6 priorities Joe Biden should pursue immediately through executive action to undo the damage done by Trump

6 priorities Joe Biden should pursue immediately through executive action to undo the damage done by Trump

Once upon a time, Republicans and Democrats in Congress worked together and with presidents to improve the lives of Americans.

This is how we got Social Security in 1935, which ensures a basic income for retirees. It’s how we got Medicare and Medicaid. These programs, created in 1965 and expanded numerous times over subsequent decades, provide health insurance to older, disabled and low-income people.

From food assistance programs to public works projects, elected leaders chose to create safety nets and infrastructure to serve the people of this country.Unfortunately, the days of bipartisan creation seem to be long gone.The Affordable Care Act […]

Economy, finance, and budgets

Economy, finance, and budgets

Earlier this year, Stockton, California, mayor Michael Tubbs formed a new coalition, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, with the goal of lifting Americans out of poverty by providing monthly, no-strings-attached, cash assistance. Cities started to embrace the idea as local economies ground to a halt and millions of families faced serious hardship. Some of the nation’s largest municipalities have now pledged support, including Los Angeles, Newark, Shreveport, New Orleans, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Richmond. The number of mayors in the coalition, only 11 in July, stands at 30 today, and the effort has won support from Twitter CEO Jack […]

Biden’s climate plan will not address gender and racial inequality

Biden's climate plan will not address gender and racial inequality

Women and minorities have suffered disproportionately from the pandemic recession and must be part of any comprehensive recovery program.

The Biden administration’s quest to green the American economy promises to create millions of good jobs “filled by diverse, local and well-trained workers, including women and people of color .” But these jobs will exacerbate long-standing and worsening economic injustices due to their concentration in male-dominated fields.

Due to COVID-19, gender disparities in unpaid care work have more than tripled (sextupled for Black and Hispanic women) and women have experienced job losses at a higher rate than men for the first time […]

All I Want For Christmas is… Universal Basic Income?

All I Want For Christmas is… Universal Basic Income?

Brief Summary

In April, The Governor of Gyeonggi, Lee Jae Myung announced that all residents of Gyeonggi would receive 100,000 Korean Won equivalent to $79.85 US Dollars using Gyeonggi Pay which functions as an ‘alternative currency’ for the province which should be spent every three months. Gyeonggi is the first province in South Korea to implement an Anti – Disaster Basic Income in order to combat the harsh effects of the pandemic by increasing the economic circulation that would benefit the small, traditional and local businesses. Lee Jae Myung’s move to implement a Universal Basic Income (UBI) was […]

A city made the case for universal basic income. Dozens are following suit

A city made the case for universal basic income. Dozens are following suit

Millions of Americans faced economic, housing and food uncertainty even before the pandemic. Two years ago, the mayor of Stockton, California piloted a universal basic income program in an effort to ease the pain of his constituents, sending monthly assistance checks to some people. Now, more than two dozen mayors are expanding the program, funded through private donors. Mayor Michael Tubbs joins Michael Hill to discuss. Read the Full Transcript

Michael Hill: With the COVID-19 stimulus bill in limbo and unemployment benefits expiring, millions may be facing economic uncertainty as the year ends. Even before the pandemic, economic pressures […]

A Data-Driven End to Capitalism as We Know It

From interest rates to fashion, pandemics in the past — like the Black Death in the 14th century — have left deep imprints on economic life. This time may be no different. In the aftermath of the coronavirus, governments can reimagine capitalism by giving all of us a stake in the most valuable byproduct of our day-to-day living: data. But make no mistake. It will still be a Faustian bargain.

A global data profit will be a very different GDP from gross domestic product. The case for technology companies to share it with we, the people who supply them the […]

The effects of society-wide basic income will be significantly different than just a small subsection of unemployed people. Especially when it comes to social acceptability.

It seems like you are missing an important aspect of UBI: What level of income will it provide? If a (perhaps more fulfilling or “fitting”) life on UBI is to rival that of say a stockbroker, UBI must provide more freedom than one can get by working in that position, while perhaps saving up for early retirement.

The income level will have to be moderate at the very least, to rival that. Since it is supported by tax revenue, it must be part of a balanced budget. This can quite easily be matched by a reasonable income, where a […]

Sonia Furstenau column: One-time COVID Relief Benefit not enough

Sonia Furstenau column: One-time COVID Relief Benefit not enough

There has been an extraordinary amount of generosity this year. We can see it in the record-breaking donations to food banks here in Cowichan and across the province. In times of crisis, food banks have proven to be incredibly important for food security for individuals and families in our province. Our local food banks are serving a new type of client: people who have never used a food bank before. But what we need to be striving for, is a province that doesn’t need food banks because we have ended poverty.

COVID-19 has not only highlighted inequality in our society, […]

Pandemic: India can learn from Brazil, where bottom 20% ‘received’ a higher income

Pandemic: India can learn from Brazil, where bottom 20% 'received' a higher income

By Arjun Kumar*
The labour market has severely felt the brunt of the pandemic. While every nation has shared in the impact, responses to overcome the struggle have been varied. Elucidating on the state of employment in Brazil, Dr Ian Prates, researcher, Brazilian Centre of Analysis and Planning remarked, “The effect of pandemic on the labour market became a major reason for the impact on the lives of the people. 80% of the drop in per capita household income is the result of the drop in labour income.”
Talking on on Brazilian Labour Market amid the Coronavirus […]

Basic Income in Canada

Basic Income in Canada

Why some scholars think that a basic income could help fix economic issues after the pandemic

Dr. Ross Pink, chair of the Political Science program at KPU. (file) The debate over a basic income has come up most recently due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, leaving many wondering if the idea of establishing a basic income in Canada could be the answer to some widespread problems.

Basic income is defined as a minimum amount of money an individual can live on, and the idea of implementing it in Canada has been in the works for a long time.It’s […]