-Jacob Thomas for The Boston Globe

-Jacob Thomas for The Boston Globe

SUMMMARY: Leon Neyfakh writes, “It sounds radical, but the ‘guaranteed basic income’ almost became law in the United States—and it’s having a revival now, with some surprising supporters.” This article traces some of the history of the Basic Income Guarantee in the United States going back to the Negative Income Tax issue in the 1970s and connecting to how social activism and the Great Recession have brought the issue back into mainstream political discussion. The piece quotes from Steve Pressman and Philippe Van Parijs, two prominent members of the BIG movement.

Leon Neyfakh, “Should the government pay you to be alive?The Boston Globe, February 09, 2014.