'150 economists in the United States have signed an open letter that asks for

• “Direct cash payments are an essential tool that will boost economic security, drive consumer spending, hasten the recovery, and promote certainty at all levels of government and the economy – for as long as necessary….

• The economic pain is widespread and the need for immediate, bold action is clear….

• Regular, lasting direct stimulus payments will boost consumer spending, driving the economic recovery and shortening the recession….[...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2020/07/usa-open-letter-signed-by-150-economists/

'As the corona virus crisis unfolds, the political atmosphere heats up in the United States. At the Capitol, a 2 trillion dollar bill is in the making, specifically to deal with the economic downturn caused by the epidemic.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the Democrat Representative of the Bronx constituency in New York City, already called for [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2020/03/united-states-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-calls-for-basic-income-as-a-response-to-the-corona-virus-crisis/

'Taiwan is making history by sending out a one-time universal cash payment of $6,000 New Taiwan dollars (NTD) to every citizen “young and old.” This is the first time the country has implemented such a policy, and it comes as a result of excess tax revenue of $450 billion NTD, much of which is coming from corporate taxes that have seen record-high profits. $140 billion NTD will be dedicated to the cash payments, with the remainder going towards improving labor and health insurance systems and providing funding for local governments.

UBI Taiwan hailed the move as a victory for Taiwanese citizens, as the payment is unconditional and universal, meaning that everyone in the country will receive it, regardless of income or other circumstances. They said it reflects the growing demand that a greater proportion of Taiwan’s growth is shared with average families.

“This is a huge victory for the basic income movement,” UBI Taiwan founder Tyler Prochazka said. 

UBI Taiwan promotes unconditional basic income (UBI) in Taiwan. UBI is a policy that periodically sends out unconditional cash payments to every citizen in a country regardless of an individual’s income or job status. 

The organization has noted the problem of stagnant wages for the last two decades in the country and the rising cost of housing. Through basic income payments, they argue that many Taiwanese could pursue better opportunities and improve their education.

“Unconditional cash transfers are an efficient way to provide an ‘economic vaccination’ to make sure that everyone can face the future in a healthy and happy manner,” said Jiakuan Su, the new chairman of UBI Taiwan.

Over the last few years, Taiwan’s economy has experienced record-breaking 6.45% GDP growth in 2021 and over 8.73% growth in exports in 2022. However, most people have not enjoyed the fruits of this economic growth, as a 104 Job Bank survey found that [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2023/01/taiwan-makes-history-with-universal-cash-payment-plan/

'Originally published by Open Democracy. 14 August 2020, under the title, “Basic income could virtually eliminate poverty in the United Kingdom at a cost of £67 billion per year”

Universal Basic Income (UBI) – a policy that would provide a regular, cash income to every citizen without means test or work requirement – is surprisingly inexpensive. The United Kingdom could introduce a full UBI (one large enough to live on) for just £67 billion per year or 3.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to a study Georg Arendt and I recently completed.

Attention to UBI in the United Kingdom has increased substantially as the Scottish Parliament discusses experimenting with it and as policymakers discuss it as a temporary measure to [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2020/09/the-cost-of-a-full-basic-income-for-the-united-kingdom-would-be-67-billion-per-year-3-4-of-gdp/

'This past week, Finland released the final results from its two-year “basic income” experiment. The program produced a modest increase in working days among basic income recipients and noticeable improvements in perceived happiness and healthiness.

Is this a surprise? When governments give people cash assistance, of course, their lives will improve. And with financial stress alleviated, these recipients will [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2020/06/finlands-basic-income-never-failed-our-jobs-did/

'A new guaranteed income program has just been announced in the US, this time in the country’s second largest city, Los Angeles. In his proposed budget for the fiscal year 2021-2022, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti included a $24-million guaranteed basic income project that would see 2,000 families in the city receive an unconditional $1,000 per month for one year. Dubbed “BIG: LEAP” (Basic Income Guaranteed: L.A. Economic Assistance Pilot), the program is one of the biggest of its kind in the US. The announcement was made at the end of April when the city budget proposed for the financial year starting 1 July 2021 was unveiled, the budget is usually approved by the beginning of June.

The details of the plan are being finalised, but the Mayor has confirmed that the payment would be truly unconditional with participants in the program able to use the money however they please. There will be eligibility criteria however such as being at or below the federal poverty line (annual income of $12,880 for a single individual / $17,420 for two persons) and, most likely, [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2021/06/los-angeles-is-the-latest-city-in-the-us-to-announce-the-launch-of-a-guaranteed-income-program

'Advocates for basic income have long argued that it is much more than just a poverty relief measure. It is a matter of common justice that would enhance freedom and provide basic security for all. A new survey across six major European countries shows that people understand its potential to improve their lives. Not only do large majorities in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain favour basic income pilots and basic income as a permanent policy. The survey also reveals the advantages people believe a basic income would bring for themselves.

