« Everyone's Talking About This Simple Solution To Ending Poverty By Just Giving People Free Money. »

This story on the universal basic income published the 12th of November on Business Insider was written by David Vinik, political reporter. Business Insider is a U.S. business and technology news website launched in February 2009, based in New York City, which draws millions of visitors.

Real wages have been stagnant in America for decades now and income inequality has grown immensely. In the aftermath of the Great Recession, it’s only gotten worse. The Census Bureau reported in September that the 15 percent of Americans (46.5 million) live below the poverty line.

« Real wages have been stagnant in America for decades now and income inequality has grown immensely.In the aftermath of the Great Recession, it’s only gotten worse. The Census Bureau reported in September that the 15 percent of Americans (46.5 million) live below the poverty line. Government benefits like food stamps and TANF help lift some of them above the line, but millions still live below it.

« Economists have long shuddered at the thought of a basic income, because it strongly disincentives work. However, a basic income is just that: basic. Most adults would continue to work to earn extra money. The employment effects would not be non-existent and there may be an increase in part-time work. As Lowrey points out, different studies have found the disincentive effects on work are not as strong as economists feared. »

Read full story on Business Insider. [+]

« Basic Income keeps rocking the boat on the US press. This November 12th, New York Times presented the Swiss initiative for basic income and endorsed the possibility of applying such a model in the United States.

Illustration: Kelsey Dake 

Economic journalist Annie Lowrey also explains the positive effects of the Mincome pilot test, run on Canadian town of Dauphin, whose residents have been receiving a basic income for many years: [+]

The campaign of participative financing of the European movement for a basic income started on November 7th. In two days it already overtook the objective fixed by 15'000€. It still lasts until November 21st.

European Citizens' Initiative for Unconditional Basic Income (www.basicincome2013.eu) proposes a new form of total social security for all citizens. It aims to eradicate poverty, protect people from the consequences of un(der)employment and recognize the essential labor which happens outside the market. Our goal is to collect 1 million signatures by January 2014 to force the European Commission to do research into the policy and organise an official hearing about basic income in the European Parliament. [+]

Today November 8, 2013, the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland announced that the citizen’s initiative for an Unconditional Basic Income has been formally accepted. It stated that after the validation of the signatures on 4 October, 126,408 valid signatures were submitted. Thus, the Federal Chancellery of Switzerland confirms formally: There will be a national referendum on Unconditional Basic Income.

What's next now? The Federal Council will consider Basic Income and prepare a report on it. This will take about one year. Afterwards there will be a debate in the parliament. The national referendum will follow in two to three years.

The question is: Should each person in the country receive the financial basis for a living unconditionally?

Enno Schmidt & Daniel Straub [+]

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