Tag Archives: basic income

What Basic Income Will And Won’t Solve (Rebroadcast)

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
What Basic Income Will And Won't Solve (Rebroadcast)
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Basic income advocates often talk about what a transformative impact universal basic income could have on society — but what issues and challenges will it actually solve? Jim and Owen share their thoughts on whether basic income is the solution to poverty, automation, wealth inequality, and more. This episode originally aired in February of 2018.

Dr. Evelyn Forget on Mincome and Basic Income in Canada (Rebroadcast)

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Dr. Evelyn Forget on Mincome and Basic Income in Canada (Rebroadcast)
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Canada’s basic income trials in trials in the 70s – the “Mincome” experiments – were largely forgotten until Dr. Evelyn Forget found records of the Mincome trials and individuals who had received a basic income. She discusses what she found, and the implications for Canada’s upcoming trials in Ontario. This episode originally aired in May of 2017.

Why is Interest in Basic Income Surging? (Rebroadcast)

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Why is Interest in Basic Income Surging? (Rebroadcast)
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Three years ago, few people had even heard of universal basic income. Now interest is growing across the country, and the idea is getting more exposure and support. What led to this shift? Owen and Jim delve into many of the factors at play, and discuss how we can take advantage of this moment. This episode originally aired in August of 2017.

Roy Bahat, Head of Bloomberg Beta, on Innovation and Basic Income (Rebroadcast)

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Roy Bahat, Head of Bloomberg Beta, on Innovation and Basic Income (Rebroadcast)
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Roy Bahat, Head of Bloomberg Beta, discusses the future of employment and why a universal basic income could spur innovation. He also discusses the mental leaps it requires to wrap our minds around the basic income, and what we can do to help others to make those leaps. This episode originally aired January, 2017.

A Step Forward for Basic Income in the U.K. feat. Jamie Cooke

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
A Step Forward for Basic Income in the U.K. feat. Jamie Cooke
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Recently John McDonnell, shadow chancellor of the U.K.’s Labour Party announced that he would like to see state-funded basic income trials when the Labour Party returns to power. This has triggered an active discussion on basic income in the Labour Party and throughout the United Kingdom. Jamie Cooke, Head of RSA Scotland came back on the Basic Income Podcast to discuss these developments and where things might go from here.

Basic Income and Cash Dividends at the First Democratic Presidential Debate

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Basic Income and Cash Dividends at the First Democratic Presidential Debate
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On June 26th and 27th, the first Democratic Presidential debates were held in Miami, Florida. The debates gave basic income-focused Andrew Yang a national platform, and several other candidates pushed ideas such as a carbon dividend or expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit that would put more cash in people’s hands. Owen and Jim discuss the debates and how the politics of the moment is shaping these conversations.

Cash Transfers for Low Income Expecting Mothers, feat. Zea Malawa

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Cash Transfers for Low Income Expecting Mothers, feat. Zea Malawa
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Expecting Justice, a program out of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, is spearheading a cash transfer program for low income expecting mothers, with a focus on Black and Pacific Islander women. Dr. Zea Malawa, who is leading the initiative, joined the podcast to discuss the rationale behind the pilot and how cash transfers can be cost-effective from a healthcare perspective.

If you’d like to support this initiative, you can contact Dr. Malawa by email at zea.malawa@sfdph.org.

A Proposed Social Wealth Fund in Maryland, feat. Del. Gabriel Acevero

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
A Proposed Social Wealth Fund in Maryland, feat. Del. Gabriel Acevero
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Maryland Delegate Gabriel Acevero is leading the charge for the creation of a social wealth fund in his state. This fund, which would be seeded with revenue from medical cannabis, would eventually pay out dividends and potentially other benefits to Marylanders, with the goal of becoming a universal basic income over time. Del. Acevero joined the podcast to talk about his proposal and the role of racial justice in social benefit programs.

Basic Income Q&A: Taxes, Wages and Systemic Change

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Basic Income Q&A: Taxes, Wages and Systemic Change
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We reached out to you for your questions on basic income and you wrote in with many excellent ones. In this Q&A, Owen and Jim discuss whether basic income would be taxable, how a UBI could affect wages and employee bargaining power, and whether basic income could eventually lead to systemic change in other realms. Reach out on Facebook and Twitter if you have more questions about universal basic income.

Expanding Social Security & Other Programs into a Basic Income

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Expanding Social Security & Other Programs into a Basic Income
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Recently an article in Fast Company proposed reaching a basic income by expanding social security. Owen and Jim dive into the pros and cons of that approach for social security, the earned income tax credit (EITC), child tax credit and carbon dividend. Each has advantages to offer and issues to overcome on the policies themselves and the political narratives behind them.

