Tag: basic income

Inequality was bad. The pandemic is making it worse

Inequality was bad. The pandemic is making it worse

The gap between rich and poor had become a defining narrative of the 21st century long before the coronavirus pandemic put racial disparities and the struggles of low-paid workers in stark relief. Then the killing of George Floyd, a Black American, by a White Minneapolis police officer in May sparked renewed focus on the global debate about the causes of the world’s searing inequalities, why they’ve been tolerated for so long and what can be done to reduce them.

Q: What did the pandemic reveal?

A: Densely populated poor and minority areas emerged as coronavirus hot spots and suffered disproportionate deaths […]

OPINION | Basic income grant is a ‘good’ idea: Now let’s cut spending to make it happen

OPINION | Basic income grant is a 'good' idea: Now let's cut spending to make it happen

The announcement that Cabinet is considering a basic income grant should be welcomed, writes Mark Rountree.

South Africa’s democratic governments have provided grants for children, the elderly and disabled. Although this social support network is something we can be proud of, millions of citizens remain unemployed and unsupported.

No just society should allow its people to starve.The announcement by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu that Cabinet is considering a basic income grant is a welcome, if decades overdue, move by the South African government.However, the funding to underpin the proposal needs to be found.During the Zuma administration, "free" higher education […]

New report from United Way calls for national basic income

New report from United Way calls for national basic income

A new report by the United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Research and Planning Council suggests the COVID-19 pandemic is showing the need for a Basic Income in Canada.

A basic income would give money to low-income Canadians to meet their basic needs without conditions unlike current programs.

Executive Director for the United Way Perth-Huron, Ryan Erb says income is the number one social determinate of health and when a person has a stable income they can live a healthier and better life.The report states: “Basic Income reduces stress, improving health and reducing crime, all which are good for society. Rural areas and […]

Call for Norwich to pilot new scheme giving monthly income to all in city

Call for Norwich to pilot new scheme giving monthly income to all in city

Green city councillor Jamie Osborn (left) and Labour city councillor Karen Davis (right), have both tabled motions about Universal Basic Income. Picture: Ella Wilkinson/Supplied by Jamie Osborn Everyone in Norwich should get a monthly income to cover their basic costs of living, say councillors who want the city to be a pilot for radical reform.

Labour city councillor Karen Davis. Picture: Ella Wilkinson Two motions will go before Norwich City Council on Tuesday, July 21, asking the authority to back a pilot of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), paid to everyone, regardless of employment status, wealth or marital status.

Councillors […]

‘Make basic income grant at least R1,227 a month’: Black Sash

'Make basic income grant at least R1,227 a month': Black Sash

The Black Sash says social development minister Lindiwe Zulu should consider a grant of R1,227 a month, which is the minimum needed for basic nutrition and essentials. Image: Trevor Samson

The basic income grant proposed by the government for unemployed people between the ages of 18-59 will be a “significant” safety net, the Black Sash says.

Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu last week said the basic income grant (BIG) was being considered in view of the mandate of the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa), as well as that of the National Development Agency (NDA) for the “eradication of poverty and […]

To reduce world hunger, governments need to think beyond making food cheap

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Michael Fakhri, University of Oregon and Ntina Tzouvala, Australian National University

(THE CONVERSATION) According to a new United Nations report, global rates of hunger and malnutrition are on the rise. The report estimates that in 2019, 690 million people – 8.9% of the world’s population – were undernourished. It predicts that this number will exceed 840 million by 2030.If you also include the number of people who the U.N. describes as food insecure, meaning that they have trouble getting access to food, over 2 billion […]

South Africa: SA Reaps What It Has Sown As COVID-19 Rages

South Africa: SA Reaps What It Has Sown As COVID-19 Rages

Among the growing list of coronavirus symptoms is social inertia. We simply cannot afford it as thousands fall ill by the day and jobs are slashed.

This week, South Africa surpassed the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom, long considered one of the coronavirus’ global epicentres. We are well and truly in the eye of the storm.

But if the coronavirus found fertile ground in a British system where the state’s burden of care has been eroded by austerity and decades of privatisation before that, in South Africa it found a breeding ground of a different sort: inequality.Some […]

Unconditional basic income makes you freer

Unconditional basic income makes you freer

How I would just like to give you three million dollars. Like Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, who recently announced that he would loosen a few (virtual) bills at the above-mentioned level in order to promote one of his heart projects: the unconditional basic income. I wish that because I have known myself since the beginning of the year how good it feels when you suddenly stop saying “yes” because you have to. But only because you really want to.

In times of Corona, where almost 600,000 more people were registered as unemployed in May alone than in the previous year, […]

UBI: Is recession pushing the US towards permanent cash payments?

UBI: Is recession pushing the US towards permanent cash payments?

Ramona Ferreyra, one of 1,000 New Yorkers in the Bronx to receive a one-time cash grant of $1,000 as part of the SaverLife programme, said the cheque helped her bounce back from having just five dollars in her wallet and $90 in the bank [Courtesy: Ramona Ferreyra] Forty-year-old Ramona Ferreyra lives in the south Bronx section of New York City, cohabitating with her grandmother in a public housing building for seniors.

A Harvard University graduate, she worked as a civilian employee for the Pentagon and paid off $200,000 in student loan debt before her career was derailed by a chronic […]

Inequality Was Bad. The Pandemic Is Making It Worse

Inequality Was Bad. The Pandemic Is Making It Worse

(Bloomberg) — The gap between rich and poor had become a defining narrative of the 21st century long before the coronavirus pandemic put racial disparities and the struggles of low-paid workers in stark relief. Then the killing of George Floyd, a Black American, by a White Minneapolis police officer in May sparked renewed focus on the global debate about the causes of the world’s searing inequalities, why they’ve been tolerated for so long and what can be done to reduce them.

Densely populated poor and minority areas emerged as coronavirus hot spots and suffered disproportionate deaths in hard-hit countries including […]