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Basic Income
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All citizens receive a regular, liveable and unconditional sum of money. The recipient is not required to work or look for work, and the payment is given independently of any other income.
Agree:
Naheed Nenshi Mayor of Calgary
I am really, really interested if he will bring that to bear in terms of some really significant changes to the taxation system that would really help us manage poverty in a brand new way,
Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Families, Children and Social Development in Canada
I think it’s the principles behind the idea [of a guaranteed income] that matter. These principles are greater simplicity for the government, greater transparency on the part of families and greater equity for everyone
James K. Boyce Economist
This idea finds support across America’s ideological spectrum in an era when hardly anything else does
Bill Gross American investor, co-Founder of PIMCO
If more and more workers are going to be displaced by robots, then they will need money to live on, will they not? And if that strikes you as a form of socialism, I would suggest we get used to it
Guy Standing University of London Professor, co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN)
It is very much the belief of us who favour a basic income that 99 per cent of people want to improve their lives. If you do not have basic security you cannot be rational
Ebrahim Hemmatnia Guiness Record Holding Ocean Biker
The next Dutch government should make poverty in Holland #history by implementing #BasicIncome. #ModernSociety
Nicola Sturgeon First minister of scotland and leader of the scottish national party
As we look ahead to the next decade and beyond, it is an idea that merits deeper consideration. I therefore confirm that the Scottish Government will work with interested local authorities to fund research into the concept and the feasibility of a citizens basic income, to help to inform Parliament’s thinking for the future.
Owen Jones Columnist for the Guardian and the New Statesmen
Basic income – where we all are given a payment from the state as a right of citizenship – should be introduced.
OECD International economic organisation
Universal basic income (UBI) schemes are often rejected out of hand as too expensive. In some countries [eg. Italy] however, paying every resident a basic income sufficient for survival could actually result in budget savings.
Sam Harris American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist
Ultimately we need something like a universal basic income. There has to be someway to distribute this kind of technological wealth more fairly to the rest of the world.
Alec Ross Former Senior Innovation Advisor to Hillary Clinton, currently running for Governor of Marylan
The economy continues to develop in the way it is with bounty and more spread, more billionaires, and more struggling members of the working class. I do think that there will be more and more momentum for safety-net programs like basic income.
Elizabeth May Green Party of Canada
Paying everyone a basic income will end poverty and save money
Dan Savage LGBT Author and Activist
Guaranteed minimum wage […] would relieve a whole lot of stress for a lot of working people and poor people
Dr. Jill Stein Green Party 2016 candidate for President, activist, medical doctor, environmental health advoc
Universal Basic Income is definitely part of the GP platform under Economic Justice & Sustainability
Paul Mason Economics Editor, The Guardian
To benefit from the automation revolution we need a universal basic income, the slashing of working hours and a redefinition of ourselves without work
Ryan Holmes CEO of Hootsuite
In the 1970s, a five-year basic income program in the Canadian province of Manitoba called Mincome showed promising results. Parents spent more time raising children. Students showed higher test scores and lower dropout rates. Hospital visits, mental illness, car accidents, and domestic abuse cases all declined. And in the end, total working hours only slipped by a few percentage points. In other ... See More
Ralph Nader Consumer advocate, author and former presidential candidate
Basic income would get rid of chronic capitalism
Albert Wenger Venture Capitalist. Twitter & Tumblr Investor.
One way to think about a basic income is as follows: it removes a currently binding constraint on time optimization for many individuals allowing them to escape a local minimum – that in turn lets the economy as a whole adjust much faster (and with far less pain).
Charles Murray Libertarian conservative political scientist, author, and columnist
Replacing the welfare state with an annual grant is the best way to cope with a radically changing U.S. jobs market—and to revitalize America’s civic culture
Paul Buchheit Lead developer of Gmail, founder of FriendFeed. and investor in Y Combinator
I don't have to work. I choose to work. And I believe that everyone deserves the same freedom I have. If done right, it's also economically superior, meaning that we will all have more wealth. We often talk about how brilliant or visionary Steve Jobs was, but there are probably millions of people just as brilliant as he was. The difference is that they likely didn't grow up with great parents, am... See More
Tim Canova Democrat Running for Florida's 23 Congressional District
I support a minimum basic income, which was actually proposed by none other than President Richard Nixon and conservative economist Milton Friedman.
