The moral and practical case for implementing a basic income guarantee is well made—but what are the prospects for finally achieving this inspiring idea of ‘freedom from want’ for every person on Earth?

In this unique investigation of the subject, Mohammed Sofiane Mesbahi sets out a holistic vision for how to realise the highest ideal of a basic income worldwide. He argues that a truly universal and unconditional basic income is ultimately feasible within each nation, coordinated under the auspices of the United Nations. Yet this will initially depend on an unparalleled degree of public support for the cause of ending hunger and needless deprivation, based on a fairer sharing of the world’s resources. That is the only path, writes Mesbahi, for a basic income policy to uphold the fundamental human rights of all. And if pursued with this motivation, it is a pioneering and honourable path that inherently says: ‘above all nations is humanity’.