What motivates people to work?

Those who oppose Guaranteed Livable Income often argue that people won't work if you give them unconditional income security. In fact, one of the main assumptions behind the belief in a "work disincentive" is the assumption that people are solely or primarily motivated to work by money. Take away the financial incentive to work, and people will stop working.

In reality, however, money is one of many possible motivations that guide human behaviour. Empirical evidence also demonstrates that money is not necessarily always a motivator. In this video (by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), author Dan Pink describes the surprising conclusions of two studies that discovered financial rewards and punishments do not correlate with successful outcomes: