Category: Basic Income

No easy answers for guaranteed basic income dilemma

No easy answers for guaranteed basic income dilemma

Lincoln McCardle Our London

It’s a controversial idea, giving periodic cash payments unconditionally to everyone without any type of prerequisites or work requirements. The hope being that it would cut government red tape and more importantly, reduce poverty. Of course, the long-term effects of giving the most disadvantaged amongst us a sense of self-esteem has yet to be fully ascertained. We’ve never tried something like this, and while many will argue we shouldn’t do it, others will suggest we have to do something. Our current social assistance programs are clearly failing.

The outcomes are hard to predict, however I believe those […]

Finland – basic income trial

RE: Finland – basic income trial See, here’s what I don’t get about close-minded dogmatic people and their opposition to social programs: you can be anywhere on the political spectrum, when you see a program that helps people AND saves money, why not give a try, even if it initially seems counter-intuitive. What have you got to lose? If it doesn’t work, you’ll have the data to back up your claim. If it does work, well, everyone wins. You practically answered your own question. Close-minded dogmatic people will not consider something with which they initially disagree cause they’re close-minded […]

Why Is No One Talking About The Obvious Problems With Universal Basic Income?

Why Is No One Talking About The Obvious Problems With Universal Basic Income?

It’s surprising how quickly the idea of a universal basic income has gained traction in India.

The idea is bad and extremely dangerous for India.

I have come across two eminently sensible articles on the applicability, and the relevance, of ‘Universal Basic Income’ for India. One was by Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan (ht: Praveen Chakravarty), and the other by Rajesh Kumar of Mint . (Disclosure: He is Editor of the Edits page that carries my weekly columns.)Prof Balakrishnan’s article is crisply written. Here is a sample: But the answer to the accumulating subsidy bill lies less in moving to the distribution of […]

Social assistance increases are needed in Northumberland, across Canada

Ensuring everyone has enough money to afford the basics in life seems like a no-brainer.

Why would we want to see our neighbours struggle to put food on the table or have to choose between heating their home and paying the rent?

Currently a single person living on Ontario Works receives roughly $700 a month. Imagine trying to live on that amount of money. Rents in Cobourg and Port Hope aren’t typically below $800 a month.The fact is Northumberland residents are using food banks in the area. This shouldn’t be the case.The idea behind the Basic Income Guarantee is to ensure […]

Hamon pitches fresh ideas to French Socialists

Hamon pitches fresh ideas to French Socialists

Former French education minister and candidate in the left-wing primary for the 2017 French presidential election, Benoit Hamon speaks during a televised debate with opposing candidate former French prime minister Manuel Valls (AFP Photo/bertrand GUAY) Paris (AFP) – French Socialist Benoit Hamon urged voters to support his bold leftist ideas for revitalising the country on Wednesday as his party prepares to pick its presidential candidate this weekend.

In a final televised debate with his rival, ex-prime minister Manuel Valls, Hamon urged the left to "turn its back on the old regime, at these solutions that didn’t work yesterday and won’t […]

Valls and Hamon battle in final Socialist primary debate

Valls and Hamon battle in final Socialist primary debate

Benoît Hamon, left and Manuel Valls, right at the last debate before the second and final round of the Socialist primary. The debate opened on the topic of universal basic income, the central campaign theme of former education minister Benoît Hamon.

This idea, that the government should unconditionally and regularly pay a sum to all citizens, regardless of income, is strongly opposed by Hamon’s rival, former prime minister Manuel Valls.

“I think Benoît’s message here is terrible," said Valls. "He thinks we should give up on jobs, that we should accept unemployment, and that everyone should get the same sum regardless […]

San Francisco To Launch Pilot Basic Income Program

San Francisco To Launch Pilot Basic Income Program

San Francisco’s Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) is developing a $5 million pilot program to give a group of city residents a basic income—and is hoping to convince a city in the South Bay to join in the experiment.

Like other basic income programs , the pilot would be designed to provide a steady income to participants, with no requirements as to how the money is spent.

At a sold-out forum hosted this week by the Universal Income Project , OFE director Sean Kline told the audience that more evidence is needed to test the idea that direct cash transfers are […]

A behavioral economist explains how basic income can work in the US

A behavioral economist explains how basic income can work in the US

Stacks of cash and the World Series of Poker championship bracelet are placed on a table during the WSOP main event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas November 8, 2011. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

There’s a debate swirling in certain economic circles over a thought experiment: If you give free money to people in poor Kenyan villages and they use it improve their lives, can you expect the same outcome in a random sampling of people in the United States?

After all, impoverished villages differ wildly from a grab bag of Americans, and what might work in […]

France’s Valls, Hamon Clash Over Basic Income in Primary Debate

France’s Valls, Hamon Clash Over Basic Income in Primary Debate

Benoit Hamon and Manuel Valls prior to a televised debate on Jan. 25. The two remaining candidates in the French Socialist Party’s primary expressed dramatically different views of the country’s economic future as they clashed in their only debate ahead of Sunday’s vote.

Benoit Hamon defended his proposals for a shorter work week and a basic income of 750 euros ($800) a month for all citizens, saying technical change threatens to make work rare. Manuel Valls said lower payroll taxes and job training in new technologies would enable the country to keep creating jobs and cut France’s 10 percent unemployment […]

ONTARIO, CANADA: Smiths Falls council reverses decision, votes to lobby for basic income pilot

ONTARIO, CANADA: Smiths Falls council reverses decision, votes to lobby for basic income pilot

In a reversal of a decision last December, the council of the Eastern Ontario town Smiths Falls has voted to send a delegate to an upcoming convention of municipalities to lobby for the town’s selection in Ontario’s basic income pilot study.

Background: Ontario’s Pilot Plans

The Canadian province of Ontario is currently in the consultation phase of the design of a pilot study of a basic income guarantee. According to the recommendations of the project adviser Hugh Segal, the pilot should test a guaranteed minimum income of approximately $1320 per month, plus an additional $500 for those with […]