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How do you feel about the government deciding how much you should be paid? Or about the government providing a basic income to everyone, regardless of whether they work? What does the research of the economists and the social scientists say?
These are some of the questions we’ll be answering at the next sitting of the Rational Parliament on 19 March. We chose this topic of government involvement in setting our income after this poll on our website. We’ll be covering the minimum wage, which is likely to rise this year in response to forthcoming recommendations from researchers; the living wage, which has become a big political point in an age of austerity, a ‘cost-of-living crisis’ and unpaid internships; and the basic income guarantee, an old idea winning fresh attention in countries such as Switzerland, which is due to vote on whether to introduce it this year. Should the government have any say in wages? And if so, how are those levels decided? Should the government be allowed to force employers to pay a certain amount, and, if so, is that always good for the employee?
The Rational Parliament is the balanced place to work out how you feel about wage controls, by listening and talking to economists, social scientists, political types, campaigners and interested members of the public. In our debate, no one has
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extra status over anyone else: your questions, your views and your answers are just as valid as anyone else’s from the start. We don’t have a panel of experts; we just make sure that there’s a few relevant and publicly funded researchers in the room. This video shows how it all works. This debate is not pro or anti anything – you decide for yourself. That’s our rational approach to debate.
Come with your evidence to argue your point, or just come to find out what you think on 19 March! We have a bar selling drinks and snacks too.
This is the third sitting of the Rational Parliament, an experimental debating society open to all.