Category: Basic Income

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

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 poorer villages might not apply elsewhere.

Dan Ariely, a behavioural economist at Duke University and author of several books on decision-making, doesn’t buy it.“If you think about the fundamental aspect that you’re testing, people are people,” Ariely tells […]

The case against universal basic income

The need for providing a basic income to all citizens is being discussed actively in various parts of the world. One of the reasons why the idea is gaining more attention in the developed world these days is the increasing use of robots in the industrial sector. As automation increases, the fear is that more people will find it difficult to get jobs. Moreover, the thought is to give all citizens a basic income that will allow them to live with dignity, irrespective of their earning capability. However, opinion remains divided and voters in a rich country like Switzerland […]

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.

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 poorer villages might not […]

Budget 2017: Is India ready for Universal Basic Income?

Universal basic income (UBI) differs from the social security schemes in western nations. It has three distinguishing characteristics. First, it is universal and not targeted. It is for each and every citizen, regardless of their current income status. Second, it involves a cash transfer instead of an in-kind transfer. This means that a fixed amount of funds is credited to the citizens’ account on a particular day every month. Third, it is unconditional. It is like a monthly salary for which you did not work. This is available to the employed and the unemployed. The scheme covers people from […]

Universal Basic Income: Does the Carrot Work Better than the Stick?

Universal Basic Income: Does the Carrot Work Better than the Stick?

Automation and robots will destroy jobs but create work. How will we secure employment in the future?

Since 1970s, social policies on both sides of the Atlantic have been dominated by workfare policies where the payment of benefits is made conditional on participation in job promoting activities such as training, rehabilitation and work experience, or on unpaid or low-paid work. Those who fail to fulfill these conditions lose their benefits.

The sticks have not worked very well. Traditional activation policies have proven inadequate in employing long-term unemployed people, and in preventing them from social exclusion. A New Experiment in Finland […]

Ottawans give feedback on Ontario’s guaranteed income pilot project

Ottawans give feedback on Ontario's guaranteed income pilot project

Ontario’s minister of community and social services, Helena Jaczek, has been attending consultations across the province about testing a guaranteed income to alleviate poverty. (Kate Porter/CBC) More than 100 Ottawa residents gave their feedback Tuesday night about Ontario’s plans to try a different approach to alleviating poverty with guaranteed incomes.

"We have an opportunity to right a system that is, in my opinion, quite broken," said Carissa Davis, a single mother who attended the consultation session on Coventry Road. Carissa Davis finds the current social assistance system too focused on policing people’s finances. She believes a guaranteed income would empower […]

Star French economist backs campaign call for universal income

Star French economist backs campaign call for universal income

French economist Thomas Piketty praised the idea of a universal basic income, saying it would be a "key building block" of a fairer economy (AFP Photo/ERIC PIERMONT) Paris (AFP) – A proposal by leftwing French presidential candidate Benoit Hamon for a universal basic income received the seal of approval from star French economist Thomas Piketty on Wednesday.

In an op-ed in the daily Le Monde, Piketty and nine colleagues praised the idea, saying it would be a "key building block" of a fairer economy.

The pledge to pay everyone a living wage has been a hot potato in France’s Socialist primary, […]

Star French economist backs call for basic income

Star French economist backs call for basic income

French economist Thomas Piketty pictured in his office in Paris on October 11, 2016. Photo: ERIC PIERMONT / AFP PARIS – A proposal by left-wing French presidential candidate Benoit Hamon for a universal basic income received the seal of approval from star French economist Thomas Piketty on Wednesday.

In an op-ed in the daily Le Monde , Piketty and nine colleagues praised the idea, saying it would be a "key building block" of a fairer economy.

The pledge to pay everyone a living wage has been a hot potato in France’s Socialist primary, which will pit Hamon against centre-left former prime […]

Basic income could help resolve Hong Kong woes

Basic income could help resolve Hong Kong woes

Among the political turmoil experienced by Hong Kongers, there is another crisis that is eroding the societal foundations of the global financial hub: debilitating poverty.

Hailed as one of the freest economies in the world, Hong Kong now has a higher per capita income than its former colonizer Great Britain. However, they also have a high and persistent poverty rate at nearly 20 percent .

It is not just relative poverty compared to the lavish lifestyles of many Hong Kongers. Many locals have become homeless or McRefugees (those who sleep in McDonalds at night) due to the prohibitively high cost of […]

Finland – basic income trial

Finland - basic income trial

Finland – basic income trial Finland started to experiment with guaranteed basic income – for a trial it is only 2000 people who get €560 a month. This kind of support will remain even if person in question will find a job, though it will replace already existing social benefits.

More can be found here – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/j…unemployed

What are your thoughts on this? The first revolt is against the supreme tyranny of theology, of the phantom of God. As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth. Mikhail Bakunin. […]