedom: Universal Basic Income and Social Power

'A carefully argued case for basic income as central to a democratic transformation of society' -- Carole Pateman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, UCLA

'This path-breaking work throws new light on how we understand work, freedom, and emancipation in today's highly precariatised and insecure world ... A must-read' -- Sarath Davala, Chair, Basic Income Earth Network

'An ethical defence of basic income constructed on the value of republican freedom, an important proposal in an era of rentier capitalism that allows plutocrats to pocket more and more wealth' -- Guy Standing, author of The Corruption of Capitalism and The Precariat

'Casassas traces the case for basic income to its traditional left-wing origins of combatting structural domination and unequal social power' -- Jurgen De Wispelaere, Visiting Professor, University of Freiburg

As the rich get richer and take more of our wealth, our democratic freedoms are also in danger. The elite are gaining large profits without contributing back to society, hollowing out our public services and institutions and preventing the vast majority of us from living our lives to the fullest.

In Unconditional Freedom, David Casassas argues that for us to live freely, we need unconditional resources such as Universal Basic Income. In a sharp and lucid analysis, he shows that UBI would not only liberate us from the nightmare of social exclusion and precarious employment, it would also increase our bargaining power as individuals and collectives, opening doors to democratise our lives.

David Casassas is Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona. He was the Secretary of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and he is now a member of its International Advisory Board. He is the author of The City in Flames.

Julie Wark is a translator, author and human rights activist.


About the Author
David Casassas is a lecturer in social and political theory, social movements, and economic sociology at the University of Barcelona. He was the Secretary of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and he is now a member of its International Advisory Board. He has widely published on republicanism, socialism and basic income and is the author of the highly praised Spanish book The City in Flames: The validity of Adam Smith's commercial republicanism.

Julie Wark is a translator and human rights activist. She is correspondent for Europe for CounterPunch and author of The Human Rights Manifesto and Against Charity (with Daniel Raventós).