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Business Leaders at Davos Put Job Loss Blame on Technology

Business Leaders at Davos Put Job Loss Blame on Technology

Dusk falls on Davos. [Image: World Economic Forum / Ciaran McCrickard] World leaders, business and otherwise, are gathered for a top tier economic forum in Davos , Switerzland, bringing the Swiss town’s population from a mere 11,000 to over 30,000. This forum, described by the NY Times as “the world’s most expensive networking event”, is attended this year by political leaders such as Theresa May, Britain’s Prime Minister, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping. Also to be found at this year’s star studded event are the likes of Matt Damon and Formula One driver Nico Rosberg.

It’s not just […]

A Novel Approach to Universal Basic Income

A Novel Approach to Universal Basic Income

I was listening to EconTalk the other day and Mike Munger from Duke University was on talking about Universal Basic Income. I happen to believe that UBI will become a necessity in the very near future, so it’s a subject of interest to me. That said, I don’t often hear any new ideas about it; it’s mostly a conversation about how much to give and how to pay for it.

That is, until Munger reframed the issue for me. I have to admit that I’ve never thought about it in these terms, but I happen to think he’s right.

We already […]

Money for nothing: has the time come for universal basic income?

Money for nothing: has the time come for universal basic income?

“Money for nothing” is not just a song from 1985 by Dire Straits but also, it seems, a new wave of policies supporting the government providing an income for citizens, regardless of their economic activity.

Across the world, experiments in universal basic income explore the option of paying individuals a flat rate of income, unaffected by their participation in the labour market. It sounds counter-intuitive.

The first expectation may be that recipients would just stay at home and watch daytime television. But a closer look at how economies have changed over recent decades shows how the case for such policies emerged. […]

Now the Entire EU Is Told to Adopt a Basic Income

Now the Entire EU Is Told to Adopt a Basic Income

Original newz story – Click here EU states should guarantee minimum income for citizens … The European Commission wants all EU member states to introduce minimum wages and incomes for their workers and unemployed, the head of the EU executive president said on Monday, in an effort to combat growing social inequality and poverty. The Commission, which has limited powers in the area of social policy, is preparing an overhaul of the EU’s functions and targets and wants it to include tackling social and economic injustices that have often been successfully exploited by right-wing eurosceptic parties across the 28-nation […]

OPINION: Universal basic income and drugs in PH

OPINION: Universal basic income and drugs in PH

THOMAS Colson of Business Insider reports that the Indian government is set to endorse universal basic income. Professor Guy Standing, co-founder of Basic Income Earth Network or BIEN (which is Spanish for “good”) says “the Indian government finds the idea feasible and the best way forward.”

The idea is simple: a regular state payment made to all citizens regardless of age and working and civil status. It provides a safety net for all citizens by putting a little money in their pockets while doing away with useless bureaucracies and social agencies dispensing social aid selectively, pocketing a lot of it […]

5 things you need to know about guaranteed income

5 things you need to know about guaranteed income

The Ontario government is trying out a basic income program later this year, and is asking the public for their ideas. The consultations come to Ottawa Tuesday. (CBC) When Smiths Falls councillors voted late last year againstlobbying the provincial government to be considered for the upcoming guaranteed income pilot project, the decision set off a maelstrom in the struggling eastern Ontario town.

On Tuesday the debate moves to Ottawa where officials from the Ministry of Community and Social Services will hold a public consultation session about the pilot project they hope to launch later this year.

If you’re not familiar with […]

Basic Income Could Be the Safety Net Mistreated Employees Need

What is work? Clare Ozich, Executive Director of the Australian Institute of Employment Rights (and co-editor of the Green Agenda), considers how a universal basic income (UBI) policy could change how we evaluate the meaning of work in our society in her essay ‘The emancipatory potential of a Universal Basic Income’.

Advocates of UBI believe by setting a standard of living through a yearly income for everyone-it would create a floor no one would fall beneath, eliminating poverty. How we implement it successfully is still being tested in countries around the world. (Studies are currently being planned or done in […]

Providing Basic Income Not Best Solution for Poverty – C.D. Howe Institute

Providing Basic Income Not Best Solution for Poverty – C.D. Howe Institute

“Even if we could afford GAI programs they aren’t a panacea,” commented Hicks.

January 24, 2017 – Providing a comprehensive, one-size-fits-all guaranteed annual income (GAI) is not the best solution to fighting poverty in Canada, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Toward a New Balance in Social Policy: The Future Role of Guaranteed Annual Income within the Safety Net,” author Peter Hicks urges policymakers to address poverty by using a “bottom-up” approach and developing a new generation of social programs.

The author notes that, due to failed prior attempts to combat poverty, there has been a […]

Now the Entire EU Is Told to Adopt a Basic Income

EU states should guarantee minimum income for citizens … The European Commission wants all EU member states to introduce minimum wages and incomes for their workers and unemployed, the head of the EU executive president said on Monday, in an effort to combat growing social inequality and poverty. The Commission, which has limited powers in the area of social policy, is preparing an overhaul of the EU’s functions and targets and wants it to include tackling social and economic injustices that have often been successfully exploited by right-wing eurosceptic parties across the 28-nation bloc. – Reuters The European Union […]

A Questionable Weapon for Tackling Inequality

A Questionable Weapon for Tackling Inequality

Unconditional basic income is a controversial concept. Proponents argue that it could help overcome inequality and cope with technological change, but critics say that it’s not clear how it could be financed. An office of Social Insurance Institution KELA, in Helsinki, Finland. The country has launched a pilot scheme to pay a universal basic income. Source: Reuters Rarely has a debate over economic policy produced such unusual dividing lines.

Katja Kipping, the leader of Germany’s Left Party, supports an unconditional basic income, or UBI. So do some top executives, like Deutsche Telekom chief Tim Höttges and Siemens Chief Executive Officer […]