Scott Santens
Editor of Basic Income Today
EDITOR’S PICKS
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.
Latest Articles
Rashida Tlaib calls for cash payments to young people experiencing homelessness
The payments would be $1,400, or the adjusted fair market rent, per month for up to three years.
New research will examine the use of welfare reform to tackle health inequalities
Members of a multidisciplinary team of researchers are beginning a two-year study to examine the case for transformative welfare policy and the impact on public health outcomes.
Bill Gates: Within 10 years, AI will replace many doctors and teachers—humans won’t be needed ‘for most things’
At the moment, expertise remains “rare,” Gates explained, pointing to human specialists we still rely on in many fields, including “a great doctor” or “a great teacher.”
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
Opinion: A formula to end childhood poverty in Connecticut through cash and generational wealth building
Now that the Trump and Vance administration has taken office, we are eager for them to fulfill their promises of an enhanced Child Tax Credit.
The Road Not Taken is Guaranteed Minimum Income
I asked so many Americans to tell me what the American Dream personally meant to them, and I wrote it all down.
What Would the Proposed Basic Income Pilot in Greater Manchester Mean for the UK?
If we are to find alternative ways to tackle poverty, we need to be able to test ideas like UBI efficiently and effectively.
The Social Debate
Independent Candidate For Parliament in Germany Runs on Universal Basic Income as a Human Right to Exist
Many independent candidates are running in the federal election, although they have little chance of making it in the German parliament.
New Brunswick poverty reduction plan stops short of universal income support
The threat of a recession has prompted renewed calls for some kind of income support from labour and social justice groups.
A basic income can be a strong investment in mental health
Over half of Canadians feel “financially paralyzed” by the cost-of-living crisis, according to a recent poll. As life becomes more unaffordable for more people, we need governments to create policies that will improve public health and well-being.
Success Stories
Lawmakers look to expand California’s guaranteed income program
California started a $35 million guaranteed income program in 2023, giving people monthly checks for 12 to 18 months with no requirements on how to spend them. Now, some lawmakers are looking to find permanent funding for it.
Two cities tried basic income for formerly incarcerated people
Six hundred dollars a month was the boost some formerly incarcerated people needed to rent apartments, cover unexpected expenses, and land steady jobs.
UBI Taiwan’s single-parent basic income reaches a new ‘milestone’
UBI Taiwan hosted a press conference to spotlight the progress of its basic income pilot program for single-parent households.
The Basics 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.
Study Universal Basic Income at the University of Sydney
In 2025, the the School of Social and Political Sciences (SSPS) at the University of Sydney will offer the first unit of study focused on Universal Basic Income (UBI) to be taught at a university in Australasia.
Workforce Automation
Tennessee General Assembly passes Guaranteed Basic Income Act for eligible residents
This legislation seeks to address economic disparities and the growing concerns surrounding job displacement due to automation.
OpenAI declares AI race “over” if training on copyrighted works isn’t fair use
By Ashley Belanger See original post here. OpenAI is hoping that Donald Trump’s AI Action Plan, due out this
Kamala Harris Mentions UBI at AI Conference
Former Vice President Kamala Harris showed up at a conference about artificial intelligence this week to urge the people most invested in it to work on two more organic features: trust and empathy.