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documentaries 

Universal Basic Income

Part 2: A Bridge Towards Post-Capitalism?

More and more people are falling out of love with capitalism. And is it really all that surprising? Capitalism has failed to achieve most of its promises, and many are now beginning to dream about what another, better world might look like. In this second episode of our 2-part series on Universal Basic Income (UBI), we’ll explore what role UBI might have in a transition to a post-capitalist future.

There is an exciting and lively debate taking place among the left right now exploring whether UBI would do more to dismantle capitalism or, rather, to help to keep it going. For this episode, we spoke with some prominent voices within this debate: economists, journalists, and authors, and asked them to share their perspectives and to envision what the long-term societal effects of giving everybody a UBI might look like.

Would UBI act as just another form of welfare, temporarily propping up a fundamentally flawed system, and simply serving as another concession to eventually be eroded and dismantled by the capitalist class? Or could it be more than that—could it actually fundamentally challenge the current capitalist system and help to dismantle it?

Featuring

Erik Olin Wright - Marxist scholar and sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Kathi Weeks - Marxist-feminist scholar, associate professor of Women’s Studies at Duke University and author of ‘The Problem with Work: Feminism, Marxism, Antiwork Politics, and Postwork Imaginaries’

Matt Bruenig - Writer, researcher, and founder of the People's Policy Project

Richard Wolff - Marxist economist, economics professor emeritus at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, founder of Democracy at Work, and host of the weekly radio show Economic Update

Doug Henwood - Journalist, economic analyst, and writer whose work has been featured in Harper’s, Jacobin Magazine, and The Nation

Martin Kirk - Co-founder and Director of Strategy at The Rules.

Rutger Bregman - Author of ‘Utopia for Realists: The Case for a Universal Basic Income, Open Borders and a 15-hour Workweek’

Manda Scott- Novelist, columnist, and broadcaster

Juliana Bidadanure - Assistant professor in political philosophy at Stanford University

Sofa Gradin -Sofa Gradin - Political Organizer and Lecturer in Politics at King's College in London

Music

 

American Football

J. T. Harechmak

Pele

Many thanks to Ben Henderson for the cover art.

This is the 2nd in a 2-part series. Listen to Part 1:

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