Book Review: Participation Income: An Alternative to Basic Income for Poverty Reduction in the Digital Age by Heikki Hiilamo
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/13882627231191265 |
| Author | Alger Kurti |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Ian Greener uses qualitative comparative analysis and cluster analysis across 24 countries to
analyse which countries are the highest performing in relation to each of the new giants, and
what they have in common. As a lawyer, I cannot comment on the analytical method described
in Chapter 3 in a completely informed way. Nevertheless, the conclusions that Greener draws,
after using the above-mentioned methods, make sense and it can be accepted as a fact that the
method of comparative analysis was correctly chosen.
Greener identifies Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland as the states that respond best to
the five new giants. The fact that these countries came out the best is not so surprising. These are
traditional states and the most developed welfare states, with a long tradition of respect for human
rights, including social rights. At the same time, they are countries that are located in Europe, and
three of them are Nordic countries that are geographically and culturally very close to one another.
One would have expected that Greener would go beyond his already-respectable conclusions at
the end of his book and at least try to identify the tools of successful countries that could, albeit in a
modified form, be used at least in other European countries.
The monograph as a whole is written in a very accessible way, and the author presents his con-
clusions clearly and convincingly.
I completely agree with the identification of the new five giants. It is appropriate and timely that
Greener is comingup with his new theory of new five giants, buildingon the proven traditionof social
policy. In this way,he is not proposing a revolution,but an evolution, which I welcome. Ialso appre-
ciate the effort to use well-established terminology to capture contemporary phenomena that werenot
present at all in European society 80 years ago, or, at least, that were not the focus of attention.
To sum up, Greener, in his great book, is actually saying that we live in a completely new age,
but its pains and joys are very closely related to historical experience and the achievements that
humanity has realised. As a response to a new situation and to a turning point in history, there is
no need to look for completely new tools. It is only necessary to identify precisely the giants to
which we must respond and, at the same time, examine what tools to use to respond to these
giants as they are, which to modify and which to use in a completely new way.
The book and its presence in libraries will certainly be appreciated not only by students and
researchers, but also by anyone who is concerned with the conception or use of any sociopolitical
tool - in short, all those who come into contact with social protection in the broadest sense of the
word, whether as providers or recipients.
Heikki Hiilamo, Participation Income: An Alternative to Basic Income for Poverty Reduction in the Digital Age, 2022,
Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA, USA, Edward Elgar, Publishing, 192 pp., ISBN: 978-1-80088-079-5.
Reviewed by: Alger Kurti ,Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences
DOI: 10.1177/13882627231191265
The narrative-changing book Participation Income by Heikki Hiilamo embarks on exploring
basic income experiments through the lenses of both Participation Income (PI) and Basic
Income (BI) and their interlinkages with existing social protection systems as well as potential
308 European Journal of Social Security 25(3)
To continue reading
Request your trial