by Karl Widerquist | Jun 15, 2014 | Research
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: You are about to become obsolete. You think you are special, unique, and that whatever it is that you are doing is impossible to replace. You are wrong. As we speak, millions of algorithms created by computer scientists are frantically running on servers all over the world, with one sole purpose: do whatever humans can do, but better. That is the argument for a phenomenon called technological unemployment, one that is pervading modern society. But is that really the case? Or is it just a futuristic fantasy? What will become of us in the coming years, and what can we do to prevent a catastrophic collapse of society? Robots Will Steal Your Job, But That’s OK: How to Survive the Economic Collapse and Be Happy explores the impact of technological advances on our lives, what it means to be happy, and provides suggestions on how to avoid a systemic collapse.
One of the solutions discussed in this book is an unconditional basic income (a federal stipend guarantee).
Federico Pistono, Robots Will Steal Your Job, But That’s OK: How to Survive the Economic Collapse and Be Happy, Second Edition. CreateSpace, January 14, 2014.
Robotswillstealyourjob.com
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 9, 2014 | News
[Karl Widerquist]
Bernie Sanders, the only socialist in the United States Senate, evaded a question about BIG. The question came up during an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the popular website, Reddit. During an AMA, a prominent person agrees to be available online for a given period time to and to answer whatever questions Reddit members ask. Although Sanders is known as one of the strongest defenders of the poor in high-level U.S. politics, he would not give a direct answer to the following question asked by Reddit member using the name, LoveAllHarmNone, “What do you think of a Basic Income Guarantee if/when unemployment rises due to automation?”
Bernie Sanders -Wikipedia
Sanders replied, “I think that as a nation we should be deeply troubled by the fact that we have more people living in poverty today than ever before and that millions of seniors are finding it difficult to survive on about $1,200 a month from Social Security. I think we need to take a very hard look at why real income has gone down for millions of Americans despite a huge increase in productivity. In my view, every American is entitled to at least a minimum standard of living. There are different ways to get to that goal, but that’s the goal that we should strive to reach.”
Although some of the comments in the thread expressed frustration at the lack of clarity in the answer, there was no follow up by Sanders.
The entire AMA is online at: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/24zdnn/i_am_senator_bernie_sanders_ivt_ama/
by Craig Axford | May 12, 2014 | Research
Will unconditional basic income solve Europe's problems?
[Craig Axford]
SUMMARY: This article contends that technological and economic changes have prevented Europe from solving its unemployment crisis. The continent has a glut of highly skilled and educated workers, but few places to put them. According to the author, an unconditional basic income would enable Europe to utilize its largely untapped human potential in ways it currently cannot, and with growing attention being paid to inequality, it may be getting to close to giving it a try.
Matthew Timms, “Will unconditional basic income solve Europe’s problems?”, World Finance, March 18, 2014
by Karl Widerquist | May 9, 2014 | Research
ABSTRACT: This paper deals with the effects of implementing a basic income on the labor supply side. The German welfare as well as tax and social contributions system are investigated. The results clarify that the abolishment of the so-called unemployment trap due to a basic income policy is a decisive advantage of this approach. In order to demonstrate possible labor supply side reactions to a basic income policy, we use the neoclassical labor supply model and adapt it for our purposes. We compare the effects of implementing a basic income on different types of employees concerning their consumption preferences. We show that, even in the neoclassical labor supply model without intrinsic work motivation, the basic income increases the participation rate in the labor market. Furthermore, current employees are partially incited to increase their labor supply. Therefore, a basic income would not only reduce unemployment but could also expand the magnitude of employment.
Gilroy Bernard Michael, Heimann Anastasia, & Schopf Mark, 2013. “Basic Income and Labour Supply: The German Case,” Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 43-70, July.
by Karl Widerquist | May 2, 2014 | Research
SUMMARY: Although this article doesn’t mention basic income by name, it argues that direct payments are a powerful tool to combat income inequality and crippling unemployment.
Ryan Cooper, “A Simple Way to Ease Our Economic Woes: Give Every American $2,000.” Washington Monthly, March 6, 2014. This article original appeared in the Washington Monthly and was reposted by Alternet.
Shutterstock via AlterNet
