This month, Cato Unbound is hosting a month-long debate on “The Basic Income and the Welfare State.” My lead essay, “The Pragmatic Libertarian Case for a Basic Income Guarantee” is up now. In it, I argue that libertarians should regard a BIG as significantly better, on libertarian grounds, than the current welfare state. It is cheaper, less paternalistic, and less prone to rent seeking. And while it might not measure up to strict standards of libertarian purity, it has a much better chance of actually being adopted in a world where 99% of people reject that purist vision.

Responses from Mike Huemer, Jim Manzi, and Robert Frank will go up over the next week. Much good-spirited debate to follow, I’m sure!

UPDATE, AUGUST 6: Huemer’s response is now up.