People often drift through daily life without stopping to observe or question the world around them. There are moments that should catch our attention, yet many go unnoticed. Consider the current context: a nation navigating political upheaval and persistent instability that stretches back to the late 2015 general elections, all while a global health crisis unfolds and economic pressures linger from earlier shocks. In such times, the call to safeguard social peace and emotional steadiness becomes a priority that cannot be ignored. (Source: contemporary political and health literature)
Enrique Dans, a pedagogy and technology scholar who writes about innovation for a well-respected business school audience, recently drew attention to this very phenomenon in his daily blog. He describes how a society can appear calm on the surface even as underlying tensions persist. In Spain, unemployment has shifted from the chronic highs of earlier decades to a current level around 11.7 percent, a figure far from the worst in Europe yet still painful for families and communities. For young workers, the story is sharper: in 2022, male unemployment under the age of 25 stood at 28.9 percent, the highest among EU member states and well above the EU average, while female youth unemployment reached 30.8 percent, again among the highest in Europe. Yet the public mood, surprisingly, remains comparatively tranquil, with low homelessness and extensive access to health care and education benefiting many. (Source: Dans’ analysis and European labor statistics)
In this framing, Spain ranks fifteenth globally in gross domestic product and thirty-sixth in per capita income. Yet the sense of well-being seems to outpace these raw numbers. Dans highlights a defining factor: a substantial portion of adults relies on some form of public support, whether through pensions, social subsidies, or state employment programs. This dependence, he argues, has historically helped governments prevent social unrest by shoring up the most vulnerable groups. The result is a delicate balance: a system that reduces visible conflict but faces the challenge of maintaining prosperity as technology reshapes work. (Source: economic and social policy discussions)
Another critical thread concerns how technology might alter the job landscape. It is widely observed that automation and artificial intelligence threaten to displace many roles, pushing workers to seek new forms of support as labor markets undergo structural changes. In Spain, policy makers responded in May 2020 with a program known as the Minimum Vital Income, intended to lift families out of poverty and promote participation in the labor market. The policy sets a baseline for income and scales with family size, aiming to reach hundreds of thousands of households and millions of individuals. While actual beneficiary numbers may fall short of initial projections, supporters view the measure as a meaningful step toward social justice and national peace. (Source: government policy records and economic analyses)
Scholars who study universal basic income acknowledge ongoing debate, yet there is growing consensus that such measures may become unavoidable as economies grapple with automation-driven displacement. The question is not merely about providing a safety net; it is about designing a framework that keeps the social contract intact while preserving incentives for work. Advocates argue that a well-defined, transparent model could extend protections to all, with tax adjustments ensuring that those who earn more contribute their fair share. The broader aim is to chart a peaceful path toward an egalitarian shift that can sustain a modern, technology-enabled economy. (Source: contemporary UBI research and policy debates)