by Josh Martin | Jul 18, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
YouGov and the Huffington Post conducted a survey of 1000 US adults in early January of this year. Here is the question they asked about a basic income:
Would you favor or oppose expanding Social Security to every American, regardless of age, to guarantee a basic income to every American?
Strongly favor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18%
Somewhat favor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17%
Somewhat oppose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16%
Strongly oppose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11%
Peter Moore, “Poll Results: Guaranteed Jobs and Income”, YouGov, 9 January 2014.
Poll Results, YouGov
by Josh Martin | Jul 17, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
Weir writes extensively on the basic income case study in Madhya Pradesh, India, which was led by Professor Guy Standing of SOAS in London. Weir covers how the project was set up as well as the major findings of the case study. In conclusion, Weir weighs the prospects for the basic income in India after the election of Narendra Modi earlier this year.
Stuart Weir, “Basic Income: transforming lives in rural India”, Open Democracy, 20 June 2014.
Source: Open Democracy
by Karl Widerquist | Jul 16, 2014 | Research
Zacqary Adam Xeper
SUMMARY: The author draws on evidence from pilot projects and other sources to argue, “There are all sorts of arguments against an unconditional, universal basic income — that is, the idea of giving everyone a minimum income regardless of whether they work, whether they’re disabled, or whether they’re poor. The problem with these arguments is that the only one that actually stands up to reality is, ‘I don’t like it.’”
Zacqary is an activist in the New York Pirate Party, where his official title is “Cat Herder.” He is an open source game developer, and the Chief Executive Plankhead of Plankhead, a free culture arts collective. Despite believing that money is a superfluous social construct, he has a Gittip profile.
Zacqary Adam Xeper, “You Can Only Be Against Basic Income Based On Morals, Not Evidence.” Falkvinge & Co. on Infopolicy, July 11, 2014.
Photo by Flickr user Tax Credits, via Falkvinge & Co.
by Josh Martin | Jul 15, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
The author of this post begins by highlighting the issues with the current benefits system in the UK: it is too confusing, too complex, and too inefficient. Further, the recent emphasis on employment as the best route out of poverty has proven false. Research has shown that even full-time work cannot guarantee one’s financial well-being. The author then shows why the recently created Universal Credit will fail and why the ideal benefits system is a negative income tax that establishes a guaranteed minimum income (much like a basic income). This system will save the government money and will help ease the transition into an even more technological economy.
The Conversative, “Should the Conservative Party adopt a Negative Income Tax?”, The ConVersative, 7 July 2014.
Negative Income Tax Scenarios (Credit: The ConVersative)
by Josh Martin | Jul 14, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
In this post, Vognar jumps into a discussion on government guarantees, claiming that a minimum income guarantee like a universal basic income would be less heavy-handed than a job guarantee or other types of guarantees. An income floor would provide stability in the lives of those in poverty and would allow low-income workers to break away from unfair labor agreements with their employers. Vognar cites Martin Luther King Jr. and Charles Murray as ideologically opposed thinkers who both agree on supporting a minimum income; Vognar then goes on to claim that implementing a guaranteed minimum income will unleash a new wave of innovation and creativity in our individual passions that had been stifled by the current nine-to-five labor market structure.
David Vognar, “The Case for a Guaranteed Minimum Income”, Huffington Post, 8 July 2014
by Josh Martin | Jul 11, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
In this opinion piece, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences James Hansen of Columbia University discusses climate action in the United States. In his post he throws his support behind the Citizens Climate Lobby’s (CCL) recent proposal for a carbon fee-and-dividend proposal with 100% of the revenue going towards a dividend equally distributed to each citizen, culminating in a variant of an unconditional basic income.
For more information on the CCL’s proposal, click here.
James Hansen, “Too Little, Too Late? Oops?” Available on James Hansen’s university page, 19 June 2014.
Professor James Hansen of Columbia University (Source: Wikipedia)
