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It comes ahead of publication this week of a Scottish Government backed study into the feasibility of running a pilot which was undertaken by councils.

This is expected to support the launch of a scheme in Scotland and is likely to receive a favourable response from government, with Nicola Sturgeon having recently endorsed the policy.

The measure would see all citizens provided with a minimum payment which would be enough to meet their basic needs, whether they are working or not, with many benefits scrapped. It has been suggested previously this could be about £5,000 a year.An interim report last year […]

Full Post at www.scotsman.com

The welfare state was the product of two world wars, between which there had been global economic collapse, hyper-inflation, poverty and wage disparity.

Liberal economist William Beveridge’s reforms were, arguably, the largest shift in societal, political and economic policy in the democratic age.

People could turn to the state when they fell ill and had an income if they lost their jobs or were unable to work.Now, as we look beyond coronavirus, politicians and economists alike are suggesting ways to mitigate the lows of the labour market, stock market and globalised economies.One such idea, trialled in various countries, but not formally […]

Full Post at www.pressreader.com

Keir Starmer took over as leader of the Labour Party on 4 April, when the coronavirus outbreak in Britain was at its worst. The number of deaths peaked four days later. So his acceptance speech was a sombre affair, promising to “engage constructively with the government”.

He wouldn’t offer “opposition for opposition’s sake”, he said, “but we will test the arguments that are put forward”; he would “challenge” the government if it made mistakes or if things were “not happening as quickly as they should”.

It was a fine example of the adage that you should ignore everything before the “but”. […]

Full Post at www.independent.co.uk

Joseph Louis joins others in a protest asking the state of Florida to fix its unemployment system on May 22, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida.

Joe Raedle | Getty Images

One generous proposal on Capitol Hill could put as much as $10,000 per month into American families’ hands to help them weather the coronavirus pandemic.In some ways, it’s a nod to universal basic income, the concept of indefinitely providing people with a guaranteed amount of money per month. But the plan calls for providing the financial relief for only as long as the pandemic lasts.The bill, named the Monthly Economic Crisis […]

Full Post at www.cnbc.com

share In this new post-COVID world, where job losses and salary cuts are becoming the order of the day, billionaire banker Uday Kotak has proposed the idea of a social security net for all Indians.

Kotak, the chief executive officer at Kotak Mahindra Bank and industry body CII’s new president, proposed the idea of Universal Basic Income in an interaction with CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan.

"We need to move, for India in general, in the direction of social security. Its something Indian citizens will demand more and more in future, and this is a public policy debate which will now come to […]

Full Post at www.cnbctv18.com

Liberal Democrat acting leader Ed Davey has formally launched his bid to take the job permanently with a promise of a citizen’s basic income to help support carers. Davey, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, said that the plan for guaranteed financial support would form part of a ‘caring revolution’ under his leadership. This is partly formed by his own experiences raising a disabled child and looking after for his terminally ill mother as a teenager after his father’s death.

Although Davey was defeated by Jo Swinson in last year’s Liberal Democrat leadership battle, he has held the post on […]

Full Post at governmentbusiness.co.uk