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How Finland could see benefits from its basic income experiment

How Finland could see benefits from its basic income experiment

A new plan. Shutterstock One of the greatest political challenges in the 21st century is coming up with a welfare system which is both effective and fair. Recipients and non-recipients of benefits payments are both quick to point out apparent deficiencies in the status quo – as well as problems with any potential alternatives. But some countries are clearly ready for change.

As of January 1 2017, Finland became the first European country to implement a plan whereby unemployed citizens receive a basic monthly income. Created by the government agency responsible for Finnish social security benefits ( KELA ), it […]

Debate brews in Korea on universal basic income

Debate brews in Korea on universal basic income

Debate is brewing here on whether South Korea should introduce a universal basic income for its citizens.

The world’s first national trial of the idea, which began in Finland on Jan. 1, has boosted the discussion, which is expected to heat up in the lead-up to the presidential election this year to choose a successor to impeached President Park Geun-hye. Some liberal-minded potential presidential candidates have shown support for the basic income scheme.

Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung, whose approval rating has risen sharply over the past months on the back of popularity with young voters, has called for an increase in […]

Universal basic income vs government provided living utilities

We are coming to the point where society is presented with the means of giving all people the needs and even benefits for existing in their country. Some countries are experimenting with different styles of providing this. I may not be familiar with terms already established for these ideas so I will just describe it where I do not have the term.

The first idea is a socialistic means of providing government programs. You have things like fire and rescue, schools, road maintenance, and other items provided for everyone’s use that are funded by tax revenue paid for […]

Debate brews in Korea on universal basic income

Debate brews in Korea on universal basic income

Debate is brewing here on whether South Korea should introduce a universal basic income for its citizens.

The world’s first national trial of the idea, which began in Finland on Jan. 1, has boosted the discussion, which is expected to heat up in the lead-up to the presidential election this year to choose a successor to impeached President Park Geun-hye. Some liberal-minded potential presidential candidates have shown support for the basic income scheme.

Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung, whose approval rating has risen sharply over the past months on the back of popularity with young voters, has called for an increase in […]

First payments of basic income go out today

The Finnish basic income experiment is being conducted among 2,000 persons between ages 25 and 58, who will receive a monthly basic income of €560 for two years. They will receive their first basic income payments from Kela today.

Those participating in the experiment will be paid a basic income from 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2018. The payments are made on the second business day of each month, with the exception of January 2017, when the payment date is 9 January 2017.

The amount of the basic income will remain the same throughout the experiment. The basic income […]

Why Unconditional Basic Income is Both ‘Nightmare and Great Promise’

Why Unconditional Basic Income is Both 'Nightmare and Great Promise'

Helsinki, Finland "We had to start from somewhere. The budget that we had at our disposal was rather limited. It meant that at best we could [cover] 2,000 persons. And we thought that the unemployed are the group that can be of interest from our perspective. If basic income is something that [encourages] people to take jobs, in this case unemployed persons are the best group to start with," Kangas, KELA’s director of research, explained.

KELA is a Finnish government agency tasked with running the country’s social security programs. The UBI initiative will see the government pay a guaranteed minimum […]

How college students can make better career choices

How college students can make better career choices

Over the holiday break, we pondered the usual thorny questions with our daughter, who’s in her second year of college.

What summer job should she find that can offer her the right experience for promising future employment? What courses does she need to take to position herself for a good job after she graduates? What kinds of careers should she contemplate to avoid poverty?

I know millions of parents probably grappled with the same questions, yet didn’t come up with solid answers. In the face of rampant automation, outsourcing and entire industries downsizing or disappearing, our childrens’ vocational future is anything […]

Mid-19th century poverty levels in UK, US resemble those in India today: Expert

Mid-19th century poverty levels in UK, US resemble those in India today: Expert

In low-income countries, social protection systems are truly at their infancy, and have only recently replaced decades of international humanitarian approaches, said World Bank expert

#Ugo Gentilini #NREGA #World Bank #Poverty (Photo: Arun Kumar) Most social protection systems in middle-income countries (MICs) are still relatively new, and have yet to undergo the centuries of societal struggles and bargains that cemented welfare regimes in advanced economies. But investments in social protection in MICs seem to occur at comparatively earlier levels of development, said Ugo Gentilini, senior economist, social protection and labour global practice, World Bank.

In a blog, Gentilini, said that […]

Home Will a universal basic income work in India?

Home Will a universal basic income work in India?

The persistence of high inequality and the prospect of job losses owing to automation in the advanced world has led several advanced economies to consider the idea of a universal basic income (UBI) to guarantee their citizens a minimum level of income support.

The same idea seems to be gaining favour among a growing number of economists and policymakers in India, but for different reasons. One of the key themes of the economic survey this year is likely to be UBI, the chief economic advisor to the finance ministry Arvind Subramanian had said in a 29 September interview to Business […]

Will a universal basic income work in India?

Will a universal basic income work in India?

The total cost of providing universal basic income to all Indians would amount to 12.5% of GDP. Photo: Mint The persistence of high inequality and the prospect of job losses owing to automation in the advanced world has led several advanced economies to consider the idea of a universal basic income (UBI) to guarantee their citizens a minimum level of income support.

The same idea seems to be gaining favour among a growing number of economists and policymakers in India, but for different reasons. One of the key themes of the economic survey this year is likely to be UBI, […]