Thomas L. Steiger

Background: The idea of a “guaranteed annual income” (GAI) is at least 40 years old. While debated by academics and experimented with in several countries, it has not carried much weight in US public opinion until recently. Andrew Yang's support for it in his run for the 2020 Democrat nomiation for US President and the recently completed “Stockton Experiment” has garnered more press attention.Objective: Examine support for a guaranteed annual income (GAI) in relation to attitudes regarding the role of work as an individual and social value.Methods: A representative sample of United States adults were surveyed about their attitudes toward work, their view of government and support for GAI.Results: A solid majority support GAI. This support comes in the face of a rather strong endorsement of the work ethic. Far from seeing the GAI as a disincentive to work, respondents indicate, on the whole, that they would not reduce their work hours if they received a GAI.Conclusion: Data were collected during a pandemic that disrupted daily life. Thus, people may be ready to re‐examine some basic assumptions about the roles that state and market should play in society as well as re‐examine just what they are willing to define as “fair” and “just” in terms of economic responsibilities and rewards.

The construction industry presents a challenge to current labor process theory. Data from a wide range of work settings suggest it is premature to conclude that management has succeeded in appropriating workers' knowledge, accountability, and responsibility for work. Subcontracting, “lumping,” use of prefabricated materials, and other factors have undermined the centralization of managerial controls. Moreover, a craft ideology shared by workers, supervisors, and contractors pervades all types of work organizations. Finally, the labor market has become so fluid and dynamic that it no longer conforms to the traditional construct of an internal labor market. Since these observations likely apply to other work settings, a refinement of labor process theory is in order.