La renta básica y el estado del bienestar en España

Abstract

The aim of this article is to consider the feasibility and implications of establishing a Basic Income in Spain, from the point of view of its relationship with existing cash benefits. The argumentation is structured as follows: first, Basic Income is defined and some remarks about its relationship with different Welfare State models are made. Secondly, two hypothetical valuations of the amount and potencial financing of a Basic Income in Spain are presented. Finally, the problem of the transition from present social benefits to Basic Income will be addressed (with special attention to the question of whether Basic Income should replace contributory schemes of social protection); this will lead us to consider the opposition between two principies of distributive justice: egalitarian and meritocratic.