Basic Income and a Just Society
Policy Choices for Canada's Social Safety Net
A comprehensive evaluation of basic income and its application as a primary social policy tool.
With France St-Hilaire
As governments struggle to adapt half-century-old income and social support programs to new needs and realities, some are calling for the introduction of a basic income guarantee for working-age Canadians. But is a basic income really the best policy response to poverty, precarious work, and unemployment? Is it the best way to build a just and inclusive society?
Basic Income and a Just Society provides a comprehensive evaluation of basic income and its application as a primary social policy tool. Drawing on extensive research and analysis produced for the British Columbia Expert Panel on Basic Income, combined with pan-Canadian data and current evidence, leading scholars examine the various claims made for and against a basic income. They assess its potential to reduce poverty and improve social outcomes, as well as the costs associated with implementing such a program in Canada and how it would interact with existing social programs.
In examining the key arguments advanced by proponents of a basic income, contributors take a hard look at Canada’s social safety net and its strengths and weaknesses, proposing a different path forward – one that entails a full paradigm shift in social policy and rests on providing the bases of self- and social respect to all Canadians.
"Well known for its balanced, non-partisan research, the IRPP offers a pan-Canadian review of the concept of the ‘strengths and weaknesses’ of Canada’s social safety net but ultimately propose a ‘different path forward that entails a‘paradigm shift’ to best balance economic need and self-respect. Planners take note!" Plan Canada Bookshelf