Exploring the case for universal services

A sustainable and resilient economy is one that enables every individual to have full and equal access to what she/he needs to live a sufficient and flourishing life. Post-war welfare states went some way towards achieving such access, but they have been heavily undermined, both ideologically and fiscally. This chapter explores the potential of a Social Guarantee (SG) that enshrines universal access to life’s essentials. The SG involves defending and improving existing public services and reaching further into housing, care, transport and other everyday necessities. It offers a principled framework for pooling resources, sharing risks and working together to help one another, with a transformed role for the state. There is evidence that, combined with an income guarantee, this approach can bring considerable benefits in terms of equity, efficiency, solidarity and sustainability. It maps out a radical vision with an incremental route towards wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries.