%D 2020
%T A new approach to sustainability? The idea of basic income as a solution to automation-driven job displacement and the potential impact on environmentally conscious consumer spending among university students in Groningen, the Netherlands
%X The content of this thesis focused on the potential effects of a basic income policy as a solution to automation-driven job displacement on consumption patterns and the degree of sustainability of these patterns. The central question to be answered here is: ​To what extent would basic income be a suitable approach in realising the conception of a sustainable city? This research studied the effects of existing welfare policies in the Netherlands on consumption expenditure and behaviour, particularly among university students in the city of Groningen. A mixed-methods approach was employed, whereby secondary data on consumption trends and disposable income were quantitatively analysed, and primary data on consumption behaviour were collected through interviews with students. Relationships were found between (unsustainable) consumption expenditure and disposable income, while there were variations in the predicted effects of a basic income on consumption behaviour among the students interviewed, with no significant changes to spending habits as a result. No conclusive evidence of a positive effect of a basic income policy on sustainable consumption was found, therefore further research on the subject needs to be done.
%L theses_frw3260
%A Tristan Hogenstijn