<h2>Looking Back</h2>
The concept of <a href="https://futurism.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-universal-basic-income" target="_blank" rel="noopener">universal basic income</a> — a regular, unconditional cash payment given to all members of a society — has been around for centuries.
In recent years, fear that <a href="https://futurism.com/andrew-yang-vision-future-automation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automation will lead to widespread unemployment</a> has shone a spotlight on the scheme and led to a number of pilot projects to test its viability.
Now, a British think-tank called the New Economics Foundation (NEF) has published an extensive <a href="http://www.world-psi.org/sites/default/files/documents/research/en_ubi_full_report_2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> analyzing 16 of those projects, and it reached a conclusion UBI supporters will likely find disheartening: &#8220;There is no evidence that any version of UBI can be affordable, inclusive, sufficient, and sustainable at the same time.&#8221;
<h2>One Direction</h2>
The locations of the NEF-analyzed projects ranged from poor countries (<a href="https://futurism.com/largest-basic-income-experiment-history-launched-kenya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kenya</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/we-could-see-indian-universal-basic-income-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a>) to rich (<a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/basic-income-trial-ontario-ends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canada</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/california-city-test-universal-basic-income" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the United States</a>). The amounts and durations of the cash payments varied, too, as did the sources of the money and the types of people who received the payments.
Yet while the NEF did recognize that some projects made a positive difference in the lives of recipients — in some cases by improving their health and livelihoods — none of the projects demonstrated how UBI could help any nation&#8217;s entire population over the long term.
According to the report&#8217;s authors, &#8220;the money needed to pay for an adequate UBI scheme would be better spent on reforming social protection systems, and building more and better quality public services.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/06/universal-basic-income-public-realm-poverty-inequality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Universal Basic Income Doesn’t Work. Let’s Boost the Public Realm Instead</a> [The Guardian]
More on UBI: <a href="https://futurism.com/andrew-yang-vision-future-automation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew Yang’s Goal: Steer Us Away From a Bleakly Dystopian Future</a>

Nations would be better off improving public services, say the report's authors.

Huge analysis finds "no evidence" basic income is sustainable

Temporary Fix

An analysis of 16 basic income projects concluded that giving people free money simply wouldn't be sustainable for any nation in the long term.

Huge Analysis Finds “No Evidence” Basic Income Is Sustainable

UBI couldn't help any nation over the long term, a new report concludes.

<h2>Public Enemy</h2>
Long-shot U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang isn&#8217;t hopeful about the imminent future of humanity — that much become instantly clear in a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/18408685/andrew-yang-2020-president-democrat-candidate-policies-universal-basic-income-reddit-twitter">bleak profile</a> published today by The Verge.
Public enemy number one: automation, which Yang sees as a destructive result of a rapidly globalizing market-obsessed future. The risk is millions of jobs lost and a host of undesirable side effects like financial insecurity and a decline in mental health — a joyless, dystopian future in which humans have been replaced by the machines they built.
<h2>A Long Way Up</h2>
Yang&#8217;s core promise is to provide every U.S. citizen with $1,000 every month. That&#8217;d usually be called <a href="https://futurism.com/tag/universal-basic-income/">basic income</a>. Yang, however, prefers to call it a &#8220;freedom dividend&#8221; — perhaps to make the idea more digestible to center-leaning voters.
&#8220;Even now, we have an epidemic not just of drug overdoses, but of anxiety, depression, and mental health problems,&#8221; he told The Verge. &#8220;If you load pervasive financial insecurity and scarcity on top, you will have a population that starts dying younger, is less rational, does not know what to do.&#8221;
<h2>&#8220;Meaningful Solutions&#8221;</h2>
The idea isn&#8217;t as far fetched as you might think. A city in California recently <a href="https://futurism.com/california-city-just-launched-basic-income-trial">started an experimental basic income program</a> providing 130 residents with monthly payments over 18 months.
But Yang has a long road ahead. Polls put him at around <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1117754264439414784">three percent</a>.
&#8220;The path from here to figuring it out is fraught with a lot of misery and suffering,&#8221; Yang said. But that&#8217;s not the end of the story. &#8220;I thought to myself, realistically, my choices are to watch the society come apart or try and galvanize energy around meaningful solutions,&#8221; he added later.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/18408685/andrew-yang-2020-president-democrat-candidate-policies-universal-basic-income-reddit-twitter">Andrew Yang is the Candidate for the End of the World</a> [The Verge]
More on Yang: <a href="https://futurism.com/andrew-yang-campaign-hologram">Presidential Hopeful Andrew Yang Plans to Campaign Via Hologram</a>

