Category: Basic Income

Geingob questions equal BIG distribution

Geingob questions equal BIG distribution

President Hage Geingob last week cautioned the nation against the introduction of the universal basic income grant (BIG) under its principle of equal distribution, whether for poor or rich. In efforts to alleviate poverty, many in society are advocating for a BIG to enable the most vulnerable to see some light during dark economic times.

Answering questions on whether government has the capacity to implement BIG, Geingob said the economy is already reeling from the depression, and it makes no sense for a BIG to cater for everyone, even if the government had funds.

A basic tenet of the BIG would […]

Decentralized Basic Income: Creating Wealth with On-Chain Staking and Fixed-Rate Protocols

Hakwan Lau1 and Stephen Tse2

1. Center for Brain Science, Riken Institute, Japan

2. Harmony.ONECorrespondence: hakwan.lau@riken.jp and s@harmony.oneAbstract: In this review, we evaluate the mechanisms behind the decentralized finance protocols forgenerating stable, passive income. Currently, such savings interest rates can be as high as 20% annually,payable in traditional currency values such as US dollars. Therefore, one can benefit from the growth ofthe cryptocurrency markets, with minimal exposure to their volatility risks.We aim to explain the rationale behind these savings products in simple terms. The key to this puzzle isthat asset deposits in cryptocurrency ecosystems are of intrinsic economic value, as they […]

Think tank urges permanent furlough scheme to protect workers from economic shocks

Think tank urges permanent furlough scheme to protect workers from economic shocks

“The current end date for the furlough scheme can cause unnecessary harm to thousands of workers across the UK," says senior researcher. A think tank has recommended that the furlough scheme should become permanent to protect employees from climate disruption, changes in trade and future public health emergencies.

Analysis from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) found that almost 700,000 people are at risk of losing their jobs or having hours or pay cut when the scheme ends in September.

Modelling from the think tank found that an estimated 660,000 jobs would still require the furlough scheme in September, but the […]

Opinion: Taxes aren’t the government playing Robin Hood — they repay what previous generations invested in you

Opinion: Taxes aren’t the government playing Robin Hood — they repay what previous generations invested in you

BookWatch

Think of the GI Bill or the tax breaks for saving for retirement

20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection Everyone hates paying taxes. But many wrongly think that taxes are primarily about redistributing income from the rich to the poor with the state acting like an erstwhile Robin Hood.In fact, most of what government does is transfer income over our own lives – taxing us when we are working adults and supporting us when we are young and old. A clever child cannot go to the bank and ask for a loan to pay for schooling, promising […]

Policing, arts, housing: American Rescue Plan pitches give glimpse of potential projects

Minneapolis could see $37 million go to economic recovery efforts and $12 million flow toward public safety.

Denver’s mayor hopes to send $28 million in federal American Rescue Plan dollars toward the city’s Affordable Housing Fund.

And Pittsburgh’s proposed spending plan could send millions of dollars to electric vehicles, a guaranteed basic income pilot project, lead removal and avoiding city layoffs.Like cities across the country navigating an influx of federal cash as a result of the pandemic, Louisville is wading through a long wish list of spending priorities.An initial round of spending — a fraction of the city’s overall $388 million […]

Monthly Stimulus Checks Worth $1,200 May Arrive By 2028

Monthly Stimulus Checks Worth $1,200 May Arrive By 2028

Ilhan Omar Millions of Americans may receive monthly stimulus checks worth $1,200 by 2028 after Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., proposed two income bills Friday.

Rep. Omar and other progressive Democratic lawmakers introduced the SUPPORT Act which would allocate $2.5 billion to fund local guaranteed income pilot programs across the country. Findings from the pilot programs, which would be conducted between 2023 and 2027, will go toward the formation of a national program in 2028.

Under the new national program, American individuals making less than $75,000 a year or households earning less than $112,500 per year would receive $1,200 monthly payments from […]

Monthly stimulus checks? Ilhan Omar proposes bill for regular $1,200 payments

Monthly stimulus checks? Ilhan Omar proposes bill for regular $1,200 payments

Representative Ilhan Omar , along with other progressive Democratic lawmakers, proposed legislation that would dole out regular stimulus checks—or guaranteed income—through monthly payments of up to $1,200 for adults and $600 for children.

The Minnesota congresswoman announced the proposal on Friday, saying that “poverty is a choice” in a press release and a Twitter post about the proposed legislation. Fellow Democratic Representatives Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania, Marie Newman of Illinois, and Jamaal Bowman of New York also endorsed the bill. Poverty is a choice. It’s time we prioritize new economic indicators and economic policies that will prioritize sustainable and equitable […]

Concern over Sassa’s ability to deliver reintroduced R350 grant

Concern over Sassa’s ability to deliver reintroduced R350 grant

News of the return of the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant has been widely welcomed by civil society organisations, but the focus has now moved to whether the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) will be able to deliver sufficiently.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last week that the grant would return and end in March 2022. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said R27 billion had been allocated for the reintroduction of the grant scheme introduced in March last year.

More than 5 million unemployed individuals have benefited from the grant.However, there were many concerns as to how the Department of Social […]

Which country has universal basic income?

Which country has universal basic income?

For two years Finland’s government gave 2,000 unemployed citizens €560 a month with no strings attached. It was the first nationwide basic income experiment. The concept is slowly becoming difficult for people to ignore. Is it illegal to pay someone more for the same job?

California law now prohibits an employer from paying its employees less than employees of the opposite sex, or of another race, or of another ethnicity for substantially similar work. Effective January 1, 2018, the Equal Pay Act covers public employers. Is it legal to pay someone more for […]

How do we get public buy-in for net zero?

How do we get public buy-in for net zero?

There are warning signs in relation to popular consent for the ‘net zero’ project. And we don’t need particularly long memories to recall the risks of there being two parallel national conversations about an important issue based on very different views. As with Brexit, certain politicians stand ready to exploit opposition to climate change just at the time when we start to get to the pointy end of reducing emissions, when the less visible actions have largely been carried out, and people will start to have to make more far reaching changes to their daily lives.

Carbon pricing is a […]