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Jan Dhan, Aadhar, mobile paving way for rolling out universal basic income in 2017; here’s how

Jan Dhan, Aadhar, mobile paving way for rolling out universal basic income in 2017; here’s how

The biggest challenge is to find an equitable way to implement it. The government is contemplating the introduction of a basic income. Nobody outside the government knows whether it will move in that direction, and newspaper stories citing me as saying it will happen have no foundation in fact. However, as an economist and advocate for over 30 years, I am delighted that such a move is being contemplated, and that there will be a special chapter on it in the forthcoming Economic Report to be tabled at the time of the Budget.

It is especially exciting since, coordinated by […]

MEPs vote on robots’ legal status – and if a kill switch is required

MEPs vote on robots' legal status - and if a kill switch is required

The robot revolution is set to touch every aspect of society, says the EU report MEPs are to vote on the first comprehensive set of rules for how humans will interact with artificial intelligence and robots.

The report makes it clear that it believes the world is on the cusp of a "new industrial" robot revolution.

MEPs will decide whether to give robots legal status as "electronic persons".Designers should make sure any robots have a kill switch, which would allow functions to be shut down if necessary, the report recommends.Meanwhile users should be able to use robots "without risk or fear […]

Universal Basic Income: Money for Nothing or the Key to Entrepreneurialism?

Universal Basic Income: Money for Nothing or the Key to Entrepreneurialism?

I’ve never been one for keeping up with the latest crazes and trends.

I bought my first pair of skinny jeans three years after everybody else and still wear them now (even though I think we’re all meant to have moved on to the far more comfortable sounding boyfriend jeans). I’ve had the same hair colour nearly all my life; I prefer my food on plates rather than presented artistically on a slab of pine; and I cannot name a single song that was released in 2016.

However, today I’m going to share with you the hot new trend for […]

If you are in these 50 professions, robots are coming for your job (and a few that are safe from ‘digital outsourcing’)

If you are in these 50 professions, robots are coming for your job (and a few that are safe from ‘digital outsourcing’)

Insedia.com asked me to look at jobs that were most vulnerable to automation. Click for Insedia.com. Every time you check yourself out at a grocery store, even if you find it terribly convenient, there’s probably a little voice inside you that thinks, “Uh-oh.” As in, “Uh-oh, there’s a machine doing the job a person used to do.” Well, here’s the bad news.

There’s plenty more where that came from.

U.S. politicians spent the past year arguing about trade deals and walls, but you heard almost nothing about robots and artificial intelligence. Many American workers will soon have a lot more to […]

Final report for the Finnish basic income experiment recommends that the experiment be expanded

Final report for the Finnish basic income experiment recommends that the experiment be expanded

The research team hopes that Finland will over the coming years try out different types of basic income arrangements .

The research team that worked on the Finnish basic income experiment submitted its final report to the Government on 16 December 2016.

The first stage of the Finnish basic income experiment will be launched at the beginning of 2017. In its report, the team recommends that the experiment be expanded in 2018. 2017 experiment operating within tight parameters In a preliminary report published on 30 March 2016, the research team evaluated extensively various basic income models based on […]

VIDEO: Basic Income panel at UK Festival of Debate 2016

VIDEO: Basic Income panel at UK Festival of Debate 2016

A panel discussion and Q&A on a universal basic income for the UK was held in Sheffield in November 2016. Watch the video below.

The Festival of Debate , hosted by the British nonprofit organization Opus Independents , is a series of panel discussions, debates, lectures, and artistic performances related to social, political, and economic issues in the UK. The series was launched prior to the general election in May 2015 and has been continued through 2016.

On November 23, 2016, the Festival of Debate held a two-hour Q&A and debate on universal basic income in Sheffield, England, held at […]

Should I invest $1 million of my retirement savings in an annuity?

Should I invest $1 million of my retirement savings in an annuity?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — I’m 59 years old and plan on retiring within the next year. My adviser is recommending that I invest $1 million, about 25% of my nest egg, in annuities to generate retirement income. That percentage seems high to me. Is there a rule of thumb about how big a role annuities should play in one’s retirement strategy? –David

I’m not aware of any rule of thumb for what percentage of savings one should devote to an annuity, although over the years I have seen some people suggest figures of 25% to 50% (and sometimes much more).

But […]

Universal basic income vs government provided living utilities

I’m not sure that’s true.

It might seem that way because we’re basically at what by modern standards is considered full emplyment, but the key phrase is "modern standards."

However, if you looked at the average American family today and the average American family 150 years ago, I bet you wound find that the average family in 1860s America had more members working, and working longer hours, in order to survive. Today, there are plenty of households that live on one parent’s income — or with one parent working full time and one working part […]

Financial News: Universal Basic Income Back In Vogue

(RTTNews) – The centuries-old concept of a guaranteed unconditional regular payment, or universal basic income, has returned to the attention of the world at the start of 2017 with Finland launching a two-year long experiment among 2,000 unemployed.

<a href=http://www.rttnews.com/slideshow/3639/universal-basic-income-making-a-comeback.aspx target=_blank >CLICK HERE</a> for a primer on Universal Basic Income

The Belgium-based Basic Income Earth Network, an international network that serves as a link between individuals and groups committed to or interested in basic income, defines basic income as "a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement."A darling for the Left […]

How the Heck We’ll Pay for a Universal Basic Income

How would the government pay to provide Universal Basic Income to every citizen? It’s one of the harder questions relating to this topic. Frank Stilwell, a Professor Emeritus in Political Economy at the University of Sydney, says there’s an “inevitable uncertainty” surrounding UBI and its economic consequences, which all depend on how it’s implemented.

In an essay for the Green Institute, titled ” A Universal Basic Income: Economic Considerations,” Stilwell walks readers through how a government might go about funding a program as radical as this one. He argues UBI requires further examination before it’s adopted in any national government.

Others […]