One year of basic income in Minneapolis

One year of basic income in Minneapolis

“A wave of experimentation in the way that U.S. cities, counties, and states support households with low incomes is sweeping the country, and Minneapolis is at the leading edge. While the backbone of America’s safety net—public health insurance, food benefits, and cash or social insurance for specific groups—remains in place, over 100 localities are testing what happens when low-income people are simply provided with income, no strings attached. Minneapolis’ guaranteed basic income (GBI) pilot program, initiated by city officials in 2021, uses federal pandemic support funds to give $500 a month to 200 low-income households for two years. One year in, GBI is creating measurable improvements in people’s lives.”

Read the full article here.

Why China Could Surprise the World by Being the First Country to Adopt Universal Basic Income

Why China Could Surprise the World by Being the First Country to Adopt Universal Basic Income

The story behind this one is that I was actually asked by a publication to write it back in late 2022 after they heard in one of my interviews that I thought China could potentially surprise everyone by winning the UBI race. They wanted it to be quite short and clock in at under 900 words. I did that, and there was some back and forth between me and the editor with revised versions…. Read the article here.

Reports on the Austin, Texas, Guaranteed Income Pilot now available

Reports on the Austin, Texas, Guaranteed Income Pilot now available

The Urban Institute just published its 12-month findings for the Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot, plus a policy recommendations memo for the Austin City Council, which is seeking to understand how direct cash can assist in addressing the city’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis. The memo was produced in collaboration with the Jain Family Institute. See the top three publications on the Urban Institute’s project page for the Austin evaluation.

The Evidence for Basic Income is Now Sufficient

The Evidence for Basic Income is Now Sufficient

In 1942, as people started to think about remaking society after the War, William Beveridge wrote a report for the British government that was to shape the welfare state in Europe. He wrote, ‘It is a time for revolutions, not for patching.’ What he meant was that it was useless to make minor changes to the old system. A new system was needed. The evidence was clear.

Today, we are at a similar juncture. The social policies of the 20th century are outdated. Selective schemes for what economists call ‘contingency risks’, such as a spell of unemployment, an illness or an accident, do not deal with the defining challenges of our age. We live at a time of rentier capitalism, in which more income goes to owners of property – physical, financial or intellectual – while less goes to those who rely on labour and work for their incomes. 

Read the full article here