Abstract:
This thesis is an exploration into the current United States Welfare System and Universal
Basic Income, a proposed alternative welfare system. The current U.S. Welfare System houses
multiple proposed issues which may weaken its effectiveness. These issues include the
disincentives to word, emphasis on tangible progress, a limited impact, and an inability to
accommodate coming trends of outsourcing and automation. Universal Basic Income may offer a
solution to the potential pitfalls of this system.
Universal Basic Income offers many proposed benefits, both theoretical and explored
through basic income experiments. Universal Basic Income may eliminate the Welfare Trap,
increase psychological health, stimulate education, stimulate the economy, and promote a free
market. Universal Basic Income has potential issues, including the public reaction to eliminating
minimum wage, income inequality, and effects on immigration. The most noted concerns with
Universal Basic Income - inflation, misuse of cash handouts, and depletion of the workforce –
appear to be less pressing concerns based on current theory and experiments.
