Equality of Status and Its Priority: A Rawlsian Case for Basic Income

Preventing unemployment, substantial inequality of resources, and unequal opportunities in the labor market are widely shared concerns in economically advanced welfare states. In recent years there has been an influential trend in both egalitarian and conservative thought emphasizing, in a much more pronounced way, the importance of linking income security to work requirements in tackling those challenges. In such ideals of welfare contractualism a minimum income is not an unconditional right of citizenship but something that one must earn (e.g., Giddens 1998; Layard 2005; Mead 2005; White 2003a). In order to remain eligible for a guaranteed minimum income, people must demonstrate that they are available for work, actively applying for work, and prepared to undertake other activities.