Scott Santens
Editor of Basic Income Today
EDITOR’S PICKS
How did Americans spend their economic impact payments?
The stimulus checks went to help people pay down debt and prepare for an uncertain financial future. The impact of this trend is significant for legislators to understand. By: Olivier Armantier, Leo Goldman, Gizem Koşar, Jessica Lu, Rachel Pomerantz, and Wilbert van der Klaauw. In this post, we examine how households used economic impact payments, a large component of the CARES Act signed into law on March 27 that directed stimulus payments to many Americans to help offset the economic fallout from the
Latest Articles
Income Inequality
How did Americans spend their economic impact payments?
The stimulus checks went to help people pay down debt and prepare for an uncertain financial future. The impact …
In just three months, 6 million more Americans have fallen into poverty
The rise in poverty was triggered by a lack of new stimulus checks and the end of the $600 …
74% of households with children that made less than $100,000 report facing serious financial problems
Juggling Financial Stress And Caregiving, Parents Are ‘Very Not OK’ In The Pandemic By: RHITU CHATTERJEE. — Back in …
Economic Fallout From COVID-19 Continues To Hit Lower-Income Americans the Hardest
Half of adults who say they lost a job due to the coronavirus outbreak are still unemployed By: KIM PARKER, RACHEL …
Pilots & Experiments
Chelsea, MA to provide 2,000 residents with unconditional cash for at least four months
Beginning in November, a new UBI pilot with 2,000 low-income families in Massachusetts will be given $200 to $400 …
800 Compton residents to get guaranteed income in two-year pilot program
There’s a need for additional income, especially with the pandemic resulting in record high numbers of unemployment especially for …
San Francisco to Launch a Basic Income Pilot for Artists
San Francisco is launching a Basic Income Pilot for Artists to provide up to 130 artists with $1,000 a …
South Korea’s UBI-Inspired Experiment to Boost the Economy
By: Scott Santens. What South Korea is doing does not meet the definition of basic income, as it opts …
The Social Debate
Canada’s Hugh Segal has been calling for a basic income guarantee for 50 years
This is a debate we should be having now, as the pandemic has caused the ground to shift on …
What Is the Real Meaning of Dignity?
Few people appreciate the extraordinary impact human dignity has on our everyday lives. By: Donna Hicks Ph.D. At about …
B.C. Greens pledge support for basic income, education system in election platform
By: Nick Wells in Vancouver. NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — B.C.’s Green party leader took aim at previous provincial governments …
Women’s mental health deteriorating as Covid crisis forces people to work longer hours
Researchers sound the alarm that an impending recession and mass unemployment means we are heading into an unprecedented mental …
Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang: Young people are the new corps of engineers the US has been waiting for
We have more than enough work to go around for the next generation if we address one of our …
Andrew Yang on 2020, UBI, and fixing government
The former presidential candidate discusses universal basic income, artificial intelligence, and his next job in politics. By Ezra Klein. – …
Andrew Yang has been added to the speaking roster for the Democratic National Convention
By: Grace Panetta —- KEY TAKEAWAYS: Andrew Yang has been added to the speaking roster for the August 17-20 …
Andrew Yang is teaming up with this philanthropic cash relief initiative distributing $1,000/mo to people for three months
BY TALIB VISRAM —- Andrew Yang ran for president on the single issue of universal basic income (UBI), which then …
Success Stories
Providing $7500 each to 50 homeless people resulted in a savings of $8100 per person according to new unconditional cash grant experiment
A Vancouver-based research project gave homeless individuals cash and tracked their progress for a year. The 50 cash transfer …
Has guaranteed basic income’s time arrived in Canada?
As people’s livelihoods have been thrown into upheaval amid the pandemic, public desire for a stronger safety net has …
Even brief stays in poverty can cause children lifelong harm, and money helps prevent poverty.
The virus doesn’t sicken kids as much as adults. But it can still destroy their futures. A child allowance …
A single mother of three in Jackson, Mississippi, received $1,000 a month in basic income for a year. Here’s what happened.
Can Guaranteed Income Help Americans Escape Poverty? Ciara McDonald, a single mother of three in Jackson, Mississippi, received $1,000 …
The Basics of UBI
What is basic income and what are the arguments for and against it in Canada?
Is it time for an updated look at what Universal Basic Income is and how it impacts society across …
Not only is basic income necessary, it’s also sustainable and achievable
Could there become a time when all our basic needs are paid for by the government? That’s the question …
Social Security for All?
The pandemic has exposed the systemic failures of America’s inadequate welfare state. It’s time to start over. By: MIMI …
It’s not just ‘leftists’ who support a basic income
By: Tarek Fatah My column last week endorsing a guaranteed basic income triggered a surprising denunciation by many as …
Workforce Automation
Flippy the burger-flipping robot goes on sale
The pandemic accelerates the adoption of automation across industries including the food services businesses. The impact on workers is …
Caterpillar bets on self-driving machines impervious to pandemics
Caterpillar’s automation strategy was not born during the COVID-19 era but the global pandemic is accelerating its rollout. By: …
Pandemic-fueled automation is gobbling up jobs that will never return
The COVID-19 pandemic has had massive economic impacts in the United States, and one of the problems many companies …
As Big Tech’s profits soar in the pandemic, it’s time to discuss sharing the digital wealth
Owning The Robots By: NATHAN GARDELS Well before the COVID crisis, it was clear that digital capitalism was divorcing …