ABSTRACT
The introduction of an unconditional basic income (UBI) could create a situation where everyone has the financial means to live a decent life independent of his or her contribution to the labor market. Given such an exit option existed, how would it influence bad work and its distribution? After proposing a two-dimensional account of bad work, the question at heart of the chapter will be discussed with reference to three trends that are likely to follow from the introduction of a UBI: (i) an increase in workers’ autonomy, (ii) an overall assimilation of working conditions, and (iii) a labor shortage for forms of bad work that impose permanent and irreversible harms—which might have severe consequences for society if the work is socially necessary. Thus, thinking about the effects of a UBI also urges to rethink our current handling of bad work and to start thinking about just ways of distributing not only the benefits but also the burdens of work among members of a society.
