The perceived legitimacy of a basic income among Finnish food aid recipients

Suvi Linnanvirta, Christian Kroll and Helena Blomberg

International Journal of Social Welfare, 2019, vol. 28, issue 3, 271-281

Abstract: Discussions on the pros and cons of a basic income (BI) have remained mainly at the ‘systemic level’. Based on survey and interview data, this study provides a ‘bottom‐up’ perspective on the legitimacy of the idea of a basic income among people queuing in breadlines in Helsinki in late 2016, who are assumed to be affected positively by this benefit. While general support for the idea is high, not everyone supports an unconditional BI. Despite the likely ‘objective interest’, a BI does not seem to be supported by food aid recipients any more than by the general population as measured by a previous study. Besides interests, normative beliefs and perceptions of deservingness seem of importance for legitimacy too, especially among those not supporting a BI. Doubts regarding a BI are to some extent connected to wishes to limit the social citizenship of some of the persons in the breadlines.

Date: 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12362

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:injsow:v:28:y:2019:i:3:p:271-281

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