It was not too long ago that I first heard about the “universal basic income” idea. I got it from Al Wenger who believes this is the future. The basic idea is simple. Get rid of government support programs like unemployment and social security and pay everyone instead a basic amount that is enough to live on. Income earned above that would be taxed.
This sounds utopian. It will never happen, right? Well, think again, The Finns are about to give it a try. I was surprised from the linked article that this is actually a relatively old idea
… the idea has recently been picking up speed on a local level for years, since the big global financial crisis of 2008 and the subsequent recessions and economic struggles in major countries. In Switzerland, a years-long push for basic income grew steadily in popularity until the nation’s parliament rejected it in October. The Dutch city of Utrecht is in the process of a pilot project on basic income, and seven other cities in the country have announced their intention to explore the idea, which has been discussed in the Netherlands since the 1970s.
Manitoba, in Canada, tried the idea in the late 1970s, creating, briefly, “the town with no poverty.” A subsequent study by Duke University researchers found that during its “MINCOME” experiment, Manitobans had lower rates of hospitalization, particularly for mental health problems and accidents.
BTW, if this topic interests you, Al Wenger provides an argument in his blog why the guaranteed basic wage would foster automation. It is his answer to question nr. 4
Buzzography 