by Josh Martin | Aug 16, 2014 | News
[Josh Martin]
In a recent publication the Scottish Green Party stated its plan for a basic income (called a citizen’s income in their writing) for Scotland if they vote for independence in the upcoming referendum. With the slogan of “Green Yes”, the Scottish Greens agree with the UK Greens on supporting a basic income. In the eight-page publication, the Scottish Greens discuss why a citizen’s income is the right way forward by highlighting the flaws of the current system and the benefits a citizen’s income would bring to Scotland.
The document also outlines their initial plan for a citizen’s income in Scotland: £50 a week for children and young people under sixteen, £100 a week for 16-18 year olds and working-age adults, and £150 a week for pensioners, totaling just under £1 billion to implement. They then go on to discuss funding options for such a policy. In sum the Scottish Greens call upon voters to vote yes to independence in hopes that they could then implement this policy.
To read the publication, follow the links below:
Scottish Green Party, “Citizen’s Income”, Green Yes briefing note, 10 August 2014.
“Greens Publish Citizen’s Income Plan for Fairer Scotland”, Scottish Green Party, 10 August 2014.
The Scottish Green Party Supports a Citizen's Income (Source: Scottish Green Party)
by Josh Martin | Aug 16, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
In this blog post, Brown goes over Paul Ryan’s plan for poverty and, after pointing out a few flaws in his plan, brainstorms possible solutions for poverty today. This leads Brown to a discussion on a basic income in which he cites two recent articles on the subject written by Gobry and Yglesias.
N. Christian Brown, “Morning Feature – Paul Ryan’s Poverty Bait-and-Switch, Part III: Asking the Right Questions (Non-Cynical Saturday)”, Blogistan Polytechnic Institute, 2 August 2014.
by Josh Martin | Aug 16, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
Gobry, a self-identified right-winger, used to support a basic income like many other conservatives have in the past; now, he doesn’t. Gobry understands the allure of the basic income, but in this critique of the basic income, Gobry uses an analysis from Jim Manzi of a set of randomized field trials from the 60’s to the 90’s in the USA and Canada to “prove” that the basic income fails. Science is on his side, he claims. To him, the only welfare policies that successfully place people into work are the policies with work requirements.
Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, “Progressives’ hot new poverty-fighting idea has just one basic problem: Science”, The Week, 21 July 2014.
People need to work, not just for income, but emotional health. (Source: The Week)
by Josh Martin | Aug 15, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
In this article Aziz discusses Germany’s recent legislation to introduce a minimum wage far higher than the USA’s current minimum wage. Aziz notes that many on the left have used Germany’s success as an example of what Washington should be trying to pass in America. However, Aziz believes that an increased minimum wage is a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem. With ever-increasing automation of jobs through advances in robotics, a time will come when robots replace many low-wage jobs, thus leaving many workers unemployed. This is why Aziz believes a basic income is the correct route out of this issue. A higher minimum wage will not help those in low-pay jobs when robots continue to replace them. Instead, a basic income should be introduced to ensure the well-being of the newly displaced workers.
John Aziz “The progressive case for ending the minimum wage”, The Week, 14 July 2014.
Meet the new boss. (Source: The Week)
by Josh Martin | Aug 15, 2014 | News
[Josh Martin]
Green party leader Natalie Bennett, in an interview with BuzzFeed, declared that support for a universal basic income will be among the party’s major positions in their manifesto for the 2015 election. Current polls have the Greens receiving six percent of the vote in 2015, up from 0.9 percent in 2010.
To read the post on BuzzFeed, click on the following link:
Jon Stone, “Green Party To Give “Universal Income” A Front-Row Seat In Its Manifesto”, BuzzFeed, 8 August 2014.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett says her party will support a basic income (Source: BuzzFeed)
