Four years of U.S. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income

Four years of U.S. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income

“MGI was founded in June 2020 with 11 members. The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED), which was announced in 2017 and implemented in 2019, had proven Mayor Michael Tubbs’s assumption that low-income residents would use the money on basic necessities, and independent research showed that full-time employment increased, mental and physical health improved, and more people were able to save enough money to afford life’s unforeseen emergencies. Mayor Melvin Carter of Saint Paul, MGI’s Co-Chair, joined Mayor Tubbs and nine other mayors to create MGI and begin advocating for guaranteed income pilots in their cities. 

In just four years, we’ve grown to 160 mayors, with members in almost every state. Building off of that momentum, we launched Counties for a Guaranteed Income (CGI) in February 2023 and we’ve doubled the number of county elected officials who are part of the movement since then. All together, we’ve supported 60+ pilots, delivering $300 million in direct, unconditional relief to everyday Americans.”

To read the full MGI/CGI June Newsletter, click here.

Online Open Forum: The BIEN working group on Clarification of Basic Income Definition, July 24

Online Open Forum: The BIEN working group on Clarification of Basic Income Definition, July 24

Date: 24 th July 2024
Time: 11.30am -1.00pm GMT
To register click here.
The information on zoom link will be shown in the form.
Speaker: Annie Miller
Topic: Adequacy, poverty benchmarks and a maximum feasible level of BI

ABSTRACT
The introduction of the concept of needs into utility theory specifies deprivation,
subsistence, sufficiency, and satiation at infinity, together with strong separability. An
extended indifference curve map for labor and consumption is created. Both
variables are dependent on real wages and endowments of unearned consumption
(including cash benefits) and diagrams of their derived demands and Engels curves
are created. ‘Survival’ and ‘subsistence’ are key levels of endowments, but how do
these relate to ’adequacy’, or to distributions of income and the OECD poverty
benchmark? Does ‘adequacy’ imply welfarism. And is there a maximum feasible
level of BI?

Universal Basic Income is Close to Being a Reality in Oregon

Universal Basic Income is Close to Being a Reality in Oregon

Note: Alaska already has the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), a similar UBI-like program funded from revenue derived from invested state petroleum revenues, so Oregon would be the second, not the first U.S. state with such a program if the Oregon Rebate passes in the November 2024 election. The Alaska PFD was started in 1982 to make sure Alaskans directly benefit from its resources in the wake of its oil boom in the 1970s. It has usually been on the order of $1000 – $2000 for each Alaska resident including children.

“A proposed measure to create a universal basic income program which would put $750 in the pocket of every Oregon resident, including children, has officially qualified to be put on the ballot in November.

The initiative, Oregon Rebate, proposes to increase the minimum corporate tax rate for Oregon-based companies making more than $25 million per year in sales to 3 percent tax, whereas the current minimum sits under 1 percent.

The amount raised would then be given to the Oregon’s State Department of Revenue for rebate distribution, which means that every Oregonian—regardless of their age or income—would receive a guaranteed income. Any money left from the rebate would be used to fund services in favor of senior citizens, health care and public education.”

To read the full article in Newsweek by Giulia Carbonaro, click here.

New book explores why and how guaranteed-income programs should be a social norm in the US

New book explores why and how guaranteed-income programs should be a social norm in the US

Natalie Foster believes in creating economic resilience for families. She says income inequality is a real problem; some people work three jobs just to stay afloat.

Foster, who serves as the president and co-founder of the Economic Security Project, was a guest on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look.” She talked with host Rose Scott about how guaranteed-income initiatives are transforming the lives of families across the country.

Foster also discussed her new book, “The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America’s Next Economy.” The book explores what it would be like if all Americans were guaranteed housing, health care, a college education, dignified work, family care, an inheritance and a stable income.”

To listen to the report by LaShaw Hudson of WABE, click here.