"The path from here to figuring it out is fraught with a lot of misery and suffering."

Andrew Yang's goal: steer us away from a bleakly dystopian future

Yang Gang

In a bleak profile by The Verge, 2020 presidential hopeful Andrew Yang lays out his grim vision of the future — if automation remains unchecked.

Andrew Yang’s Goal: Steer Us Away From a Bleakly Dystopian Future

Is the presidential hopeful the answer to a rapid decline in financial security and mental health?

<h2>Universal Basic Income</h2>
Basic income would give everyone a base amount of money every month, regardless of employment status. A common criticism: without an incentive, people would work less.
But new research shows that those worries might be unfounded. A two-year study in Finland found that a randomly selected group of people who received a sum of money from the government every month worked no less than a control group — bolstering the case for a basic income as the world economy transitions to greater automation.
<h2>Almost Identical</h2>
The Basic Income Experiment Evaluation Project, run by the Finnish government and a number of local universities and think tanks, concluded in December 2018.
Now the <a href="http://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/161361">preliminary results</a> are in: in 2017, a randomly-selected group of 2000 Finns who received 56o euros (about $635) worked on average the same amount as compared to a control group that didn&#8217;t receive any funds.
The study did find some differences between the two groups. Since the trial group&#8217;s basic income replaced unemployment benefits, for instance, the control group ended up receiving less &#8220;social assistance and sickness allowance,&#8221; the <a href="http://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/161361/Report_The%20Basic%20Income%20Experiment%2020172018%20in%20Finland.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y">official report reads</a>.
<h2>The Finnish Line</h2>
But that might not necessarily be a bad sign — being guaranteed an income seems to make people less worried about money. That means less stress and healthier lives — and doesn&#8217;t seem to affect productivity.
&#8220;Those in the test group experienced significantly fewer problems related to health, stress and ability to concentrate than those in the control group,&#8221; concludes the report. &#8221; According to the results, those in the test group were also considerably more confident in their own future and their ability to influence societal issues than the control group.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2193136-universal-income-study-finds-money-for-nothing-wont-make-us-work-less/">Universal income study finds money for nothing won’t make us work less</a> [New Scientist]
More on universal basic income: <a href="https://futurism.com/images/universal-basic-income-ubi-pilot-programs-around-the-world">Universal Basic Income: UBI Pilot Programs Around the World</a>

"Those in the test group experienced significantly fewer problems related to health, stress and ability to concentrate than those in the control group."

Study: universal basic income won't make people work less

A two-year universal basic income study in Finland concluded that in 2017, those who received payments worked the same amount and were healthier overall.

Study: Universal Basic Income Won’t Make People Work Less

People who received basic income experienced fewer health problems.

