The Case for an Arabian Universal Basic Income
For now, a generous universal basic income remains unaffordable in Western countries. But in the oil-producing states of the Middle East and North Africa, some form of direct wealth sharing might be the only politically feasible way to reform bloated public sectors and avoid a long-term fiscal crisis.
LONDON – The notion of a government-provided universal basic income (UBI) has been gaining traction throughout the developed world. Although UBI policies face significant political and fiscal obstacles in the West, the idea is catching on in a region where conditions for introducing a universal cash-grant system are more favorable: the wealthy, oil-exporting Arabian Peninsula.