Abstract

The debate on the virtues of an unconditional basic income is diffused and relatively old, but has nevertheless on no occasion led to its introduction. To fight poverty and to help increase employment legislators have adopted above all a guaranteed minimum income, conceived as an active labor market measure. This solution has been criticized for the aims pursued by the conditionalities-regime, which is accused of enhancing forced and poor work and of keeping the beneficiaries in poverty. The contribution discusses the state of the art with a focus on the European Union, where all Member states have introduced a guaranteed minimum income in order to enforce workfare and flexicurity policies and more generally a neoliberal approach to labor market regulation.