Jeremy Rifkin American Economic and Social Theorist, Author, Political Advisor
Basic income is not a utopia. It's a practical business plan for the next step of the human journey
Lord Robert Skidelsky Economist
An unconditional basic income would make part-time work a possibility for many who now have to work full-time at minimum wages; it would also start to give all workers the same choice as to how much to work, and under what conditions, as is now possessed by owners of substantial capital.
Barbara Ehrenreich Author of Nickel and Dimed
[Martin Ford's] solution is blindingly obvious: As both conservatives and liberals have proposed over the years, we need to institute a guaranteed annual minimum income
Moshe Vardi AI and Automation Expert With 30 Yrs Experience
we may have to consider instituting a Basic Income Guarantee
Chris Lee Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
Our economy [Hawaii's] is changing far more rapidly than anybody's expected. It is important to be sure that everybody will benefit from the technological revolution that we're seeing to make sure no one's left behind.
Mike Savage Mayor of Halifax
Time to take a serious look at basic annual guaranteed income
Philippe Van Parijs Professor at the Faculty of Economic, Social and Political Sciences of the University of Louva
Basic Income: a simple and powerful idea for the twenty-first century
François Blais Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity of Quebec
Basic income is the way of the future.
Björn Wahlroos One of Richest Men in Finland and Supporter of Free Markets
We'll have to develop – and develop ourselves towards – a society where it'll be possible to guarantee the income level and well-being of people without ravaging the labour markets. And the solution will be a basic income scheme – be it this one or another oneDisagree:
Thomas Piketty Compte officiel de Thomas Piketty, chroniqueur @lemondefr, directeur d’études @EHESS_fr et @PS
I have difficulty in understanding those who insist on wishing to pay a basic income of 500 Euros per month to those earning a salary of 2000 Euros, and then deduct the same sum by raising their taxes deducted at source.
Helen Razer Radio presenter and writer
The reason they adore UBI isn’t to do with their commitment to lift a growing underclass out of poverty; that’s just a bedtime story that helps the super-wealthy sleep. Instead, it’s more to permit spending on their goods by what remains of the American middle class. No one on a stagnant wage can currently buy the things that Musk—and the rest of Silicon Valley—wants to sell them.
Bryan Caplan GMU econ professor, blogger, author
The Universal Basic Income is indeed worse than the status quo. In fact, all the fundamental criticisms of the welfare state apply with even greater force.
Calum Chace Fuelling the conversation about super-intelligent machines
In our scenario of 40% unemployability, paying UBI to Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, and the millions of others who are still earning healthy incomes would be a terrible waste of resources.
John Clarke Social Activist. Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. Canada.
If we are to go on the offensive against the neoliberal agenda, surely it is the fight for free, expanded and accessible public services that should be our focus. If present systems of income support for unemployed, sick and disabled people are inadquate, we can demand full entitlement, adequate income and an end to intrusive rules and moral policing.However, rather than hope for a tax funded paym... See More
Bob Greenstein Founder and President of @CenteronBudget. Considered an expert on the federal budget and a ran
UBI would replace virtually every program in the federal budget focused on low- or moderate-income people. No food stamps. No Medicaid. [...] I share the goals; I just don’t think you can get there from here. And I want to focus on progress we can make.
Patrick Diamond Lecturer in Public Policy at Queen Mary University of London
A more effective and convincing strategy for the centre left is to strengthen, reform and revitalise welfare states and social policies
Karl Brenke Economist at the German Institute for Economics (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaft DIW) in Be
The idea of freedom, which is connected with UBI, is essentially the opposite: namely the loss of freedom. It is no longer individual citizens who take care of themselves, but the state. The citizen thus becomes the subject of an increasingly powerful state. And because the state provides its citizens with income – which it has previously taken out of their pockets in the form of taxes – all futur... See More
Alberto Bagnai Economist and harpichordist. Università degli Studi "Gabriele d'Annunzio".