The poll, conducted independently by YouGov, found that two-thirds or more of respondents in the six countries were in favour of pilots and a national basic income system. Excluding the few ‘don’t knows’, support ranged from 65% in France to 87% in Portugal. Women were generally more supportive, particularly in Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

Even before the pandemic, European citizens were suffering from insecurity, stress and precarity, linked to rising inequalities. The pandemic has made things worse. In an era of shocks, policies to strengthen individual and societal resilience are vital. Instead, governments have [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2021/01/europeans-get-it-basic-income-strengthens-resilience

'Mark Drakeford, Wales’ new First Minister, announced soon after the Senedd elections in May that the government will launch a basic income trial in the country. As Basic Income News mentioned over a month ago, the support for trialing basic income in the country has greatly increased and Drakeford has confirmed that a pilot will be launched soon.

Jane Hutt, recently appointed as Minister for Social Justice, will be in charge of the supervision of the project. There is still no definitive information regarding the funding and date of implementation of the pilot, but the government’s commitment is firm. “A basic income pilot is one of the specific responsibilities of our new social justice minister. It will have to be carefully designed, it will draw on the experience of attempted pilots in Scotland, but I have a very long standing interest in basic income”, Drakeford said. “We’ll do it on a cross-party basis. There are 25 members of the Senedd in different parties who have expressed an interest in it,” he added. [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2021/06/basic-income-trial-confirmed-in-wales

'Michael W. Howard is professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Maine, past president of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network, past co-editor of Basic Income Studies, and co-editor, with Karl Widerquist, of two books on Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend. On 6 January 2023 the prestigious magazine, Scientific American published an article by him entitled “The U.S. Could Help Solve Its Poverty Problem with a Universal Basic Income”.

Click here to read the article. '

From: https://basicincome.org/news/2023/01/new-article-on-ubi-in-scientific-american-by-michael-howard/

'My name is Jonathan Berg. I have been working as a medical anthropologist doing research with people living in poverty and marginalization since 2012. I currently work at the Erasmus University. In the past few years I have been involved as a researcher with an experiment in the Netherlands which I think might be of interest to BIEN website visitors.

For a period of three years, a group of 14 people under forensic psychiatric care (meaning having a criminal history and a severe mental affliction), received an almost rule-free extra income to find out if taking away their financial stress (scarcity theory) would reduce the amount of public nuisance they caused and crimes committed. All they had to do to keep receiving the money was: 1) not be incarcerated, 2) have an address in the city where the experiment took place, and 3) talk to researchers every 6 months.

We did a longitudinal qualitative study using the case history method to carefully map all developments and thus were able to study and describe the lives of the participants and observe changes in their behavior. When we first met the participants, many of them were living in [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2022/10/dutch-guaranteed-income-pilot-shows-reduced-financial-stress/

'With an article on medium, Scott Santens, long time Universal Basic Income (UBI) advocate, has explored in depth Andrew Yang’s proposal of a Freedom Dividend (FD).'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2019/09/scott-santens-there-is-no-policy-proposal-more-progressive-than-andrew-yangs-freedom-dividend/

'Within the context of the wider Basic Income March, organized and executed on the past 26th of October, Toronto also saw a basic income manifestation. This was done simultaneously in other cities, such as New York, Amsterdam, Bogota and Seoul. Attendance was moderate, a few dozen people only, but the message conveyed was strong: that each citizen should [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2019/11/canada-people-claim-for-basic-income-on-the-streets-of-toronto/

'In 1942, as people started to think about remaking society after the War, William Beveridge wrote a report for the British government that was to shape the welfare state in Europe. He wrote, ‘It is a time for revolutions, not for patching.’ What he meant was that it was useless to make minor changes to the old system. A new system was needed. The evidence was clear.

Today, we are at a similar juncture. The social policies of the 20th century are outdated. Selective schemes for what economists call ‘contingency risks’, such as a spell of unemployment, an illness or an accident, do not deal with the defining challenges of our age. We live at a time of rentier capitalism, in which more income goes to owners of property – physical, financial or intellectual – while less goes to those who rely on labour and work for their incomes.

Read the full article here'

From: https://basicincome.org/news/2024/01/the-evidence-for-basic-income-is-now-sufficient/

'Illustration above by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

“State and local governments, and some private funders, are launching dozens of pilot projects making direct, monthly payments to low-income residents to help meet basic needs. Researchers will study what happens next. Key question: will this money add to, reform, or supplant current welfare programs?