<h2>Safety Net</h2>
Gavin Newsom, the new governor of California, has big plans to revamp the state&#8217;s poverty-prevention tax credit program so that it helps more people who are struggling to make ends meet.
Currently, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) boosts the annual tax refund to households making less than $45,802. The state version in California, the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) adds an extra refund for those making less than $22,000 per year.
The new plan would more than double CalEITC&#8217;s funding so that 400,000 more low-income families can receive assistance on a monthly instead of an annual basis, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90291550/california-has-a-new-plan-to-give-a-monthly-check-to-low-income-residents">according to Fast Company</a> — but Adam Ruben, the campaigns director of the Economic Security Project cautions against calling it basic income.
<h2>Not Universal</h2>
To Ruben&#8217;s point, a monthly payment for families in need sounds a lot like <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/study-debunks-universal-basic-income-employment">universal basic income</a>, a system that&#8217;s often touted as a solution — or at least a bandage — for wealth inequality. But both the current CalEITC and Newsom&#8217;s proposed expansion of the program will only go towards <a href="https://cdfca.org/policy/media/2019/coalition-encouraged-by-governors-support-and-expansion-of-caleitc/">low-income, working Californians</a>.
&#8220;What we’re seeing is the idea of the importance of a steady drumbeat of financial security throughout the year,&#8221; Ruben told Fast Company.
The tax credit serves more as an acknowledgment that many jobs, even when paying out a <a href="https://futurism.com/true-freedom-comes-with-basic-income">$15 minimum wage</a>, don&#8217;t provide enough for families to make ends meet or escape from debt. Rather than helping everyone, the expanded CalEITC would focus on helping those who don&#8217;t make enough or can&#8217;t get enough shifts to get the extra help that they need, Fast Company reports.
By switching to a monthly payout, families receiving assistance would be able to better manage their finances than under the current system, under which they have to stretch out one payment over an entire year.
<h2>Closing Loopholes</h2>
Under Newsom&#8217;s proposed expansion, the budget for CalEITC would jump from $400 million to $1 billion. This would let California raise the program&#8217;s income cap to $30,000 a year — an increase that means 400,000 more households would become eligible for benefits. Presently, CalEITC provides families with $2,879 per year. The expanded version would reportedly more than double that payout, with an additional $500 given to families with young children.
For now, the proposal is in its early stages, so the specific payment plan has not yet been released. But the extra $600 million will likely come from increased corporate taxes or income taxes for the wealthiest Californians, according to Fast Company.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90291550/california-has-a-new-plan-to-give-a-monthly-check-to-low-income-residents">California has a new plan to give a monthly check to low-income residents</a> [Fast Company]
More on financial assistance: <a href="https://futurism.com/facebook-co-founder-suggests-taxing-richest-americans-fund-ubi">Facebook Co-Founder Suggests Taxing the Richest 1% of Americans to Fund UBI</a>
Editor&#8217;s Note 1/17 at 10:30 AM ET: This article originally claimed that the new CalEITC proposal would extend payments to any Californian regardless of immigration status. It also misspelled Adam Ruben&#8217;s name. It has since been corrected.

It's a great support system, assuming you already have a job.

California could soon give low-income residents a monthly check

Localized Basic Income

California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to expand the state's tax refund for low-income families and start paying it on a monthly basis.

California Could Soon Give Low-Income Residents a Monthly Check

But it's not basic income, an expert says.

<h2>Ya Basic!</h2>
If you’ve ever talked about <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/basic-income-trial-ontario-ends">basic income</a> — that&#8217;s the idea that the government should give everyone a monthly stipend to cover their everyday needs — odds are you’ve run into That Guy. Maybe it was the chap in your undergrad philosophy class who loved Ayn Rand and playing devil’s advocate. Maybe it was a high-profile investor on cable news.
No matter who it was, they share the same argument — if the <a href="https://futurism.com/california-city-test-universal-basic-income">government provides for people</a> by giving out a universal basic income, those people will lose the motivation to work and become totally dependent.
Plot twist: there&#8217;s now compelling evidence showing that in at least one case, basic income didn&#8217;t discourage people from working.
<h2>Everybody Wins</h2>
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) <a href="https://home.uchicago.edu/~j1s/Jones_Alaska.pdf">published research earlier this year</a> showing that Alaska’s ongoing basic income program — started in 1982 — had no direct impact on full-time employment in the state.
The state has the highest unemployment levels in the country, but that&#8217;s totally unrelated to its basic income program and the payments actually helped boost part-time employment within the state by 17 percent. Take that, Kyle from Philosophy 101!
<h2>Ya Extra!</h2>
Basic income can be a great tool and safety net for those who need it, but some have argued that the government should go even further. Futurist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaifulee/">Kai-Fu Lee</a> argued in his new book &#8220;AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order&#8221; that as more jobs are automated, basic income will only serve as a painkiller.
To truly serve people, the government should kick it up a notch and actively provide careers and salaries for those who serve their community in addition to providing that safety net. And given the NBER’s new findings, he may be on to something.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alaska-universal-basic-income-employment-2018-10">Critics of universal basic income argue giving people money for nothing discourages working — but a study of Alaska&#8217;s 36-year-old program suggests that&#8217;s not the case</a> [Business Insider]
More on universal basic income: <a href="https://futurism.com/finland-basic-income-trial">Finland’s Assessment of Basic Income Trial: Not Impressed</a>

