Mc Lean, Jordan2024-08-072024-08-072023-10Mc Lean, Jordan. (2023). A Contractarian Conception Of The Basic Income Grant: General And South African Considerations. [Master's dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40031https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40031A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Political Studies), to the Department of Political Studies, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023.This academic report proposes an additional moral argument for implementing a basic income grant (BIG) within the framework of the social contract in South Africa. The analysis aims to establish whether there are implicit obligations on the part of the state to provide all citizens with access to social assistance. The report ascertains what moral obligations the state has towards its citizens by exploring social contract theory. The report also analyses the South African case more closely, arguing that state obligation to provide social assistance to all citizens can be found in the Constitution and in the objectives of the social. The research report offers reflections regarding how the South African state attempts to satisfy these obligations through a discussion on some of the government’s social and economic policies. The reflections argue that while the state recognises this moral obligation, it follows the structurally unviable policy position that wage employment can satisfy the social contract for the working aged population. The report investigates the nexus between the social contract and basic income, arguing that the social contract makes the provision of social assistance a moral requirement of the state and thus a basic income grant is necessary, especially in the South Africa case where a large number of working age people have no social assistance access and face high rates of structural unemployment. The report undertakes document analysis of relevant literature, government policy proposals and development programmes to achieve this objective. Ultimately, this report contributes to the understanding of the post-Apartheid social contract, the politics of the welfare system, and the discourse surrounding basic income grants.en©2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.Basic Income GrantSocial Relief from DistressSocial contractLabour contractSocial minimumPutting South Africa to WorkUCTDSDG-8: Decent work and economic growthDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg