UBS – sustainable social safety for the 21st century
In the past few months, there has been significant interest in parts of the blogosphere with the idea of Universal Basic Services, a vision of state provision of services that not only covers education and healthcare but also transport, information, food and housing.
Existing Internet service too expensive and delivers poor service.
UBS are something more akin to Dmytri Kleiner’s concept of Basic Outcome, where essential services (and rights) are provided outside of the market sphere
“Car nation” Germany has surprised neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free, as Berlin scrambles to meet EU air pollution targets and avoid big fines.
8% of the population, struggle to afford basic goods and services, those who live in poverty suffer from complete social exclusion
Far more compelling than UBI is ‘UBS’, or the idea of ‘universal basic services’
What could be more attractive than a government prepared to spend more public money to subsidise low wages and dwindling supply of precarious jobs?
Background context for 21st century welfare reform and unique aspects of basic services.
The most powerful aspects of the argument are probably not the cost calculations for particular services (which are in any case quite speculative) but the implied political potential of supporting and expanding the social wage.
Universal Basic Services 