Abstract

An increasingly influential claim is that exit-based empowerment through an unconditional basic income offers the cornerstone of an effective strategy for supporting precarious workers in contemporary labor markets. However, it is plausible to assume that supporting the ‘power to say no’—to avoid or leave unattractive jobs—will empower precarious workers only to the extent that it offers the basis of a credible exit threat. In this article, we argue that a basic income-induced exit strategy amounts to a hollow threat. In light of a realistic understanding of how labor markets operate and how the opportunities of disadvantaged workers are presently structured, we show that the basic income-centered exit option can easily become an exit trap rather than an empowered fallback position.

中文翻译：

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退出策略还是退出陷阱？不稳定就业时代的基本收入和“说不的权力”

摘要

一个越来越有影响力的主张是，通过无条件的基本收入实现基于退出的赋权为支持当代劳动力市场不稳定工人的有效战略奠定了基石。然而，假设支持“说不的权力”——避免或离开没有吸引力的工作——只会在提供可信的退出威胁基础的情况下赋予不稳定的工人权力，这是有道理的。在本文中，我们认为基本的收入诱导退出策略相当于一个空洞的威胁。鉴于对劳动力市场如何运作以及弱势工人的机会目前如何构成的现实理解，我们表明，以收入为中心的基本退出选项很容易成为退出陷阱，而不是授权后备位置。