Basic Income and the Marxist reformism debate

Marxist discourse has long debated the potentiality of reformism, perhaps typified by Rosa Luxemburg’s Reform or Revolution (1900). Situating basic income within this continuing debate, I explore autonomist Marxism’s concept of “non-reformist” reforms and their potential to cause “ruptures” within capitalism, work which attempts a synthesis of the reform-revolution dichotomy. Though some of its more radical proponents present UBI as an opportunity to fundamentally transform our economic system in-and-of itself, I argue it is more sensible to view it as a “foundational” reform which must be built upon in order for UBI to truly address the multiple crises we face today.