---
title: "Arguments Made in Favor of Universal Basic Income at the World Economic Forum"
description: "Professor Pissarides, Nobel Laureate economist, argued for universal basic income at the WEF last month."
date: "2016-02-12"
modified: "2016-02-12"
authors:
  - name: "Joi Matthew"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/joi-matthew.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/arguments-made-favor-universal-basic-income-world-economic-forum"
categories:
  - "Finance"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Universal Basic Income"
tags:
  - "christopher pissarides"
  - "income"
  - "UBI"
  - "universal basic income"
  - "World Economic Forum of Davos"
---

# Arguments Made in Favor of Universal Basic Income at the World Economic Forum

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/us-money-with-black-backdrop.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Getty\</em\>*

Sir Christopher Pissarides is a Nobel prize-winning economist and the Regius professor at the London School of Economics. Recently, at the [World Economic Forum](<http://www.weforum.org/>) in Davos, he expressed his support for a universal basic income (UBI) at one of the debate sessions last January 20th 2016.

Professor Pissarides stated:

"The pie is growing bigger, there is no guarantee that everyone will benefit if we leave the market alone. In fact, if anything, we think that not everyone will benefit if we leave the market alone. So we need to develop a new system of redistributions, new policies that will redistribute inevitably from those that the market would have rewarded in favor of those that the market would have left behind. Now, having a universal minimum income is one of those ways, in fact, it is one I am very much in favor of, as long as we know how to apply it without taking away incentive to work at the lower end of the market."

An interesting point discussed was the idea that a lot of human tasks will soon be automated, so we can now focus on development of other tasks. Humans can also work just because we enjoy it, and not because we need to earn a specific amount of income to survive.

Here is a glimpse on the discussion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmumRUGXQhQ

## More

- [Does Basic Income Solve Anything? Grasp the Arguments for and Against](<https://futurism.com/does-basic-income-solve-anything-grasp-the-arguments-for-and-against.md>)
- [Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Universal Basic Income](<https://futurism.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-universal-basic-income.md>)
- [Basic Income Could be the Answer To Unravel the Greatest Problem of Our Era](<https://futurism.com/basic-income-could-be-the-answer-to-unravel-the-greatest-problem-of-our-era.md>)
- [Technological Unemployment Is Here. Unconditional Basic Income is the Answer.](<https://futurism.com/technological-unemployment-is-here-unconditional-basic-income-is-the-answer.md>)
- [Universal Basic Income Will Help Us Level the Economic Playing Field](<https://futurism.com/universal-basic-income-will-help-us-level-the-economic-playing-field.md>)
- [Hillary Clinton Almost Ran For President on a Policy Backed By Universal Basic Income](<https://futurism.com/hillary-clinton-almost-ran-for-president-on-a-policy-backed-by-universal-basic-income.md>)
- [Slack CEO Voices His Support for Universal Basic Income](<https://futurism.com/slack-ceo-voices-his-support-for-universal-basic-income.md>)
- [The Cost of Universal Basic Income Is Less Than You Might Think](<https://futurism.com/cost-universal-basic-income-less-you-might-think.md>)