India Moves Toward Basic Income, feat. Sarath Davala

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
India Moves Toward Basic Income, feat. Sarath Davala
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The basic income movement in India is growing rapidly. There are proposals for a national basic income, and the state of Sikkim seems likely to introduce a basic income program in the near to mid future. In this episode, Jim interviews Sarath Davala, who has been witness and participant to the progress that has led to this moment. He charts what got us to this point and what might happen in the near future.

Technological Economic Cycles, feat. Carlota Perez

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Technological Economic Cycles, feat. Carlota Perez
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While in many ways it feels like we live in unprecedented economic times, through another lens we have been here before. Dr. Carlota Perez charts economic cycles around technological breakthroughs, and she provides needed clarity on our current economic moment. In this episode, she discusses where we are in today’s economy, how we could proceed forward in a productive way, and the stakes in getting this moment right.

Should Government Programs be Universal or Targeted?

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Should Government Programs be Universal or Targeted?
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One of the most common questions we get about basic income is, “why should it be universal?” Or put another way, “what’s the point of giving Bill Gates $1000 a month?” In this episode, Jim and Owen dive into the debate and break down the benefits and drawbacks of universal and targeted programs, and whether a hybrid approach would be possible.

The Basic Income Movement in Sri Lanka, feat. Talal Rafi

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Movement in Sri Lanka, feat. Talal Rafi
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With India seriously considering basic income proposals, the movement is gaining traction in South Asia. This includes Sri Lanka, which is having a wide reaching political debate in the lead up to its coming elections. We spoke to Talal Rafi, who is helping to spearhead the basic income movement in Sri Lanka about the state of the movement and his activism work there.

The Great Risk Shift, feat. Jacob Hacker

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
The Great Risk Shift, feat. Jacob Hacker
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Since LBJ’s Great Society programs revamped America’s social safety net, the average American has steadily taken on more and more risk, both through increasing costs of healthcare and education, and the growing precarity of employment, due to globalization, automation and contract work, among other factors. Jacob Hacker, professor of Political Science at Yale, has detailed this growing burden in his book The Great Risk Shift, the second volume of which was just released. Hacker joined the podcast to discuss this major trend in the economy and how a basic income could change the equation.

The second edition of the Great Risk Shift may be purchased here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-great-risk-shift-9780190844141?cc=us&lang=en&

Running for President on Basic Income, feat. Andrew Yang

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Running for President on Basic Income, feat. Andrew Yang
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The basic income movement is gaining national exposure through the presidential campaign of Andrew Yang. Yang has now been interviewed by many major TV networks, magazines and podcasts, and he has qualified for the first two Democratic debates. Owen spoke to Andrew Yang as he was on his way to a campaign stop in New Hampshire about running for president, how basic income resonates in places like Iowa and New Hampshire, and how the politics of this might proceed if he were elected president but faced a skeptical Congress.

Preliminary Results from the Finland Basic Income Trial, feat. Ylikännö Minna

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Preliminary Results from the Finland Basic Income Trial, feat. Ylikännö Minna
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Finland recently concluded a nationally funded basic income experiment, focused on people receiving unemployment benefits. We got the first wave of findings from the data, and dove into the results with Ylikanno Minna, Senior Researcher at Kela. We discuss the data, what it means, what we can learn from this experiment (so far) and what we can’t.

The Bills in Congress that Would Create New Cash Policies

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
The Bills in Congress that Would Create New Cash Policies
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Recently, a variety of basic income-esque legislation has been introduced at the federal level. Bills from Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Ro Khanna, Sherrod Brown and others provide cash dividends in some form. Some focus on working people, others on children and one bill would fight climate change and poverty through a carbon dividend. Owen and Jim break down each and discuss if basic income could (and should) happen through a piecemeal approach.

Is Italy’s Citizen’s Income a Step in the Right Direction?

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
Is Italy's Citizen's Income a Step in the Right Direction?
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Italy’s Five-Star Movement rose to power campaigning on a host of proposals, chief among them a “citizen’s income,” a cash assistance program. While there are obvious thing to like about the program, there are problematic elements as well, including the inclusion criteria, and what recipients have to do to stay on the program. Owen and Jim break down the program and discuss whether or not the program should be seen as a step in the right direction.

How Would History Have Been Different If We’d Had a Basic Income?

The Basic Income Podcast
The Basic Income Podcast
How Would History Have Been Different If We'd Had a Basic Income?
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In this discussion episode, Owen and Jim take on some of the major events of the last few decades, asking the question, how would things have been different if we’d had a basic income? The episode examines climate-related disasters, such as the recent fires in California, mass incarceration, and the election of Donald Trump. Examining concrete events in the past helps us consider how basic income might play out in the future.