- 9 years ago Sticky: Welcome to BasicIncome
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+36 +7
A Basic Income Should Be the Next Big Thing
Now and then a worthy economic proposal comes along that seems as politically unattainable as it is sensible. Then, on closer inspection, you see that it's more than a policy-wonk's fantasy. And you wonder whether it could actually prevail. This may be happening with the concept of a universal basic income. The notion that government should guarantee every citizen an annual stipend of, say, $10,000 -- no strings attached, no questions asked -- is being studied by politicians, economists...
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+29 +3
Global first? Every Swiss could be guaranteed $2,600 a month tax-free
Chalk it up to Swiss affluence. Voters here will decide next month whether all 8 million citizens and legal residents should be guaranteed a generous monthly income, something no country in the world has ever done. On June 5, Swiss voters will weigh in on a radical proposal that would mandate the government to guarantee $2,600 a month tax-free to every adult citizen and legal resident, and $650 to each child.
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+38 +6
You Can’t Talk About Robots Without Talking About Basic Income
Conversations about basic income, a government-funded salary given to every citizen, used to take place in the dingy offices of extremist left-wing politicians, or in the campus dorm rooms of idealistic students determined to fix the problems of the previous generation. The conversation was about social responsibility. It wasn’t an economic case, it was a moral one.
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+47 +3
A Nobel Prize winner in economics just backed basic income
Basic income is having a whirlwind year, and it was just galvanized even further by the support of Angus Deaton, the 2015 Nobel Prize winner for Economics.At a universal basic income forum in Taiwan's capital on May 19, Deaton encouraged governments to consider lifting the financial burden on low-income citizens with basic income grants, the Taipei Times reports. He pointed to increasing instability as a cause for concern. "The riskier the world becomes, the more potential there is for increases in inequality," he said.
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+38 +5
Switzerland 'rejects basic income', poll projections suggest
Projections from a referendum in Switzerland suggest voters have rejected a plan to introduce a guaranteed basic income for all.Some 78% of voters opposed the plan, a GFS projection for Swiss TV suggested. The proposal had called for adults to be paid an unconditional monthly income, whether they worked or not. Supporters said since work was increasingly automated, fewer jobs were available for workers. Switzerland is the first country to hold such a vote. No figure for the basic income had been set, but those behind the proposal suggested a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs...
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+36 +3
As Tech Evaporates Jobs, "The Tipping Point Will Be Driverless Trucks"
Driverless vehicles "will make what happened in the steel or auto industries look tiny," says the former chief of one of America's largest unions. It was the free pizza that led Andy Stern to his first union meeting, back when he was working as a welfare caseworker in the 1970’s. He rose fast through the ranks, eventually claiming one of the most powerful positions in the labor movement: President of the 2.2-million member Service Employees International Union.
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+38 +4
Why Silicon Valley is embracing universal basic income
In a pilot study influential incubator Y Combinator will hand over cash monthly to 100 families in Oakland, California. What’s UBI’s payoff for tech entrepreneurs?
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+34 +1
Just print money and give it to everyone. Please
“Like any banker, I remember my first bailout fondly. It was January 1995, and like the other bailouts during my twenty-year career it wasn’t called a bailout, but a market-stabilization package…” By Chris Arnade.
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+31 +1
Here's Why Finland Is Able to Implement A Basic Income Experiment
There's been a lot of talk recently about basic income making its way to Finland. These talks are only possible because of a very clear strategy. A number of outlets have covered Finland’s experiment with basic income on a national level. However, few uncover the reason why Finland can pull off such ambitious policies in an age where so many government are left powerless with even the smallest of changes in the way society works. The bigger change is buried under the stream of international news regarding the world’s largest basic income trial. With a closer look, one can see that basic income is only a tip of the iceberg.
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+27 +1
Universal basic income wouldn’t make people lazy–it would change the nature of work
Americans believe in the importance of a good day’s work. And so it’s understandable that the prospect of a universal basic income (UBI), in which the government would issue checks to cover the basic costs of living, rubs some people the wrong way. Writing in The Week in 2014, Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry envisions a UBI dystopia in which “millions of people” are “listing away in socially destructive idleness,” with “the consequences of this lost productivity reverberating throughout the society in lower growth and, probably, lower employment.”
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+16 +1
Finland planning to test the effects of paying a basic income
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, known as Kela, will be responsible for carrying out the experiment that would start in 2017.
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+37 +1
Thousands to receive basic income in Finland: A trial that could lead to the greatest societal transformation of our time
Finland is about to launch an experiment in which a randomly selected group of 2,000–3,000 citizens already on unemployment benefits will begin to receive a monthly basic income of 560 euros (approx. $600). That basic income will replace their existing benefits. The amount is the same as the current guaranteed minimum level of Finnish social security support.
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+17 +1
The progressive case for replacing the welfare state with basic income
It appears some establishment voices have picked up on a way of opposing the idea of the monthly citizen dividend of about $1,000 per month, known as universal basic income (UBI), in a way that successfully leaves some progressively minded people afraid. The fear inspired is that those with the greatest need may be left worse off with UBI compared to the existing status quo of more than 100 government programs that currently comprise the U.S. safety net that UBI has the potential to entirely or mostly replace.
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+9 +1
Disposable income (PPP) per capita by region in Europe
Disposable income is defined as income (from employment, business, property, or social security) minus taxes and social security
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+30 +1
Jeremy Corbyn may give every citizen in the UK a basic income
Jeremy Corbyn has pledged the Labour party will investiage the idea of a universal basic income if he wins the leadership election. The policy would lead to a replacement of means-tested benefits with a standard flat-rate payment for all citizens. Mr Corbyn said Labour would both research and test the policy, which has support from most the party.
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+21 +1
As Our Jobs Are Automated, Some Say We'll Need A Guaranteed Basic Income
Much of the anger and anxiety in the 2016 election is fueled by the sense that economic opportunity is slipping away for many Americans. This week, as part of NPR's collaborative project with member stations, A Nation Engaged, we're asking the question: What can be done to create economic opportunity for more Americans?
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+8 +1
Labour Could Introduce A Universal Basic Income For Every Citizen
A Labour government could introduce a universal basic income as part of a massive overhaul of the benefits system, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said. The senior Labour figure confirmed on Monday that the party was looking at the radical move and how it was working in other European countries. A universal basic income would see all citizens, whether they are in or out of work, paid a flat-rate, unconditional income rather than means-tested benefits.
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+19 +1
India's highest-ranking economist just announced his support for universal basic income
Arvind Subramanian, the chief economic advisor to the Government of India, announced the country will look into the economic policy of giving people free...
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+35 +1
Basic Income Could Be the Moonshot of Our Generation
In the startup world the role of an investor is to take “capital off the table”. This means that an entrepreneur can focus on delivering the product, without constantly needing to worry about resources. One of the promises of basic income is to do just that, not only for entrepreneurs but for all of us.
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+19 +1
58,000 basic income supporters hope to force a parliamentary debate
Supporters of the introduction of a basic income in the Netherlands will today hand over a petition containing 58,000 signatures calling for a debate in parliament. The signatories are calling for a basic income of €1,000 for all adults, plus health insurance and an extra payment for children. A basic income will allow everyone to decide whether to work, study, start a company or, for example, take care of elderly family members, the supporters say. Under the citizens’ initiative scheme, controversial issues have to be placed on the parliamentary agenda if more than 40,000 signatures have been collected in support.