Scott Santens
Editor of Basic Income Today
EDITOR’S PICKS
Editorial: UBI is the recognition that racial justice and economic justice are inextricably intertwined
By Scott Santens. Hearing protestors chant in unison, “I can’t breathe,” is something that hits viscerally. It’s a call for the importance of our individual lives. We have the right to life, and we want to stay alive. George Floyd was dispossessed of the air he needed to exist. He was killed. Withholding air is also not the only way of dispossessing someone of their rightful access to what they need to live. We all need air, but we
Latest Articles
Income Inequality
Universal basic income vs jobs guarantees: which one will make us happier?
Two competing (or, possibly, complementary?) proposals for resolving income inequality and the hole that four decades of demand-side Reaganomics …
Amazon—and 56 Other Corporations—Took Your Tax Dollars
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Bernie Sanders, castigator of the one percent, is a millionaire now. So are Kamala Harris and …
Why we should all have a basic income.
Consider for a moment that from this day forward, on the first day of every month, around $1,000 is …
Family & Education Middle classes losing out to ultra-rich
Middle-class families are seeing their incomes stagnating as they are squeezed by the ultra-rich taking a bigger slice, says …
Pilots & Experiments
New study of Ontario’s canceled basic income experiment show it never should have been canceled
By Laurie Monsebraaten Social Justice Reporter Toronto Star Wed., March 4, 2020timer Three-quarters of people who were employed before …
Privately-Funded Basic Income Experiment Begins in Japan
Overview of the Social Experiment The ‘Maezawa Basic Income Social Experiment 2020’ is a monetary giveaway project in which …
California state lawmaker introduces bill to create universal basic income of $1K a month
California Assemblyman Evan Low (D) introduced a bill this week to create a universal basic income in the state, …
The Many Places Basic Income Has Been Tried Out in Some Way
After hundreds of years, basic income seems to be finally catching on. The general idea — that the government should give …
The Social Debate
How Will UBI Affect Non-Profits?
Universal Basic Income Getting More Notice In Wake Of COVID-19 Crisis by Mark Hrywna Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) …
The Next Stimulus Package Should Pay Americans Directly Until the Pandemic Ends
No more bureaucratic nightmares. Personal checks until the pandemic ends is the only way to proceed. By KEVIN BOYD …
The neoliberal era is ending. What comes next?
In a crisis, what was once unthinkable can suddenly become inevitable. We’re in the middle of the biggest societal …
Central bank interventions in the pandemic economy are unprecedentedly vast—and not nearly enough
Argument: Terminal Deflation Is Coming BY TREVOR JACKSON Public health efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic have brought about …
Andrew Yang
Dave Chappelle shows support for Andrew Yang and universal basic income
AMES, Ia. — Dave Chappelle said in Iowa Tuesday that Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is the first presidential candidate …
One Year on Andrew Yang’s UBI: How a N.H. Family Spent Their $12,000
How would an extra $12,000 a year change your lifestyle? Your life? The centerpiece of Andrew Yang’s presidential campaign …
The Future of Work: A VICE News Special Report
The next Industrial Revolution is upon us, and scientists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers are warning of an imminent paradigm shift …
Andrew Yang puts his universal basic income plan to the test
Chad Sziszak didn’t believe it at first. He got an email from Andrew Yang’s campaign that he would receive …
Success Stories
Sherman County, Oregon has used wind power to provide a $590 dividend per household every year since 2002
For a region that’s blessed with bountiful natural resources, the Pacific Northwest has largely missed the boat. We’re not …
A solution for childhood obesity? Universal basic income
First published on May 31, 2019 A new study links an extra $1,000 a year paid through Alaska’s Permanent …
My parents give me $2,333 a month
Article originally posted on Nov 12, 2018. Not long ago, my wife, a composer, asked me if I would …
Stockton woman says guaranteed income program has been life-changing
View Video at KCRA STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) —$500 a month with no strings attached. More than 100 Stockton residents …
The Basics of UBI
How a VAT could tax the rich and pay for universal basic income
The Congressional Budget Office just projected a series of $1 trillion budget deficits—as far as the eye can see. Narrowing …
Canada can end poverty and shrink inequality by adding an annual basic income guarantee of $22K, new report says
Canada can afford to eliminate poverty, support the middle class and dramatically shrink the gap between the rich and …
The Decade of Universal Basic Income
One thing to celebrate from the 21st-century “teens” – the rise of universal basic income (UBI). We’ve started a …
New working paper explores a UBI in NYC and finds it would not lead to housing inflation
Skeptics of guaranteed income tend to worry about the policy’s inflationary effects; absent rent regulation, for instance, one might …
Workforce Automation
Let’s Rethink What Counts as Paid Work
As artificial intelligence and automation multiply, so do dystopian predictions that millions of employees will become redundant, their tasks …
Robot bartending company is handing out cash to the people it is replacing
There’s no doubt that automation is going to have a massive impact on employment over the coming decades. Whether …
The Future of Work: A VICE News Special Report
The next Industrial Revolution is upon us, and scientists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers are warning of an imminent paradigm shift …
Amazon Is Planning to Open Cashierless Supermarkets Next Year
Amazon.com Inc. is preparing to open Amazon Go supermarkets and pop-up stores, an expansion of the company’s cashierless ambitions …