Scott Santens
Editor of Basic Income Today
Basic Income Today was created to provide news and information and to further the discussion and debate about Universal Basic Income.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Paterson, New Jersey gave residents $400 a month, ‘no strings attached.’ Here’s what happened.
What would you do if you suddenly had an extra $400 every month?Dante used it to set up a bank account and get a credit card. His credit score is now a solid 712.
Latest Articles
Veteran Basic Income could be the solution the VA has been searching for
Five years ago this February, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) underwent an overhaul of its appellate process when it implemented the Appeals Modernization Act.
Bill banning basic income programs, like UpLift in central Iowa, passes Iowa House
The bill would specifically ban a pilot program called UpLift that provides a guaranteed income of $500 a month to 110 people in central Iowa.
Rashida Tlaib proposes bill to combat youth homelessness with $1,400 a month for three years
The pilot program would offer monthly payments of $1,400 for three years
New bill proposes a UBI of $500 a month for every American ages 18 to 24
In an ambitious move to combat young adult poverty, Democratic Representatives Morgan McGarvey and Bonnie Watson Coleman have introduced legislation aiming to grant every member of Generation Z in the U.S. a $500 monthly payment.
Norway to become next country to run a basic income pilot
By providing a guaranteed minimum income to all young people under the age of 30 who are out of work or further education, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration in this city hopes to encourage more people to enter the workforce. But will they bother to work then?
Income Inequality
Opinion: Make America Mad Again—Mad About the Trillions of Dollars Taken From Them by the Very Rich
The 40-year trickle-down delusion, fashioned by right-wing economists, politicians, and financial experts, has deprived average Americans of the means to support their families in a comfortable, debt-free manner. It was planned. It’s insidious. It’s ongoing. And it should outrage every last one of us.
Wealth of the world’s five richest people more than doubled since 2020 while 5 billion people globally became poorer
“This inequality is no accident; the billionaire class is ensuring corporations deliver more wealth to them at the expense of everyone else,” said Oxfam’s interim executive director.
The top 1% of American earners now own more wealth than the entire middle class
More than one-quarter of all household wealth, 26.5%, belongs to Americans who earn enough money to rank in the top percentile by income, according to Federal Reserve statistics through mid-2023.
Experts say UK must learn from ‘big deal’ Scottish Child Payment
The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that the bottom third of Scottish households with children will, on average, be around £2,000-a-year better off than similar English households.
Pilots & Experiments
Why some lawmakers in some states are fighting the basic income programs many cities are testing
In five states, Republican politicians are trying to ban programs that provide low-income people with monthly payments of $500 to $1,000 for a year or two, with no strings attached.
More than 82,500 residents applied for Harris County’s $500/mo basic income program
Harris County’s guaranteed basic income program received more than 82,000 applications from residents before the online portal closed earlier this month
Guaranteed basic income program coming to Fresno County this summer
The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission announced that a guaranteed income pilot would finally come to Fresno County after the area missed out on funding from the state last year.
Cash payments for WA residents? Lawmakers propose trying out basic income program
Washington Democrats want to give 7,500 low-income state residents recurring cash payments for two years, no strings attached.
The Social Debate
Writer Kerry Hudson: ‘Universal basic income just makes sense’
Writer Kerry Hudson: ‘I grew up with the narrative that working-class mothers were the worst’
Hephzibah Anderson
The author on following her acclaimed debut Lowborn with a memoir about motherhood, why her next two books will be thrillers, and the power of toast to bring cheer
How government plans to pay for a Basic Income Grant in South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa is looking to try make the shift to a Basic Income Grant a reality following renewed calls in this year’s ANC’s January 8th statement – but questions have arisen as to how the country is going to fund it.
Financial stress linked to worse biological health
People who experience stressful life events or circumstances are more likely to have worse biological health, as indicated by biomarkers involved in the interaction between our immune, nervous and endocrine systems, according to a new study by UCL researchers.
Opinion: A properly functioning social security system is a major stimulus to economic growth
South Africa needs to revisit and rethink the use and role of its social security system, not as a poverty alleviation tool, but as a demand-side economic stimulus to meet short-term economic growth.
Andrew Yang
Success Stories
Pilot Results from Arlington: Employment and Incomes from Work Both Increased
Results from Arlington’s first guaranteed income pilot reveal that an additional $500 per month significantly enhanced the quality of life for impoverished families.
They’re getting $1,000 a month for 3 years. How guaranteed income is changing lives in L.A. County
L.A. County’s Breathe program gives participants $1,000 monthly for three years, more money over a longer period than similar programs.
Minneapolis is giving people $500 a month and recipients say it is helping them fight soaring housing costs
Two hundred low-income households in Minneapolis are receiving $500 a month for two years.
D.C. sent $10,800 to dozens of new moms. Here’s how it changed their lives.
In 2022, the D.C. government announced a pilot program that offered 132 new and expecting low-income mothers $10,800 over the course of a year — no strings attached — intended to assess how unconditional cash payments could improve their families’ outcomes and economic mobility.
The Basics of UBI
Implementing a basic income means overcoming myths about the ‘undeserving poor’
On Prince Edward Island, a recent report has outlined how the province could reduce poverty by adopting a basic income. Meanwhile in Ottawa, the Senate is considering developing a framework for a national basic income. Momentum behind a basic income is clearly growing in Canada.
Universal Basic Income: A solution for a diverse country
Recent experiences like the COVID-19 pandemic have brutally highlighted that traditional policy tools are inadequate in protecting the weakest sections of India.
UBI vs. Negative Income Tax
An NIT sounds very different from a UBI because, well, it sounds like a tax, not a benefit! But as we’ll see, in most circumstances, the two are mathematically equivalent.
How Basic Income Will Impact Rent
One fear about Universal Basic Income (UBI) is that it could cause rents to increase, partially or entirely diverting the benefit of UBI to landlords.
Workforce Automation
Humanoid robots will join BMW’s production line
BMW’s newest autoworker is 5’6,” 130 pounds, walks on two legs, uses five-fingered hands to assemble machines — and takes a break every five hours to stroll to a charging station and plug itself in.
As robot baristas and AI chefs debut at Vegas tech show, casino union workers fear for their jobs
Hospitality workers told the Associated Press in interviews over eight months of bargaining that they were willing to take a cut in pay while on strike to win stronger job protection against inevitable advancements in technology.
IMF chief says now is the time to act to create a set of policies ensuring the impact of AI is beneficial to humanity
Kristalina Georgieva said now is the time to act to create a set of policies ensuring the impact of AI is beneficial not detrimental to humanity.
Aurora finalizes design of self-driving trucks it will make with Continental
Aurora aims to deploy a dozen or so self-driving trucks this year, with an eye toward having thousands on the road in 2027.