Scott Santens
Editor of Basic Income Today
EDITOR’S PICKS
Welfare cuts have fuelled rise of far right and populism, top UN expert says
Exclusive: Poverty rapporteur says governments must rethink welfare state as essential to fabric of society
Latest Articles
Voters in Hamburg, Germany decline to experiment with basic income by referendum
The referendum for a basic income pilot project has failed.
New basic income pilot will pay low-income New Yorkers $12,000 in cryptocurrency
A new basic income pilot will pay low-income New Yorkers $12,000 in cryptocurrency to help them invest in big expenses like education and housing.
South Korea is Planning a Massive Universal Basic Income Pilot
By Kim Ji-seop See original post here. President Lee Jae-myung’s flagship policy, the ‘basic income’ pilot project, is proceeding
Income Inequality
I Worked Hard My Entire Life — Now I’m 70 And Broke. Something Has To Change In This Country.
“I don’t own a house. My IRA is long gone. The only thing my kids are likely to inherit right now is a pretty good object lesson in what not to do financially.”
Most Americans can’t afford life anymore — and they just don’t matter to the economy like they once did
Burns tries to stretch every dollar to maximize their quality of life on the family’s limited income.
Top 1 Percent Has Sapped $79T in Wealth From Bottom 90 Percent Since 1975
In 2023 alone, $3.9 trillion was sapped from the bottom 90 percent— enough to give every worker a $32,000 raise.
Pilots & Experiments
$1,500 a month basic income pilot coming to Mercer County, West Virginia
A nonprofit agency that helps the world’s poorest households is launching a guaranteed minimum income program in Mercer County.
Ireland’s Public Consultation Confirms Overwhelming Support for making Basic Income for the Arts Permanent
The headline findings of a public consultation on Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts initiative shows 97% of the wider public and the arts sector support making the scheme permanent.
In a new pilot program, this city will give homeless young adults $1,200 in cash every month for two years
According to the Stanford Basic Income Lab, universal basic income is a periodic cash payment that is given to individuals unconditionally, requiring no work requirement or sanctions to access.
The Social Debate
There are more Americans out of work than there are jobs open for the first time since April 2021
The latest JOLTS report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed workers fell below 1 to 0.99 in July, the lowest since April 2021, when the ratio was 0.96.
Yes, Cash Transfers Work.
By Annie Lowrey Read original post here: https://archive.ph/vegfb In 2023, the United States produced $28 trillion worth of goods and
‘Historic’: how Mexico’s welfare policies helped 13.4 million people out of poverty
Experts are enthusiastic about poverty reductions achieved under former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Success Stories
Teachers support communities. Now is the time to support teachers.
The work of early child educators goes far beyond the walls of the classroom; we support the emotional and mental health of the children and families we serve, yet many teachers go home after a long day unable to make ends meet.
Ireland publishes latest report on Basic Income for the Arts Pilot
Via The Journal Of Music: The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, has published the latest report on the Basic Income for the Arts pilot.
Alameda’s Rise Up Pilot Shows Cash Aid Improves Financial Stability, Mental Health
By: María Fernanda Bernal Read original story here. A new report finds that the city of Alameda’s guaranteed income pilot program
The Basics of UBI
The history of universal basic income: The concept of UBI has been debated for centuries
Figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Richard Nixon supported versions of UBI.
The Freedom From Want and Basic Income
Human beings are not game pieces. We are not theoretical abstractions. We are animals. And like all animals we have needs that must be met or we will suffer greatly and die.
Universal basic income: ‘The power to say no and the freedom to say yes’
Scott Santens is the founder and CEO of the U.S.-based Income to Support All (ITSA) Foundation, and has been researching and advocating for Universal Basic Income (UBI) since 2013.
Workforce Automation
AI is already driving up unemployment among young tech workers, according to Goldman Sachs
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the US job market — and young tech workers are feeling the brunt of it.
Why Democrat Zoltan Istvan Is Backing Basic Income, Home Robots in California Governor Bid
Running to lead California, Zoltan Istvan said the state needs Universal Basic Income and robots before jobs begin to vanish.
As unemployment rises, the AI era of universal basic income has just got closer
How we forget, too, how warm and friendly were the staff in the old place before it was taken over by tech-minded – and yes, penny-pinching – newcomers.