A new study shows basic income doesn't deter people from working

SO BASIC

Federal research into universal basic income shows that regular cash payments don't reduce employment at all. In fact, it seems to help.

A New Study Shows Basic Income Doesn't Deter People From Working

We have evidence that UBI truly helps, but it won’t solve our problems.

A New Study Shows Basic Income Doesn’t Deter People From Working

<h2>AUTOMATION STATION</h2>
Experts predict that automation is going to replace <a href="https://futurism.com/mckinsey-finds-automation-eradicate-third-americas-workforce-2030/">hundreds of millions of jobs</a> over the next few decades. One approach to offsetting total social upheaving in the process is &#8220;universal basic income&#8221;: the idea that if there aren&#8217;t enough jobs, the government — or some other entity, like maybe our robotic overlords — will pay everybody <a href="https://futurism.com/images/universal-basic-income-answer-automation/">enough money to live on</a>.
But that solution could make old injustices worse, according to the historian Noah Harari, the author of the bestselling 2011 book &#8220;Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.&#8221; In a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/historian-yuval-noah-harari-on-the-robot-revolution-1538057544">new interview</a> with the Wall Street Journal, Harari worries basic income won&#8217;t be universal: that rich countries will be able to afford it, but poor countries won&#8217;t. The result, then, would be an ever-widening gap between the world&#8217;s wealthy and the poor.
<h2>INEQUALITY OF LIFE</h2>
The problem, Harari said, is that the most likely providers of basic income are governments. That&#8217;ll work fine for the United States, which can tax high-revenue companies like Google and Facebook. But those taxes won&#8217;t help support people in less developed countries, like Honduras or Bangladesh, who will also be put out of work by growing automation.
&#8220;The automation revolution is likely to make some areas of the world extremely rich and powerful,&#8221; Harari told the Journal, &#8220;while completely destroying the economy of others.&#8221;
Not all experts are <a href="https://futurism.com/economics-nobel-prize-winners-are-advocating-for-universal-basic-income/">pessimistic about</a> basic income, however. It&#8217;s possible that widespread automation will lead to an era of global plenty — if our robot overlords are willing to share.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/historian-yuval-noah-harari-on-the-robot-revolution-1538057544">Historian Yuval Noah Harari on the Robot Revolution </a>[The Wall Street Journal]
More on the SEC investigation: <a href="https://futurism.com/mckinsey-finds-automation-eradicate-third-americas-workforce-2030/">McKinsey Finds Automation Could Eradicate a Third of America’s Workforce by 2030</a>

Automation could destroy poor economies, says historian

Money Makes the World Go Round

What if rich countries can afford to provide universal basic income, but poor countries can't, increasing global inequality?

Automation Could Destroy Poor Economies, Says Historian

How will poor governments afford basic income?

