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Amadeus
Amadeus
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Added Clarification on Socialism

The OP thought money was distributed to the citizenry; that is seldom the case in actual Socialism, or money-distribution is a relatively smaller component of it. Socialism can simply provide services to the population, for free. So it doesn't give you money to buy healthcare, it provides health care. It doesn't give you money to rent a livable apartment, it provides you an apartment. It doesn't even have to give you money for food; but can provide you with the food. It doesn't have to give you money for transportation, it can provide public transportation (not just by bus, but in some cases taxis to transport one person to some justifiable destination; e.g. a person to a doctor's appointment). And finally, they do not have provide money for tuition and housing in college; they can just provide the college and dormitory rooms for free, funded by general taxation.

In the USA and Europe, we do not give people money to pay for privately owned toll roads; for the most part we just provide the roads for free, for individual, business, and public use.

Another aspect of socialism is that, besides the free services, people generally do work for money to buy better than the free services (if they want something other than the public cafeteria menu, for example, or a bigger apartment or a house). According to the IBC (International Building Code) an "apartment" can be as small as 220 sf, and that might be all that public shelter offers, per individual. (Which would have its own ramifications: Women might have children in order to be entitled to more space; people might get married or cohabit for the same reason.)

I say this to improve this answer: The cyberpunk aspect comes into play because, in world where a very large % of people have been put out of work by advanced tech, those people do not necessarily have a single dollar of income, and they aren't geniuses or exceptional athletes, artists, musicians, comics, gamers or beautiful enough to be models or actors. But working together, as criminals, they might be able to steal actual money from the working people.

Added Clarification on Socialism

The OP thought money was distributed to the citizenry; that is seldom the case in actual Socialism, or money-distribution is a relatively smaller component of it. Socialism can simply provide services to the population, for free. So it doesn't give you money to buy healthcare, it provides health care. It doesn't give you money to rent a livable apartment, it provides you an apartment. It doesn't even have to give you money for food; but can provide you with the food. It doesn't have to give you money for transportation, it can provide public transportation (not just by bus, but in some cases taxis to transport one person to some justifiable destination; e.g. a person to a doctor's appointment). And finally, they do not have provide money for tuition and housing in college; they can just provide the college and dormitory rooms for free, funded by general taxation.

In the USA and Europe, we do not give people money to pay for privately owned toll roads; for the most part we just provide the roads for free, for individual, business, and public use.

Another aspect of socialism is that, besides the free services, people generally do work for money to buy better than the free services (if they want something other than the public cafeteria menu, for example, or a bigger apartment or a house). According to the IBC (International Building Code) an "apartment" can be as small as 220 sf, and that might be all that public shelter offers, per individual. (Which would have its own ramifications: Women might have children in order to be entitled to more space; people might get married or cohabit for the same reason.)

I say this to improve this answer: The cyberpunk aspect comes into play because, in world where a very large % of people have been put out of work by advanced tech, those people do not necessarily have a single dollar of income, and they aren't geniuses or exceptional athletes, artists, musicians, comics, gamers or beautiful enough to be models or actors. But working together, as criminals, they might be able to steal actual money from the working people.

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Amadeus
Amadeus
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I am quite familiar with socialism; the most successfully socialist country is likely Norway (and no, it is not because of North Sea Oil, but high taxation).

The essential idea is NOT to give everyone "just enough to pay for food and expenses."

Instead, the idea is a very strong safety net so your life, your children's lives, your children's education, health, shelter and safety are not in danger if you are unemployed.

As it turns out (and Norway and other socialist countries prove without doubt) people want more than survival, and will work to get it even if survival is assured.

Norway provides free health care (not just health insurance, free care, period), at a very high standard of care (higher than most hospitals in the USA). Yet for-pay hospitals still exist in Norway, some are willing to pay for private rooms, private nurses, house call doctors, etc.

Norway provides free education for its citizens, as much as they want (e.g. multiple PhDs, no problem), at any accredited college in the world they can get into. If you can get into Harvard, they pay the bill, and some living expenses in the bargain.

Nobody is fleeing Norway because of the high taxes (top rates more than double the USA top rates); the Norwegian people are raised with it and acclimated. The richest people in Norway consider it part of their culture; they take care of each other, and giving everybody an equal start in life helps to ensure they are maximizing the potential of everybody in their country; they aren't wasting anybody by impairing them from the beginning.

That said, your "dystopia" can be the difficulty of getting ahead. Misery is relative. You can be healthy, fed, sheltered and as educated as you can get, and still can't find a job to get ahead of the pack. You try to become famous as an artist, an actor, a musician, an entertainer, an author, an acrobat, and fail. You feel your life is a waste, you are kept like a pet, and you want more out of life and can't find the way to get it.

School is frickin' hard and competitive, and even if you get a PhD in something, the professorial jobs are all filled, the only openings are when somebody dies and 500 PhDs apply for the spot.

If you can't get ahead legally, then illegally seems like a valid option. Unlike most cyberpunk, the society is not oppressive, they are taking care of your sorry ass, but the outcome is oppressive, because between computers and highly taxed robots and other high tech AI, there is no way to escape living in a (heated, cool, safe) 200 sf room for the rest of your life. Sure, you can do anything you want, but socialism doesn't cover entertainment (well, maybe basic cable). You aren't going to travel the world, or own a fast car, or gamble in Vegas. Unless you get into the underside of life.

The state will pay to train you, and then you can engage in some illegal side gigs to buy some of the illegal training, hacking and activities that could land you in prison: Benevolent socialists will still lock you up. There is still a war between the law and the criminals.

That's the story hook, no matter how much people are given, they will still want more. Even if their every basic need is taken care of, they will work for more. (Look at the USA: it is possible to live on about \$1000 a month, but nearly everybody works to earn 4 or 5 times that on average, because they don't want just the bare minimum life of \$1000 a month.)

In a high-tech future, most jobs done by most people today will be done by machines, for 5% of what it would cost to hire a person. Suppose 90% of people are provided socialist subsistence so food, shelter (warmed and cooled, but small), education, health care and safety are well covered. Not entertainment, not travel. You have to earn money if you want those. If you want to play chess or gin rummy in the park for the rest of your life, you are all set.

If you want anything more, chances are you can't get a job no matter how hard you try, those go to the top 5% of the population in acuity and natural born skill, and 95% of us just aren't in that 5%. Once you learn you aren't: learn to play chess or get your cyberpunk on.