Proposals for a libertarian-socialist coalition frequently emphasize the trans-ideological support for a universal basic income (UBI), whose proponents half a century ago ranged from Milton Friedman to Martin Luther King, and whose revivalists include not just writers at the Cato Institute but also many in the socialist camp.

While leftists share the hope that a broad political constellation can help win a basic income, caution is in order. The desire for such an outcome should not compel us to obscure our aims and risk ending up with a program that reinforces existing class hierarchies.

At a time when support for a basic income is garnering increasingly more mainstream consideration, it is essential for the Left to make explicit the anticapitalist rationale for a UBI. Below are five important considerations.