Submitted Work:
Revenu de base inconditionnel : de la théorie à la pratique ?, BETA Working Paper, 2023-06, forthcoming in Cahiers d'économie politique
This paper aims to examine whether Van Parijs's theory of unconditional basic income (UBI) addresses the criticism concerning the lack of individual responsibility among recipients. To this end, we consider both the theoretical framework of UBI and field experiments. Theoretical and empirical findings suggest that UBI does not necessarily lead to a decline in labor supply, though the absence of a sufficiently detailed and sustainable funding proposal limits their scope. Consequently, both Van Parijs's theoretical argument and the results from experiments remain easily contestable.
Van Parijs versus Rawls: the (im)possible Rawlsian justification of UBI, reject & resubmit at The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought
This paper explores Van Parijs’s intellectual journey in advocating for an unconditional basic income (UBI) in relation to Rawls’s theory of justice. It illustrates how Rawls’s critique of UBI laid the groundwork for Van Parijs’s conception of UBI, identifying three key phases that mark shifts in Van Parijs’s justification of UBI regarding Rawls’s theory of justice since the Malibu surfers controversy: (1) starting to develop his theory of justice based on real libertarianism while still attempting to show that a Rawlsian justification of UBI is possible, (2) moving away from Rawls’s “cooperative” justice vision to formulate his unique “distributive” theory, (3) ultimately presenting a synthesis of the two perspectives where Van Parijs asserts the impossibility of unequivocally supporting or completely rejecting Rawls’s difference principle as a justification for UBI.
Combining Basic Income and Social Preferences: A theoretical basis for laboratory experiments, major revision at Homo Oeconomicus
This paper seeks to link the literature on experimental approaches to unconditional basic income (UBI) that draw on economic philosophy, with the literature on experiments on social preferences. By connecting these two strands of literature we aim to show the connection between UBI and social preferences, and so propose a method for studying and identifying preferences for UBI in a laboratory setting. To do so, we first conduct a comprehensive literature review of laboratory experiments on UBI, categorizing them into those that examine behavioral responses to UBI and those that investigate preferences for UBI. We then propose a new approach to assessing preferences for UBI through laboratory experiments, focusing on whether these preferences are driven by efficiency, maximin, or equity considerations. By linking Van Parijs’s theory of justice, which supports UBI, with the social preferences literature, we offer a new methodological guide for studying UBI preferences in experimental settings. This research aims to fill a gap in the literature by providing insights into the fairness and distributional preferences associated with UBI, contributing to the broader debate on its implementation and acceptability.
Work in Progress:
The evolution of Basic Income research: a bibliometrical approach, with Wirtz, K. (BETA, University of Strasbourg)
Basic income has emerged as a critical topic in contemporary debates, sparking discussions within political and academic spheres. This article examines the complexity of UBI’s theoretical foundations and its representation in the literature, with a focus on its conceptual overlap with Milton Friedman’s negative income tax (NIT). By employing quantitative bibliometric analysis, we trace the intellectual trajectory of UBI research, mapping out key networks, themes, and their evolution over time. Our approach combines the tools of quantitative history of economic thought with a dynamic analysis of how different academic disciplines contribute to the discourse. This method clarifies the conceptual boundaries of UBI and enriches its historical narrative, offering insights into the global dynamics of basic income research and its interplay with policy-making and societal change.
Combining Basic Income and Social Preferences: A laboratory experiment, with Grammare, M. (BETA, University of Strasbourg) and Igersheim, H. (BETA, University of Strasbourg)
The purpose of this article is to experimentally analyze the supposed links between individuals' social preferences and their support for basic income, based on three possible types of preferences: efficient, egalitarian, and maximin. To do this, we have developed an original experimental protocol at the intersection of two strands of literature: one well-established, dealing with social preferences; the other more recent and embryonic, focusing on basic income. Our experiment yielded two major findings: on the one hand, players identified as having maximin social preferences significantly opted for a distribution with basic income. On the other hand, players identified as efficient or egalitarian deviate from their type in favor of basic income when the latter offers a maximin-type distribution. These two results clearly support the justification of basic income in terms of maximin, following the theoretical argument put forward by Van Parijs.
Comparative analysis of the participants' characteristics in the German Basic Income Pilot Project, with Bohmann, S. (DIW Berlin) and Schupp, J. (DIW Berlin)
Policy Paper:
Decision-Making of Disadvantaged Individuals - A proposal for an Experimental Extension, FRIBIS Policy Debate, with Oschwald, P. (UFR), Kamanzi, A. (University of Namibia) and Kaufmann, G. (UFR)