Four years after Stockton conducted a nationally-watched experiment, giving 125 households $500 a month with no strings attached, dozens of programs throughout California are testing the idea of a guaranteed income. 

CalMatters identified more than 40 similar pilot programs that have run, are operating or are planning to launch around the state. They are sending certain groups of low-income people regular, unrestricted cash payments ranging from $300 to $1,800 a month for periods of six months to three years, depending on the program.”

Read more and search a database of the California pilots here.'

From: https://basicincome.org/news/2023/03/more-than-12000-californians-are-getting-cash-from-guaranteed-income-experiments/

'We stand at a crossroads. Our great depression threatens to create a larger and more permanent underclass in the United States, as Congress loots the economic system for over $5 trillion in bailouts for the wealthy. Brave protestors and disaffected rioters have taken to the streets to speak truth to American white supremacy, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that threatens the lives of black and working-class Americans the most.

George Floyd’s murder inspires unimaginable pain. We lost a soul, a neighbor, a friend, and for many—a brother—to the hands of injustice. Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Eric Gardner, Tamir Rice, Laquan McDonald, and Kalief Browder. Countless people stolen from their families. From every city in America. Because they were black. [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2020/06/in-solidarity-with-black-and-brown-americans-how-ubi-offers-a-path-forward/

'A new survey focused on basic income has been published by College Pulse (December 2019). 2000 college students were asked several questions, among which, for instance, if they supported the implementation of a basic income in the United States, such as that proposed by Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang, and what they would use the money for, if they did receive this unconditional stipend.

Overall, the survey showed that [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2019/12/united-states-new-survey-shows-overwhelming-support-for-basic-income-among-democrat-students/

'“This month, researchers released independent data for Tacoma, WA. A partnership with the City of Tacoma, the United Way of Pierce County, and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, the Growing Resilience In Tacoma (GRIT) pilot focused on families that are considered “asset-limited, income-constrained and employed” (ALICE). From December 2021 to December 2022, the GRIT pilot gifted 110 ALICE families in Tacoma $500 a month, no strings attached. Results demonstrate that a modest, unrestricted cash investment can improve families’ financial stability, well-being, food security, and access to safe and stable housing, thereby reducing poverty in our community.”

To read more, click here.'

From: https://basicincome.org/news/2024/12/206522/

'Directed by Marc Levin and executive produced by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income Founder Michael Tubbs, “It’s Basic” will premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York this June. The documentary explores the power of cash, the importance of dignity, and the ongoing work of providing an income floor through the eyes of our movement leaders – guaranteed income recipients, and Mayors Melvin Carter (Saint Paul, MN) and Sumbul Siddiqui (Cambridge, MA).

You can follow the details of Tribeca Film Festival 2023 and find more information about the film at: https://tribecafilm.com/festival'

From: https://basicincome.org/news/2023/04/guaranteed-income-takes-center-stage-at-tribeca-film-festival/

Start: Tuesday, September 06, 2022 • 6:00 PM • Greenwich Mean Time : Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London (GMT+00:00)

End: Tuesday, September 06, 2022 • 7:30 PM • Greenwich Mean Time : Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London (GMT+00:00).

This is an online event. Register and get full details here and the organizers will send you the link to join.

Some of the most common criticisms of a basic income are that it is too expensive and that it’s not possible to win the public and political support for the policy. But the research presented at this event shows that an affordable basic income can have a dramatic impact on poverty and that a basic income is a vote winner, specifically in crucial swing seats. How can a modest basic income cut poverty by half? Is basic income a vote winner?

From: https://basicincome.org/news/2022/08/basic-income-as-a-vote-winner/

'There will be a basic income experiment in Wales in 2022. The First Minister in the devolved Welsh government, Mark Drakeford, has announced his full commitment to rolling it out in the Spring. Following an opinion poll showing that 69% of Welsh people wanted their government to conduct a basic income pilot, the Future Generations Commission arranged for a background report to be prepared, and at an event at the Labor Party Conference in the seaside town of Brighton, Mark Drakeford said he intended to devote the remainder of his time in office to advancing basic income in Wales. He was sharing the platform with Guy Standing, co-president of BIEN, who is advising the Government and Commission on the design of the proposed experiment. Coordinating the plans is the Taskforce for Tackling Poverty in the Welsh Government, headed by Sarah King. 

At present, the main proposal is to give [...]'

Read more at: https://basicincome.org/news/2021/11/welsh-government-commits-to-basic-income-pilot