Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3935/rsp.v14i1.668
Changes in the Concept of Productive Work and New Norms of Distribution: A Proposal of Guaranteed Social Income
Carlo Vercellone
; Université Paris 1
Abstract
With Smith's theory of growth and Ricardo's theory of distribution, the founders of political economy attempted to present, in a relatively simple theoretical model, the logic of the functioning of capitalism that emerged before the industrial revolution. Today, in the transition that leads us from industrial capitalism towards the economy based on diffusion and driving force of knowledge, perhaps we have to go through the analytical process of the founders of political economy once again. That process, which has to integrate the manner of production and the manner of the distribution of wealth into an inseparable whole, exposes the crucial issue: the question of legitimacy and economic feasibility of guaranteed social income independent from work.
In this paper we shall attempt to explain two important aspects of the problem. The first relates to the clarification of the two opposed concepts of guaranteed income within the current debate: the new liberal one about the conditional minimum income on one hand, and on the guaranteed income, a dignified and unconditional income that is called “guaranteed social income” on the other hand. The second aspect relates to the disagreement with regard to economic foundations and financing of the guaranteed social income. These two lines of thought have to be conveyed to the transformation of the division of labour and the manner of accumulation of capital, which marks a transition to that phase of capitalism that we call cognitive capitalism. Forming this judgment, we shall discuss some theoretical issues related to the changes in the understanding of social wealth and manufacturing work in order to arrive to the guaranteed social income that is perceived as the income based on the integration of social rent and collective dividend.
Keywords
cognitive capitalism; work; minimum income; guaranteed social income
Hrčak ID:
30310
URI
Publication date:
13.3.2007.
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