Research posts
Here you will find notices about research and research results relating to Basic Income
Tom Streithorst, “Basic Income and the Atavistic Appeal of Austerity”
[Craig Axford] According to this article, fear of inflation and creditors’ desire to be paid back in a strong currency has fuelled the austerity argument. However, growing productivity and increasing numbers of debtors is driving down demand. Tom Streithorst argues...
Matt Bruenig, “How a Universal Basic Income Would Affect Poverty”
[Craig Axford] This short blog post provides an overview of the basic income guarantee idea along with an easy to use calculator that enables visitors to calculate the cost of providing everyone in the United States with a basic income. By experimenting with the...
Basic income makes the headlines in Belgium
On October 25, 2013, basic income made the front page of the Flemish left-of-centre daily De Morgen. The article referred to a new book authored by Peter De Keyzer, a chief economist at the bank BNP Paribas Fortis in Brussels. In his book, entitled “Growth makes...
Duncan Black, “Minimum income proposal worth considering"
With positive reference to the Swiss referendum, this column in the popular national paper, USA Today discusses Basic Income as something the United States should consider. Duncan Black, “Minimum income proposal worth considering,” USA Today, October 10, 2013.
Stumbling and Mumbling “Why not a basic income?”
This blog gives three reasons why BIG is less popular than it merits: selection effect, the power of reciprocity, and status quo bias. Stumbling and Mumbling “Why not a basic income?” Stumbling and Mumbling, October 16, 2013.
Peter Frase, “Curious Utopias”
This blog shows how basic income has been dismissed both for being utopian and for being not utopian enough. The author, Peter Frase, is an editor at Jacobin and a Ph.D. student in sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center. Peter Frase, “Curious Utopias,” Jacobin, May 14,...
Rich Smith, “A Radical Fix for the Social Safety Net: Replace It All With One BIG Idea”
[Craig Axford] Arguing the current safety net is a “messed up” tangle of confusing and poorly managed programs, Rich Smith endorses the basic income guarantee (BIG) as a means of both starting over and eliminating poverty. Citing Alan Sheahen’s recent book on the...
Erin Andersen, “To end poverty, guarantee everyone in Canada $20,000 a year. But are you willing to trust the poor?”
[Craig Axford] In 2010, a Canadian House of Commons committee on poverty released a report recommending a guaranteed basic income for every Canadian with disabilities. In Quebec, a task force also recommended a basic income guarantee of $12,000 for each of the...
Several articles on the Swiss Basic Income Referendum
As reported recently on BI News, following a successful petition initiative, Switzerland will hold national referendum to vote on basic income. The referendum has received significant attention in world news media
Allan Sheahen, “Fulfilling One Of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dreams: A Basic Income Guarantee”
[Craig Axford] In this recent post in The Hill, Alan Sheahen reminds us that a basic income guarantee (BIG) is not a new idea. Dr. Martin Luther King advocated for it writing in 1967 “I am now convinced that the simplest solution to poverty is to abolish it directly...
Tom Streithorst, “Creative Destruction, Basic Income and the Jobs of the Future”
[Craig Axford] In this post in Pieria, Tom Streithorst outlines the history of ‘creative destruction’ that has enhanced productivity as new technologies replaced workers in both the fields and the factories. He argues agricultural and factory workers alike could once...
VIDEO: Emily DeCiccio, “Giving cash directly to the poor”
[Craig Axford] GiveDirectly.org takes a different approach to charity by giving money directly to those in need, no strings attached. Emily DeCiccio of MSNBC reports that many people’s initial reaction to this type of giving is that people “will just drink away” the...
