It’s an unprecedented – and massive – experiment: Since 2017 the U.S.-based charity GiveDirectly has been providing thousands of villagers in Kenya what’s called a “universal basic income” – a cash grant of about $50, delivered every month, with the commitment to keep the payments coming for 12 years. It is a crucial test of what many consider one of the most cutting-edge ideas for alleviating global poverty. This week a team of independent researchers who have been studying the impact released their first results.
There have been trials in Western countries. Ontario, Canada ran a basic income trial that was stunningly successful until a Conservative government came in and shut it down.
My favourite bit of data from that trial was that employment actually went up, not down. More people were working once they started just giving people money. The only exceptions were amongst mothers of newborn children, and students (y’know, people who have much better things to be doing than working).
Sadly it was only one town, but the results we got before it was shuttered absolutely proved that the concept worked.
Ooh, do you happen to have a link to that study? I’d like to keep that for when certain acquaintances of mine start about how it won’t work. Will be fun to see their mental gymnastics (assuming they read the report, which they probably won’t).