Just End Poverty Now: The Case for a Global Minimum Income

Abstract

Global GDP is more than 100 trillion dollars, yet 10% of the world’s population still live in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 per day. No one should have to live like that: alleviating poverty is a minimal moral obligation implied by nearly every secular and religious moral system. Unfortunately, neither economic growth nor conventional international aid can be relied upon to fulfil this obligation. A global basic income programme that transferred $1 per day from the rich world to each poor person would eliminate extreme poverty directly and at negligible cost. It is the least we should do.

Keywords: Basic Income, Global Justice, Poverty, Economic Development, International Development Aid, Multinational Organisations

JEL Classification: O15, O19, I32, I38