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Earlier this year, in an effort to learn about people’s work habits, Finland launched an experiment giving $600 to 2,000 unemployed Finns every month for two years.

Kela, the federal agency running the experiment, billed it as a modified version of the economic model known as universal basic income, though some people argued it didn’t qualify. Given people had to be unemployed, it wasn’t technically universal.

Juha Jarvinen, one of the 2,000 lucky recipients, was not one of those naysayers.“I was dreaming to get into the test and now I’m here,” the 37-year-old entrepreneur and father of six wrote on his […]

Full Post at www.businessinsider.my

I’ve always sat on the fence when it comes to universal basic income (UBI). There’s much that is attractive in an approach that, in its pure form, does away with means-testing and contribution tests to guarantee every individual a basic income in their own right. I’ve thus also always welcomed the debate about basic principles that proposals for a UBI encourage while not actually signing up to any of those proposals.

In part my reluctance to sign up in support, has reflected an ambivalence around the total absence of any conditions attached to entitlement. On the one hand this absence […]

Full Post at www.compassonline.org.uk

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Finland pilots radical basic income idea despite feasibility doubts By Jussi Rosendahl and Tuomas Forsell | HELSINKI HELSINKI A group of unemployed Finns have just become the first Europeans to enjoy a guaranteed basic income; from January a monthly pay cheque has begun arriving from the state, regardless of whether they find work or sit at home on the couch. In its purest form, the basic income idea aims to prepare society for a future when robots and artificial intelligence may replace huge numbers of humans in the workforce. This will allow unwanted workers to lead comfortable […]

Full Post at m.wbnews.info

Basic income campaigner Ben Simmons examines claims that it could cause problems for inflation

ONE of the most common objections to a basic income is that it would increase inflation. Many people remember from history lessons at school the photos of children playing with huge piles of bank notes in East Germany, but it is essential that we confront the idea that introducing an equitable and fair welfare state would lead to economic disaster if we are to win people over.

There was a recent debate on the matter between economists of differing views, as reported on the Basic […]

Full Post at www.commonspace.scot

In the last few years, we have seen a boost in interest in universal basic income schemes. The idea for it is not a new nor a radical concept. It first appeared at the beginning of the 16th century in the work of Thomas More, Utopia.

For centuries governments around the world have been exploring the potential of universal basic income in easing the vulnerabilities of working people exposed to threats of transforming the labor market. The recent growing experimentation clearly shows that there is a need to find effective solutions to alleviate the perils of globalization. Opinions are divided

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Full Post at cointelegraph.com

Finland has recently started an unprecedented social experiment that will be watched around the world amid gathering interest in the idea of a universal basic income.

It has become the first country in Europe to start paying an unconditional monthly sum to its unemployed citizens. During the next two years, 2,000 unemployed Finns, aged 25 to 58, will receive a guaranteed sum of 560 euros. The money will replace the social benefits they have been receiving so far and will be paid even if they find work.

Kela, Finland’s social security authority, says that the project is aimed at reducing poverty […]

Full Post at cointelegraph.com

Fundamental shifts in the world of work are eroding traditional social safety nets. Could a universal basic income be the solution?

It’s already happening in Finland and the Canadian province of Ontario, while other states and cities across the world are considering the idea. The Economist’s Tamzin Booth heads up a discussion among global and political experts to talk through the case for a basic universal income.

UBI isn’t a new idea, according to Guy Standing of the Basic Income Earth Network. He says it was originally ignored, but growing fears surrounding job automation have stoked an interest in basic income. […]

Full Post at www.weforum.org