THE WORTH OF MAN

"From Kreisky's living room", recording 9.11.2020. 

Science Talks of the Kreisky Forum

THE WORTH OF MAN
Why we need an unconditional basic income

Money without performance? Just like that? And who should pay for it? These are just some of the questions when it comes to an unconditional basic income - questions that are more topical than ever in view of the consequences of the coronavirus crisis. Barbara Prainsack finally provides answers. And not from an ideological perspective, but from the point of view of those affected: the Tyrolean restaurateur who is struggling to find skilled labour. The IT entrepreneur who is convinced that „everyone would be lazy“ with a citizen's income. Or the parents of a young graduate who wonder whether there is more for their daughter than unpaid internships.

Prainsack, an internationally renowned expert in technology policy, explains key terms in a comprehensible manner, exposes false arguments and sheds light on how implementation can succeed in Austria, Germany and Europe. A guide to the social system of tomorrow, with one question at its centre: How much are people still worth in times of digitalisation and profound upheaval? The answer concerns us all.

Barbara Prainsack, is a professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Vienna, having previously taught at King's College London. She is an internationally recognised expert on health, science and technology policy and is active in advisory bodies, including advising the European Commission on the ethics of new technologies. Prainsack is a member of the British Royal Society of Arts and the Academia Europaea.

Veronika Bohrn-Mena, labour market expert, publicist and author, has been working for around ten years on precarious employment, atypical employment, segmentation processes and changes in the world of work, including their impact on our society.