THAT WAS FAST. 4,000 people in Ontario just lost what they thought was a guaranteed source of income for the next two years.
In April 2017, the Canadian province launched a trial of basic income, a program in which a government regularly pays its citizens a set amount of money, no strings attached. Ontario&#8217;s was the first government-backed basic income trial in North America since the 1970s, but on Tuesday, it scrapped the program a full two years before its scheduled end.
PARTY POLITICS. Why did it end? Politics might have something to do with it. When the C$150 million (US$115 million), 4,000-person trial launched, a Liberal government controlled Ontario, but in June, Conservatives took over the province. Though a party spokesperson <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/04/24/ontarios-basic-income-experiment-would-continue-under-doug-ford.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> during the lead up to the election that the Conservative government, if elected would continue the basic income trial, the officials have apparently changed their minds.
“It was certainly not going to be sustainable,” Lisa MacLeod, Ontario&#8217;s Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/01/ontarios-new-conservative-government-to-end-basic-income-experiment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> at Toronto&#8217;s Queens Park. “Spending more money on a broken program wasn’t going to help anyone.”
STATE OF THE UBI. Ontario&#8217;s isn&#8217;t the only government unimpressed with basic income. In April, <a href="https://futurism.com/finland-basic-income-trial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finland announced</a> it would end its basic income trial at the previously scheduled two-year mark, declining to expand the project past its original end date.
But there may be more trials to come. <a href="https://basicincome.org/news/2018/07/scotland-an-update-on-ubi-experiments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scotland</a> is currently assessing the feasibility of basic income trials in four municipalities; <a href="https://futurism.com/california-city-test-universal-basic-income/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stockton, California</a> plans to launch its own basic income trial, perhaps <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/business/stockton-basic-income.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as soon as this fall</a>.
If the latter moves forward as planned, Stockton will be the first U.S. city government to give a basic income program a shot. And, assuming that trial continues to the end, about 100 families in the city could see their coffers swell by $500 per month for the next two years.
Editor&#8217;s note (8/2/18 3:06 PM ET): This article previously misstated the total monetary value of the trial in USD as converted from Canadian dollars. It is $115 million, not $155 million. We have updated the piece accordingly and regret the error. 
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/01/ontarios-new-conservative-government-to-end-basic-income-experiment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ontario&#8217;s New Conservative Government to End Basic Income Experiment</a> [The Guardian]
More on basic income: <a href="https://futurism.com/finland-basic-income-trial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finland’s Assessment of Basic Income Trial: Not Impressed</a>

The Conservative government isn't impressed with UBI.

Ontario ends its 3-year basic income trial after just 1 year

Future Society

The new Conservative government of Ontario has decided to end the city's basic income trial two years early, citing the high cost.

Ontario Ends Its Three-Year Basic Income Trial After Just One Year

“It was certainly not going to be sustainable.”

For years, the citizens of Stockton, California, have faced rampant unemployment, poverty, and hardship. For some, a new experiment could change that.
In the coming months, mayor Michael Tubbs plans to launch a universal basic income trial that will — without any conditions or work requirements — give monthly payments to about 100 families over the next two years, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/business/stockton-basic-income.html">according to the New York Times</a>.
With regular, no-strings-attached payments from the government, people might be able to go back to school or climb out of their student loan debt. The extra cash could turn into more time spent with family or the ability to make healthier meals — the idea is to let people improve their quality of life as much as possible.
This is the first government-supported universal basic income trial in the U.S., but it&#8217;s had road tests elsewhere. The most famous experiment to date was the one launched in Finland in 2017. Though it was slated for two years, the trial wasn&#8217;t renewed after its first year, in part because public pressure pushed unemployed Finns receiving aid <a href="https://futurism.com/finland-basic-income-trial/">to have to look for work</a>. Also, the experimental payments <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/business/finland-universal-basic-income.html">were somewhat redundant</a> in a country where university tuition, health services, and other public programs are already funded by tax revenue.
But in the U.S, the notoriously high costs of secondary education and healthcare can be financially ruinous for some. Stockton’s program, then, may more directly address the problems facing Americans.
The pressure&#8217;s on for the Stockton experiment; people across the political spectrum have criticized the idea of universal basic income. The more conservative among us <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/universal-basic-income/">see it</a> as a step towards a socialist welfare state that wastes the money of hard-working Americans. And some left-leaning Silicon Valley types <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-04/universal-basic-income-is-neither-universal-nor-basic">have argued</a> that just throwing money at people displaced by automation won’t give them the skills necessary to navigate and launch a business in an increasingly technological world (assuming that everyone’s goal is to make it big on Shark Tank).
But <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601499/basic-income-a-sellout-of-the-american-dream/">proponents see this trial run</a> as a good, concrete step towards helping people get out of debt or improve their lives, especially as machines and artificial intelligence threaten to push people who already don’t make much money out of their jobs.
Mayor Tubbs’ inspiration for the universal basic income comes from seeing the need first-hand: he grew up in and around poverty in Stockton and saw people working multiple jobs just to stay afloat. In a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/18/16479796/stockton-california-basic-income-economic-security-experiment">statement to Vox</a>, he argued that people facing poverty don’t have moral failings, as too many people insist, they just need a helping hand. This trial may prove that universal basic income could do just that.

