Louise Haagh

Louise Haagh

My work looks at problems relating to social and economic justice, the ethics and politics of development, comparative capitalism and welfare states, and human development ethics and governance. A particular interest is the link between institutions and well-being, and in the formative role of motivational theories and statistical measurement in comparative public policy.

I have carried out surveys and comparative research on the role of social and economic institutions in human motivation and economic development in a range of middle and high income countries, and have consulted for a number of global organisations on public approaches to economic security.

In the field of basic income studies, I am known for my advocacy of a broader humanist, democratic defence that sets this reform in the context of a human development perspective on freedom and governance. See more information here.

This perspective is exemplified in my most recent book, The Case for Basic Income (2019), in which I look at the role of developmental institutions in democratic development and introduce the notion of humanist governance to account for the social sources of freedom in society.

I currently have four other books forthcoming with Palgrave and Routledge on the topics of basic income and comparative democratic development. See details of books here.