by BIEN | Nov 14, 2015 | News
The word unemployed changed to employed on torn paper
Kevin Boyd, an associate policy analyst at the R Street Institute, authored a post directly comparing the negative income tax, a variation of the basic income guarantee, to traditional welfare and the minimum wage. Boyd contends that a negative income tax would avoid the potential for job loss and price hikes caused by the minimum wage while avoiding the pitfalls of the current welfare bureaucracy. Boyd advocates for an income threshold set at 130% of the poverty line, which would amount to a guaranteed minimum income of $30,711.20. W-9 forms would be collected monthly and payments would be calculated each month based on the previous month’s income. Paired with the abolition of the minimum wage, Boyd believes that unemployment can be greatly reduced without an increase in poverty thanks to the negative income tax.
For the entirety of Boyd’s post, see
Kevin Boyd, “A negative income tax beats both the minimum wage and welfare” R Street Institute, September 12, 2014
by BIEN | Nov 13, 2015 | News
Raised Fist in Protest
Mytheos Holt, who is now a senior fellow at the Institute for Liberty and a contributor for the The Federalist
and The Libertarian Republic
, contributed a post for the R Street Institute’s blog chastising the American Left for not advocating for a universal basic income. Holt argues that, unlike a minimum wage, a universal basic income would pose no direct cost on businesses while still effectively giving America pay raise. Holt also contends that the Left may be able to distance itself from Obamacare by striking a bargain with the Republicans to replace Obamacare with healthcare subsidies that can achieve the goals of the Affordable Care Act without the negative public perception. Holt notes throughout his article that conservatives and libertarians can and should agree to a universal basic income as a compromise on entitlement reform.
For the entirety of the post, please visit
Mytheos Holt, “Why doesn’t the left push a universal basic income?
” R Street Institute, February 24, 2014
by BIEN | Nov 3, 2015 | News
German Writer M.D. Schuster recently published her new book Wärmesteine. The futuristic novel is set in a society where the survival is secured by an unconditional basic income. It portraits a family with members of two very different nations and deals with questions about identity, freedom and limitations as well as dependencies that have remained. The book can be downloaded for free here or purchased from bookshops.
Language: German
M.D. Schuster, “Wärmesteine – Ein Roman zum Bedingungslosen Grundeinkommen” [Heat Wave Rocks – A novel for an unconditional basic income], August 2015
by BIEN | Oct 7, 2015 | News
U.S. Department of Arts and Culture’s report, “An Act of Collective Imagination: The USDAC’s First Two Years of Action Research” recommends a universal basic income grant (BIG). The USDAC report highlights how artists under present policies have to acquire grant money for each individual project. Such a grant would be especially useful for artists to focus on their creative passions, but also beneficial for the rest of society. USDAC also argues that the adoption of the BIG would greatly reduce bureaucracy by guaranteeing every citizen a sufficient income to pay for basic needs (food, shelter, healthcare, etc.).
For the full report:
Arlene Goldbard, “An Act of Collective Imagination: The USDAC’s First Two Years of Action Research” U.S. Department of Arts and Culture.
by BIEN | Sep 16, 2015 | News
This video outlines the benefits of a basic income guarantee from a libertarian perspective. The video argues for, more specifically, a guaranteed minimum income. The video explains that a basic income guarantee would be less paternalistic, less bureaucratic, and fairer than the current welfare state. Three arguments are put forth to support the benefits of a basic income. Zwolinski argues that it would be simpler, give people more freedom to make decisions about their lives, and is more egalitarian than current entitlement programs
Matt Zwolinski, “Freedom: Benefits of a Basic Income Guarantee” Learn Liberty
