Unconditional Basic Income in the Framework of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Assessment for Turkey

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to evaluate the arguments about the unconditional basic income (UBI), which is considered as a partial solution to alleviate poverty and reduce income inequalities. The study will first explore if there is a relationship between income inequality and neoliberalism, which is the dominant economic understanding. Second, it will examine if there is a relationship between an increase in unemployment rates in some countries like Turkey and the deepening of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4th IR). Third, it will seek an answer if it is possible to implement policies that will not leave anyone hungry and vulnerable in a capitalist economic system. Fourth, the paper will briefly evaluate some basic income experiments from Brazil, India, the US, Canada, and Finland to find satisfactory answers to the above questions. Next, the budgetary costs of three alternative UBI possibilities for Turkey are calculated. Finally, the article will make a modest theoretical contribution to increasing the likelihood of positive externality spread to society.

Keywords

• Unconditional Basic Income
• Poverty
• Fourth Industrial Revolution
• Positive Externalities
• Turkey

Dördüncü Sanayi Devrimi Çerçevesinde Koşulsuz Temel Gelir: Türkiye İçin Bir Değerlendirme

Abstract

Bu makalenin temel amacı, yoksulluğu ve gelir eşitsizliğini azaltabilecek kısmi bir çözüm olarak kabul edilen koşulsuz temel gelire (KTG) ilişkin tartışmaları değerlendirmektir. Çalışma ilk olarak gelir eşitsizliği ile neo-liberalizmin hâkim iktisat anlayış haline gelmesi arasında bir ilişki olup olmadığı sorusuna cevap aramaktadır. İkinci olarak Türkiye gibi bazı ülkelerde önemli ölçülerde artan işsizlik oranları ile derinleşen 4. Sanayi Devrimi (4. SD) arasında bir ilişki olup olmadığını sorgulamaktadır. Üçüncü olarak kapitalist bir ekonomik sistemde hiç kimseyi aç ve korunmasız bırakmayacak politikaların uygulanıp uygulanamayacağı sorusuna cevap aramakta-dır. Dördüncü olarak yukarıdaki sorulara tatminkâr cevaplar bulabilmek için makale, Brezilya, Hindistan, ABD, Kanada ve Finlandiya’dan bazı temel gelir deneylerini kısaca değerlendirmektedir. Daha sonra Türkiye’de üç alternatif KTG uygulamasının bütçe üzerinde oluşturacağı maliyetler hesaplanmaktadır. Son olarak, topluma olumlu dışsallık yayılma olasılığını arttırmak için makale mütevazı bir teorik katkıda bulunmaktadır.  

Keywords

• Koşulsuz Temel Gelir
• Yoksulluk
• Dördüncü Sanayi Devrimi
• Olumlu Dışsallıklar
• Türkiye

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