They call it the basic income of all citizens (“reddito di cittadinanza”), but here in Italy we will call it the basic income of the land (“reddito della gleba”, in reference to feudal serfs, or “servi della gleba”, who were linked to the land). We would save characters, and we will be closer to the essence of the reasoning. As much as serfdom (“servitu’ della gleba”) linked the serfs to the land,... See More
Michel Husson Economist. Institut de recherches économiques et sociales
Les partisans du revenu universel sont ensuite confrontés à une contradiction fatale. Si le revenu est «suffisant» ou «décent», son financement implique de redéployer largement la protection sociale, parce qu’il n’y a pas de source autonome de création de valeur. C’est alors une régression sociale qui consiste à remarchandiser ce qui a été socialisé. Et si le revenu est fixé à un niveau modeste, c... See More
Aldo Giannuli Political scientist and Historian.Università degli Studi di Milano
Cari amici che sognate il rifiuto del lavoro, questa non è la stessa cosa che la liberazione dal lavoro ed è una cultura di destra e tutt’altro che antagonista al sistema. Voi aspirate a vivere con le briciole che cadono dal banchetto dell’ipercapitalismo finanziario, ma durerà ancora poco. E poi, vivere senza lavorare non è questa idea così nuova: da secoli lo fanno padroni e rentier alle spalle... See More
Henri Sterdyniak Ecomomist at Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques
S’il règle le problème du non-recours et réduit la pauvreté monétaire, s’il permet d’éviter la stigmatisation et de supprimer les contrôles humiliants, le revenu de base a un coût financier important, non pas dû à son objectif principal, aider les personnes en situation de précarité, mais à une conséquence latérale, verser une somme importante à tous. Vu ce coût, la crédibilité de sa mise en pla... See More
Christiane Marty Engineer. Fondation Copernic. Scientific Council of Attac France.
La proposition avancée [par le revenu universel] ne contribue à résoudre ni le problème du chômage ni ceux de la pauvreté et des inégalités. Elle s’appuie sur l’idée fausse que le travail serait en voie de disparition, que les protections sociales seraient obsolètes et que nous serions condamnés à vivre dans une société de plus en plus ‘uberisée’
Juan Torres López Economist. Universidad de Sevilla. Scientific council of Attac Spain.
Yo defiendo que el Estado garantice que todos los ciudadanos sin excepción dispongan de ingresos suficientes para vivir con dignidad. Pero no creo que la mejor forma de lograrlo sea la renta básica porque desvincula derechos de obligaciones y supone tratar igual a los desiguales, principios que no comparto, como creo que le ocurre a muchas personas. Porque no tiene en cuenta la individualización d... See More
María Pazos Morán Mathematician.Feminist activist and researcher. Instituto de Estudios Fiscales.
Ha costado mucho llegar a tener algunos derechos básicos, y ahora el neoliberalismo lo rompe todo: el sistema educativo, la sanidad... Dando un dinero a cada ciudadano estás trasladando la responsabilidad desde el Estado a las personas, para que se las apañen como puedan. No tiene sentido darle lo mismo a todo el mundo, lo que necesitamos es un sistema de bienestar completo e integrad
Vicenç Navarro Sociologist and Political Scientist. Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Establecer un salario ciudadano cuando nuestro Estado del Bienestar está tan poco desarrollado es comenzar la casa por el tejado. Hay que garantizar que todo ciudadano y residente pueda tener los recursos necesarios para vivir una vida digna y ello implica que el estado debe garantizar que los ciudadanos y residentes puedan alcanzar tal nivel de renta, bien a través del trabajo, bien a través de o... See More
Mateo Alaluf Sociologist. Université libre de Bruxelles.
To replace a social security system primarily financed by contributions and based on wage solidarity with a rent paid by the Government and financed by tax income seems a war machine against the welfare state. In addition, an income provided unconditionally to anybody can only be mediocre and cannot ensure the financial independence of the beneficiaries. These would be obliged to accept to work fo... See More
Marc de Vos Doctorate in Law (UGent), Master in Social Law (ULB), Master of Laws (Harvard University).
La seule façon de financer l’allocation universelle, c’est d’éliminer la Sécurité sociale existante, ce qui impliquerait une régression sociale énorme, parce qu’on remplacerait un système d’allocations sociales qui est conditionnel, focalisé sur les besoins des personnes, progressif, par un système inconditionnel. C’est ridicule. Ça ne réussira jamais.
Paul Jorion Anthropologist. Sociologist. Université libre de Bruxelles
Isn't there a better way to answer to answer to the concerns of the beneficiaries of Government benefits? Yes of course: by allocating the sums that we could gather for a UBI program to ensure free basic necessities (food, accommodation, transportation, connectivity) - a measure that, unlike UBI, would not be consumerist in its approach and that would therefore respect the environment. Free necess... See More
Jorge Riechmann Poet, mathematician, philosopher, ecologist and political scientist.
Todas las versiones de la RB, tanto las de derecha como las de izquierda: presuponen la perpetuación del capitalismo (de un capitalismo superproductivo, de hecho); llevan a una sociedad dual, en una fase en la que necesitamos reconstruir la cohesión y profundizar en la igualdad; se presupone la automatización creciente de la producción, con generación de grandes excedentes; esto choca contra la pe... See More
