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Affording Utopia: The Economic Viability of “A Capitalist Road to Communism”

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  • Major Aaron

    (Department of Sociology, University at Albany, SUNY, 1400 Washington Ave. Arts & Sciences 301, Albany, NY 12222, USA)

Abstract

Thirty years ago van der Veen and Van Parijs (1986) argued that a guaranteed Basic Income of sufficient generosity to decommodify labor could create a “capitalist road to communism.” Since then, interest in the idea of a guaranteed basic income has grown significantly, though relatively little thought has been given to the economic viability of such a scheme. Is a generous, “social justice” Basic Income affordable within the parameters of actually-existing capitalism? Through an analysis of national income, tax record, and census data for the United States for 2013 I show that economic redistribution that falls within the historical-institutional limits of U.S. capitalism would free up enough resources to pay for a social justice Basic Income, but only if we think of redistribution in macro-structural terms.

Suggested Citation

  • Major Aaron, 2016. "Affording Utopia: The Economic Viability of “A Capitalist Road to Communism”," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 11(2), pages 75-95, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bistud:v:11:y:2016:i:2:p:75-95:n:1
    DOI: 10.1515/bis-2015-0023
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    4. Harvey Philip L., 2006. "The Relative Cost of a Universal Basic Income and a Negative Income Tax," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 1(2), pages 1-24, December.
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    6. Wright Erik Olin, 2006. "Basic Income as a Socialist Project," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 1-11, June.
    7. Jean-Marie Monnier & Carlo Vercellone, 2014. "The Foundations and Funding of Basic Income as Primary Income," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-01097518, HAL.
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