Challenging the justice of a basic income policy when focusing on the homeless population: a case study on Germany

Löffler, Verena

Abstract

In a given society, those who are least advantaged would allegedly benefit the most
from receiving a basic income. However, the merits of such a policy are generally debated
according to the effects on society as a whole, not specifically on the most marginalized;
thus, the potential benefits of a basic income for marginalized groups is unclear. To address
this gap, I identify homeless people in Germany as the least advantaged and assess how this
group would be impacted by a basic income based on real libertarian, liberal egalitarian,
and republican theories of justice. Specifically, I show how introducing a basic income
would affect the homeless population in Germany in terms of income, self-respect, and
power. While a basic income could increase most of the homeless population’s income and
improve communal relations, the stigma attached to homelessness will only decrease inso-
far as the basic income policy helps people exit homelessness. Moreover, a basic income
would decrease power imbalances between the homeless population and state agencies, but
the policy’s effects on relations between homeless persons and fellow citizens, particularly
landlords, are ambiguous. This article contributes to the theoretical discussion on a basic
income, providing a new concern about whether such a policy is fair to the homeless pop-
ulation. Moreover, this article is relevant in practice, as the discussed effects may prompt
avenues for designing future social policies that address the homeless population as the
most vulnerable group in modern welfare states.

Keywords
basic income; homelessness; public policy; social justice