The trial run will administer $500 per month to about 100 households.

A California city is gearing up to test universal basic income

This fall, the city of Stockton, CA will being distributing monthly payments to people who would benefit from no-strings-attached income.

A California City Is Gearing Up To Test Universal Basic Income

A similar trial stopped early in Finland. But maybe it'll work in the US.

Sorry, basic income. Finland is simply just not that into you.
Well, the Finnish government in particular.
In January 2017, Finland <a href="https://futurism.com/finland-has-finally-launched-its-universal-basic-income-experiment/">launched a first-of-its-kind basic income trial</a>, the first by a European government. For two years, 2,000 randomly chosen unemployed citizens would receive a tax-free, no-strings-attached monthly payment of €560 ($690) from the government to test the viability of basic income.
With eight months still left in its two-year-long trial of universal basic income, the nation&#8217;s government has told Kela, the Finnish social security agency, it will not expand the project, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/23/finland-to-end-basic-income-trial-after-two-years">The Guardian reports</a>.
The Finnish government has refused Kela&#8217;s request for an additional £61 million ($85 million) to expand the project to include employed citizens in 2018. It will continue to pay the people already involved in the project until January 2019, as originally planned.
Finland&#8217;s decision to end its basic income trial could be because another kind of welfare program has already caught its eye: Petteri Orpo, Finland&#8217;s finance minister, <a class="u-underline" href="https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/petteri-orpo-vill-testa-universalbidrag-sa-har-funkar-stodet-som-storbritannien-tagit-i-bruk/">told Finnish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet</a> he thinks the nation should give a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-to-end-basic-income-experiment-2018-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">universal credit</a> trial a go once the basic income project officially ends.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E7GUu7Xa7Nw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A universal credit is a single social security payment that replaces several once-distinct benefits, such as income support or child welfare. How much money a person gets in that payment depends on a person&#8217;s income — those who earn more money receive less in their credit. This tiered payment system eliminated an argument long wielded by opponents of UBI: It wouldn&#8217;t disincentive people from <a href="https://futurism.com/basic-income-part-time-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeking employment</a>.
However, a universal credit would include one of the logistical benefits of UBI: a single, streamlined payment for all uses. The United Kingdom introduced a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">universal credit in 2013</a>, so Finland has an example to consider while designing its own universal credit trial.
Indeed, it looks like Finland is leaning more towards a universal payment system than less. Last December, the Finnish Parliament <a href="https://www.pam.fi/en/news/news/2017/12/controversial-active-model-for-unemployment-security-will-come-into-force-from-1-january-2018.html">passed a law</a> that requires people receiving benefits from the government to actively seek employment and report their efforts to officials every three months. The legislation, which went into effect in January, does align with a future shift toward a universal credit-type system.
And that might be pretty good for Finns. <a href="https://www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/Finland-2018-OECD-economic-survey-overview.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A study</a> by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found a universal credit could cut the poverty rate in Finland from 11.4 percent to 9.7 percent.
Finland may not have fallen in love with UBI, but citizens could still benefit as the nation revamps its welfare system.

Another type of welfare system has already caught the nation's eye.

Finland's assessment of basic income trial: not impressed

Finland will not expand its basic income trial post-January 2019 and is already turning its attention to other types of welfare systems.

