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Davos – the rich are worried

Davos - the rich are worried

‘I can’t wait to see how the incoming administration deals with AI," said US Secretary of State John Kerry in a less-than-gracious reference to the fact that the Trump team has not got a clue about the real driving force in the changing world economy. What was striking was that Kerry did not have to clarify his remark for the 2,000 "global leaders" – politicians, bureaucrats, business representatives and public intellectuals – who are in the Swiss alpine town of Davos for the annual World Economic Forum. They all know what he is talking about. This year’s Davos gathering […]

Davos Highlights AI’s Massive PR Problem

Davos Highlights AI's Massive PR Problem

As business, policy, and technology leaders gathered at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this year, the rise of populism with Brexit in the UK and the election of Donald Trump in the US drove discussions about the pros and cons of globalization.

While globalization has improved the living conditions of vast swaths of this planet’s population, it has also led to shifting employment patterns, as jobs leave the US for China and other low-wage countries.

However, the Davos cognoscenti believe wage inequality is only part of the problem. Hand-in-hand with globalization is the topic of automation – seen […]

Is a guaranteed income the answer an uncertain future?

Is a guaranteed income the answer an uncertain future? Finland’s Social Insurance Institution, KELA, explains in a video on its website that the current social security model was developed to suit the needs of a different era.

No job, no problem – at least, not if you’re one of 2,000 randomly-picked unemployed Finns. Over the next two years, the Finnish government will hand them the equivalent of 4,000 kroner per month with no strings attached. If they find a job, the money is still theirs.

The project is managed by Kela, Finland’s Social Insurance Institution, in order to discover whether a […]

Basic income is worth a try

Waterloo Region Record

Poverty makes us all pay. Evidence shows that the stress of being poor leads to unsatisfactory health, more domestic violence, more time in jail and higher use of social agencies such as homeless shelters.

We all, therefore, have a compelling interest in reducing poverty, whatever our politics. Left-wing thinkers hope that less financial pressure would lead to a more dignified life. Those whose political views lean right might welcome the savings to government-funded health and social services.Its potentially universal appeal is what is so encouraging about the pledge from the Ontario Liberal government to start three-year pilot programs […]

AUDIO: BBC World Service episode “Universal Basic Income: Has its Time Come?”

AUDIO: BBC World Service episode “Universal Basic Income: Has its Time Come?”

On November 19, 2016, the BBC podcast In the Balance aired an episode called “Universal Basic Income: Has its Time Come?”

Special guests included Michael Faye (cofounder of GiveDirectly , the non-profit launching a basic income experiment in Kenya ), Louise Haagh (Reader of Politics at the University of York and Co-Chair of BIEN), Michael Tanner (Senior Fellow of the CATO Institute), and Ian Gough (Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics).

During the approximately 25 minute episode, host Ed Butler questioned the guests on the many common concerns surrounding basic income, from its affordability to its political feasibility […]

A proposal of my “Base Income System”

5860

I got to thinking about the problem of automation, employment, and its relationship to capitalism. I made a big post here a few months ago about "The problem with Capitalism" to share my initial hypothesis and test my claims. In his parting remarks, Obama said that automation is more responsible for job loss than jobs being lost to overseas competitors. I agree, and I think it’s going to be an increasing problem in the decades ahead. The fundamental nature of work is changing and we need to adapt our economic systems or we’ll face an eventual massive economic […]

English Subtitles for “We don’t have freedom without basic income” – Karl Widerquist

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resources they need to survive and that’s what happens when we have private capital without paying a compensating basic income is you take people and you give them take put them in a world where all of the<font color="#E5E5E5"> natural resources</font><font color="#CCCCCC"> and</font><font color="#E5E5E5"> may</font>

have […]

A New Debate – Universal Basic Income

A New Debate - Universal Basic Income

The argument in favour of a Universal Basic Income comes from a realisation that unemployment is on the rise and therefore getting jobs will not be easy. Despite all good intention, the government has not been able to encourage industry to create jobs. There are nearly one crore new youth who enter the job market every year. Against this figure, the total new jobs created last year was less than one and a half lakhs. The scenario doesn’t look promising in the near future too. Even as the demonetisation exercise is underway, we have a discussion starting on giving […]

Wanted: Divided French left seeks presidential candidate

Wanted: Divided French left seeks presidential candidate

© Joel Saget, AFP | Seven candidates are taking part in a presidential primary organised by the Socialist Party and its allies. French leftists will hold a first-round primary on Sunday to narrow the field of possible presidential candidates. Whoever emerges the winner, however, is likely to face a resounding defeat by France’s conservatives in April-May elections.

With the ruling Socialists plummeting in popularity , the French left is bitterly divided. President François Hollande’s approval rating sank to a low of 4 percent late last year, largely on his failure to boost the economy and lower an unemployment rate […]

The Rich Are Worried

"I can’t wait to see how the incoming administration deals with AI (artificial intelligence)," said US Secretary of State John Kerry, in a less-than-gracious reference to the fact that the Trump team hasn’t got a clue about the real driving force in the changing world economy.

What was striking was that Kerry didn’t have to clarify his remark for the 2,000 "global leaders" – politicians, bureaucrats, business representatives and public intellectuals – who are in the Swiss alpine town of Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). They all know what he’s talking about.

This year’s Davos gathering is actually […]