What Happens When Every Citizen Receives a Universal Basic Income

(More on that in a minute.)

How UBI Works

There are a couple of ways a universal basic income can be implemented.

One is a flat cash payment made to every citizen on a regular basis, say, monthly.

So if you earn nothing, you get a poverty amount, says Pugh, of $12,000.

Or not work and keep the small measure of security and continuity that welfare provides?

After that the effort stopped, says Pugh.

Researchers looked at the effects a basic income had on participants, from health to education to workforce participation.

There was a decline in infant mortality.

He is blunt: If students are not as poor, they do better.

There was an increase in homeownership.

There were fewer psychiatric emergencies in the local hospital.

These are all results, theoretically, that Americans would want to support.

Many Americans dont like the social welfare programs we already havenote the push for entitlements reform.

Theyre uncomfortable with the idea of free cash handouts.

Exactly how an American UBI would be funded is a pretty complex tax question.

It is impossible to decrease those rates without also increasing costs.

R. Rank for theNew York Times.

Widerquist argues that even if it is more expensive, its money well spent.

Liberals want a UBI to augment what we already have.

There are some social programsMedicaid or disability, for examplethat couldnt be adequately replaced by a modest cash allowance.

The right and the left do agree on one thing, however: The current safety net is inefficient.

Those people would be covered, at least somewhat, by a universal basic income.

The current renewed interest in implementing a universal basic income is due to a couple of different factors.

Tubbs has noted that he doesnt consider the money to be a hand-out so much as a hand-up.

In the meantime, keep your eye on Stockton.