Swiss Senator Andrea Caroni debates with expert Dylan Matthews on the pros and cons of guaranteed income for all.

What if the government gave every citizen a minimum cash payment, paid right to their bank account each month? That's the premise behind Universal Basic Income or UBI.

Earlier this month, voters in Switzerland overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have provided a universal basic income grant to all. However, other countries such as Canada, the UK and Namibia are considering similar measures.

Proponents of UBI say such income would help with rising unemployment and fight inequality and poverty, but opponents argue that the initiative would encourage people to quit their jobs and in turn, would have a negative effect on the economy.

In this week's Arena, Andrea Caroni, senator and vice president of Switzerland's Free Democratic Party who campaigned against Universal Basic Income, debates with Dylan Matthews, a journalist at Vox, who has written extensively in favour of UBI.

Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook.

Source: Al Jazeera