I’ve been exploring various socioeconomic models and I’m starting to wonder if a hybrid-type model wouldn’t be quite reasonable.
From time to time one must ask oneself: why hasn’t anyone built a society with a sturdy safety net for everyone, a baseline system that would provide for basic survival, but with a meritocratic option on top of that. It seems like a very reasonable question, to me anyway.
In this world, no one’s falling into the pit of absolute poverty, because the baseline needs (food, shelter, healthcare, basic education) are all covered as a matter of principle. Again, very reasonable.
But then, on top of that solid foundation, there’s room to climb, room for those industrious folks to build whatever kind of life they choose. If you’ve got a knack for something, if you’re putting in that extra effort, or if you’ve got a talent you want to take further, you can earn more and rise above the baseline.
And in this kind of model, success wouldn’t be about leaving others behind; it would simply be an issue of letting people shine if they want to; while ensuring that nobody else is left in the dust.
In other words, I’m talking about a balance between security and opportunity. The system says: “We’ve got you covered on the essentials, and if you want to climb higher, the ladder is there.” It’s that blend of making sure everyone’s okay while still giving room for people to push a little further if they want to.
There are those who have been floating the idea of a universal basic income for a while now. But I’m talking about something quite different.
I’m talking about building a system of ethical capitalism that allows for a universal basic standard of living while providing opportunity for those that want more… to earn more.
I don’t think it would be realistic to hope that we could take our current broken system, a system based on pure greed and monopolistic extractive thinking, and then just add UBI. Clearly that would be nothing more than slapping a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.
But I do truly believe that we could build something that would work for everyone. A system that leaves no one behind, that rewards those that make extra effort, that allows for neither the obscenity of abject poverty nor the grotesque accumulation of wealth and power.
Et voilà – Balanced Socio-Capitalism. It’s a bit of a mouthful, perhaps, but it’s got a nice ring to it. Don’t you think?
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