Would Basic Incomes or Basic Jobs Be Better When Robots Take Over?
We all seem to be worried about the robots taking over these days — and they don’t need to take all the jobs to be horrendously disruptive. A situation where 30 to 40 per cent of the working age population was economically useless would be tough enough. They might be taxi drivers replaced by a self-driving car, hedge fund managers replaced by an algorithm, or financial journalists replaced by a chatbot on Instagram.
By “economically useless” I mean people unable to secure work at anything approaching a living wage. For all their value as citizens, friends, parents, and their intrinsic worth as human beings, they would simply have no role in the economic system.
I’m not sure how likely this is — I would bet against it happening soon — but it is never too early to prepare for what might be a utopia, or a catastrophe. And an intriguing debate has broken out over how to look after disadvantaged workers both now and in this robot future.
Should everyone be given free money? Or should everyone receive the guarantee of a decently-paid job? Various non-profits, polemicists and even Silicon Valley types have thrown their weight behind the “free money” idea in the form of a universal basic income, while US senators including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand have been pushing for trials of a jobs guarantee.
Basic income or basic jobs? There are countless details for the policy wonks to argue over, but what interests me at the moment is the psychology. In a world of mass technological unemployment, would either of these two remedies make us happy?
Psychologists have found that we like and benefit from feeling in control. That is a mark in favour of a universal basic income: being unconditional, it is likely to enhance our feelings of control. The money would be ours, by right, to do with as we wish. A job guarantee might work the other way: it makes money conditional on punching the clock.
On the other hand (again!), we like to keep busy. Harvard researchers Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert have found that “a wandering mind is an unhappy mind”. And social contact is generally good for our wellbeing. Maybe guaranteed jobs would help keep us active and socially connected.
The truth is, we don’t really know. I would hesitate to pronounce with confidence about which policy might ultimately be better for our wellbeing. It is good to see that the more thoughtful advocates of either policy — or both policies simultaneously — are asking for large-scale trials to learn more.
Vocabulary:
horrendously – (adverb) extremely unpleasantly, shockingly, or severely, “The cost of living in major cities has become horrendously expensive for young families.”
disruptive – (adjective) causing trouble and stopping something from continuing as usual, “The construction noise outside our window was highly disruptive during my online meeting.”
intrinsic worth – (noun phrase) the natural, essential value of someone or something, independent of external usefulness or value, “Every individual possesses intrinsic worth regardless of their career achievements.”
bet against – (phrasal verb/idiom) to predict or express disbelief that something will happen, “The young entrepreneur is so talented that I would never bet against her succeeding.”
utopia – (noun) an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect, “The author’s new novel describes a peaceful utopia where hunger and poverty have been eradicated.”
catastrophe – (noun) an event causing great and usually sudden damage or suffering; a disaster, “The heavy storm caused a complete economic catastrophe for local farmers.”
intriguing – (adjective) very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious, “She shared an intriguing idea for a new app that instantly translates languages.”
disadvantaged – (adjective) having less money, education, resources, or opportunities than most other people, “The charity provides free school supplies and tutoring to disadvantaged children.”
thrown their weight behind – (idiom) to use one’s influence, support, or power to support a person, idea, or organization, “Several famous actors have thrown their weight behind the environmental campaign.”
universal basic income – (noun phrase) a government program in which every adult citizen receives a set amount of money regularly, with no strings attached, “Supporters argue that universal basic income would eliminate poverty and reduce financial stress.”
policy wonks – (noun/plural phrase) people who are exceptionally interested in and experts on the minute details of political policies, “The TV debate featured two policy wonks arguing over the tiny details of the tax reform.”
remedies – (noun/plural) successful ways of curing an illness, solving a problem, or dealing with a bad situation, “The committee proposed several economic remedies to help small businesses survive.”
unconditional – (adjective) given or done without any limits, conditions, or requirements, “Parents often offer their children unconditional love and support.”
enhance – (verb) to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something, “You can enhance your photography skills by taking a weekend class.”
punching the clock – (idiom) recording the time of one’s arrival at and departure from work, often used to refer to doing routine, repetitive work, “He was tired of just punching the clock at a boring desk job and decided to start his own business.”
wellbeing – (noun) the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy, “Regular exercise and a good work-life balance are essential for your physical and mental wellbeing.”
pronounce – (verb) to declare or state something officially or with absolute certainty, “The judge is expected to pronounce a final decision on the case tomorrow.”
advocates – (noun/plural) people who publicly support or recommend a particular cause, policy, or way of doing things, “Environmental advocates are calling for stricter limits on plastic pollution.”