Category: Basic Income

The jury’s still out on whether universal basic income will save us from job-stealing robots

The jury's still out on whether universal basic income will save us from job-stealing robots

Elon Musk, founder, CEO and lead designer at SpaceX and co-founder of Tesla, is a big fan of Universal Basic Income. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

Does free money change nothing or everything?

Universal basic income (UBI) is the hottest idea in social security since Franklin Roosevelt signed the New Deal in 1935, and it is fairly understood as free money given to citizens by their government. Though the idea traces its roots back to the 16th century as a “cure for theft,” UBI has gained new consideration and momentum these days, as high-profile techno-doomsayers like SpaceX founder Elon Musk point to […]

Green policy of Basic Income progresses in Scotland

Green policy of Basic Income progresses in Scotland

Alison Johnstone MSP The Scottish Greens are celebrating the launch of a grant for a quarter of a million pounds to explore the creation of a Citizens’ Income, a longstanding Green policy.

Angela Constance revealed the details in a letter to Holyrood’s social security committee where the minister confirmed that the £250,000 grant is being made available for four pilot councils if they have their bids accepted.

The Scottish Green Party has, since its foundation in 1990, backed the scheme and earlier this year the First Minister t announced in her Programme for Government that she would consider funding research into […]

Strikes loom over academics’ pension dispute

Strikes loom over academics’ pension dispute

The UK’s largest higher education trade union will ballot academics next week over whether to take industrial action over pay disputes, it had been announced.

The University and College Union (UCU) launched the ballot in response to proposed changes to the university sector’s largest pension scheme, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). It was announced last Friday that the fund may convert to an entirely ‘defined contribution’ fund, which the UCU believes is a less secure form of investment.

The action proposed by the UCU includes a series of strikes by lecturers, as well as refusals to reschedule classes or substitute for […]

Citrix Systems, Inc. (CTXS) Makes An Interesting Case Right Now

Citrix Systems, Inc. (CTXS) Makes An Interesting Case Right Now

Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) has recently been identified as an interesting stock but more in-depth monitoring is needed for a trade decision. Now trading with a market value of 13.10B, the company has a mix of catalysts and obstacles that spring from the nature of its operations. Everyone seems to have their own opinion of this stock. But what do the numbers really say? We think it’s a great time to take a fresh look.

Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) Fundamentals That Matter

It’s generally a good idea to start with the most fundamental piece of the picture: the balance […]

Giving cash without strings attached can improve health

Giving cash without strings attached can improve health

Credit: CC0 Public Domain New research has shown governments can help improve health in low and middle income countries, simply by providing cash to people living in poverty.

Dr Frank Pega, an honorary research fellow from the University of Otago, Wellington, has just published a major international review of the health effects of unconditional cash transfers . These are one type of governmental social protection intervention to tackle income poverty. Universal basic incomes, where everybody receives a basic income, are also a type of unconditional cash transfer.

The review identified 21 studies on the effect of such cash transfers on health […]

UBI: A Bad Idea For The Welfare State

UBI: A Bad Idea For The Welfare State

Bo Rothstein In its admittedly noble striving for increased social justice, the political left has historically had several ideas that, one might dare claim, were not particularly well thought out. For example, the idea of ​the centrally planned economy, the nationalization of all the means of production, forced collectivization of agriculture and, I can add, the Swedish wage earner funds. One reason for these, sometimes monstrous, failures is a reluctance to take the implementation process into account and think through how the policies will actually work when they meet reality and with what consequences.

Many political programs from the left […]

What do you neoliberals think of universal basic income?

What do you neoliberals think of universal basic income?

NIT costs the same money but has more distortions that UBI tries to get rid of.

It maintains the problem where the more you earn the more the benefit is clawed back, not as steeply as many current welfare transfers where they can top 80% fewer benefit dollars for every extra dollar earned, but still something. That is on top of the standard taxes taken out of earnings.

Remember, it’s not a problem giving wealthier people the same dollar value of a UBI, that money is clawed back anyway through a progressive taxation system, with less attention that needs to be […]

Giving Cash without Strings Attached Can Improve Health

Giving Cash without Strings Attached Can Improve Health

Press Release: Otago University

Giving Cash without Strings Attached Can Improve Health

New research has shown governments can help improve health in low and middle income countries, simply by providing cash to people living in poverty.Dr Frank Pega, an honorary research fellow from the University of Otago, Wellington, has just published a major international review of the health effects of unconditional cash transfers. These are one type of governmental social protection intervention to tackle income poverty.Universal basic incomes, where everybody receives a basic income, are also a type of unconditional cash transfer.The review identified 21 studies on the […]

6 Things to Think About When You Get a Pension Payout Offer

6 Things to Think About When You Get a Pension Payout Offer

Before you take a lump sum or lock in monthly payments, carefully consider the consequences for you, your spouse and your heirs. Once you make a move, there’s no turning back. Employers have been ditching their defined-benefit pension plans for decades.

First, many companies stopped offering them to new employees. Then they froze the plans they had in place for current workers, so that no new benefits could accrue. And now, many companies are offering all plan participants the choice of taking a lump sum payment in place of the monthly checks they expected to get upon retiring.

It’s a more […]

Budget 2017: The Tories just gave rich people a 400% bigger tax break over everyone else.

Budget 2017: The Tories just gave rich people a 400% bigger tax break over everyone else.

Budget 2017: The Tories just gave rich people a 500% tax bigger tax break over everyone else. CORRECTION: The graphic above should read 400%, not 500%.

The Tories are at it again – handing money that we apparently don’t have to themselves and their wealthy friends.

In a singularly unimpressive budget, it really is little surprise that “Spreadsheet Phil” has slipped in far more goodies for the rich than for you or me.Whilst changes in the income tax threshold may seem great at first, our analysis reveals they benefit the wealthy far more than anybody else.This year’s change means that […]