Universal Basic Income. Interpretive Patterns and Habitus Formations

Universal Basic Income. Interpretive Patterns and Habitus Formations

The proposal for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) intervenes deeply in the self-understanding of the “work society,” in which the imperative of gainful employment takes precedence over any other form of contribution and even a person’s dignity remains tied to that contribution. In the discussion about the prerequisites and consequences of this proposal, an understanding of willingness to perform emerges according to which performance is something that must primarily be extracted from the individual (“incentive”). The creative, innovative side of action is treated as an exceptional or special case that requires particular abilities. The fact that willingness to perform only develops through educational processes taking place within a community, and that these processes form its supporting foundation, remains just as underexplored as the sphere of the political as an independent form of community-building and self-determination.

This long-term project uses methods of case-reconstructive research (especially objective hermeneutics) to investigate prevailing interpretive patterns and habitus formations that find expression in both public and academic engagement with the proposal of a UBI. Contrary to what the discussion often seems to suggest, the UBI raises fundamental questions that affect all areas of life in a community. Beyond reconstructing current interpretive patterns and habitus formations, the project aims to contribute to basic research in order to gain a better understanding of the structure of the autonomy of life practice.”

Responsible: Prof. Dr. Sascha Liebermann (Professor of Sociology).
Photo: Antonia Krüger