Here's a group that's pushing for a universal basic income in the United States

What It Is

Basic Income Action claims that it is the first national organization in the United States to push for a universal basic income. The UBI is a concept that would give a certain amount of money to all of a country's citizens regardless of whether they qualify for welfare or other means-tested entitlements. The lobby plans to borrow campaigning techniques from marriage equality and cannabis legalization to put on events in DC, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Louisiana, Oregon, Washington, and California.

The Implications

The idea behind a UBI is old but has gained credibility in recent years as anxiety about automation brings into question whether there will be many good jobs in sectors like manufacturing in the coming years. Citibank's chief economist even seriously considered the idea in a recent research paper. Now that there's an actual group pushing for the idea, politicians may have to take a stance on what they think about the UBI.