Finland's Assessment of Basic Income Trial: Not Impressed

The nation is moving on from basic income, but it did learn a few lessons along the way.

Finland’s Assessment of Basic Income Trial: Not Impressed

<h2>From the Rich, To Everyone Else</h2>
The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) traces it roots back to late 18th century England, but most people may have been hearing about it because of concerns that automation may cause mass unemployment. Various UBI pilot programs are already running, to test how effective such a system could be. The concept is fairly simple: every citizen receives an unconditional sum of money, regardless of their socio-economic and employment status.
Depending on the kind of UBI program, the money can be disbursed on a monthly, yearly basis, or in a lump sum. Almost anyone that is someone has an opinion on UBI, but the biggest question always remains: how does one fund such a program?
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For Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, the solution is pretty simple: taxation. During <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7yxgaf/hi_im_chris_hughes_cofounder_of_facebook_my_work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a recent Reddit Ask-Me-Anything</a>, he recommended taxing the richest of the rich in U.S. society — the upper 1 percent — a whopping 50 percent. He&#8217;s not being a modern-day Robin Hood. In truth, letting go of half of their income is not something the rich can&#8217;t afford.
Hughes sees basic income as solution to the problem of income inequality. A $500 monthly stipend for those who earn less than $50,000 a year could go a long way, he argued. That&#8217;s enough to help 90 million people in the U.S. get a fair chance.
<h2>A Crutch, Sure. But then what?</h2>
Basic income is not without critics, of course, including the likes of <a href="https://futurism.com/4-bill-gates-thinks-countries-arent-ready-for-basic-income-yet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates</a> and <a href="https://futurism.com/mark-cuban-universal-basic-income-is-the-worst-possible-response/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Cuban</a>. Aside from the question of funding, one of the arguments these skeptics throw at UBI is how it can debilitate society, putting people off striving to improve their lives. Hughes, however, doesn&#8217;t see it that way.
&#8220;We know that when people get modest amounts of cash, they use it smartly, their kids stay in school longer, health outcomes improve, and they&#8217;re happier,&#8221; Hughes told Redditors. &#8220;We have the power to rebalance our economic system and provide more opportunity to all — we just have to develop the political will to do it.&#8221;
Current UBI pilot programs seem to prove Hughes&#8217; point. Instead of settling for the basic income, individuals who took part in these pilot programs said they had <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-04-berlin-startup-year-money.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more time to look for jobs</a> and to take care of their domestic responsibilities. Basic income worked as a crutch, sure, but one that pushed recipients to aspire for better lives. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a pilot carried out in Finland was also found to<a href="https://futurism.com/finlands-universal-basic-income-program-is-already-reducing-stress-for-recipients/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> reduce stress levels in its participants.</a>
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Hughes isn&#8217;t the only one that&#8217;s been quite vocal about UBI. A veritable who&#8217;s who of billionaires, tech industry heavyweights, and other experts, including <a href="https://futurism.com/mark-zuckerberg-just-voiced-his-support-for-universal-basic-income/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook&#8217;s other co-founder Mark Zuckerberg</a>, see UBI as an option worth exploring. This is especially true when considering automation,<a href="https://futurism.com/2020-presidential-candidate-ubi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> one long-shot U.S. presidential candidate argued</a>. Billionaire hat and flamethrower seller Elon Musk also thinks that <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-automation-will-force-governments-to-introduce-universal-basic-income/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UBI would be necessary</a> in the face of mass unemployment due to automation, an idea shared by<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/20/richard-branson-a-i-will-make-universal-basic-income-necessary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> serial entrepreneur Richard Branson</a>.
Just as Hughes&#8217; said, beyond automation, experts believe in the power of basic income programs to level the economic playing field. Not only that, UBI could also be a welcome improvement to existing social welfare programs.

Letting go of half of their income is not something the rich can't afford.

Facebook co-founder suggests taxing the richest 1% of Americans to fund UBI

During a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything, Facebook's Chris Hughes recommended taxing the U.S. richest a whopping 50 percent to fund UBI programs.

/Universal Basic Income

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