Thursday, August 21, 2014

Myths & facts about unconditional basic income

Fascinating and informative presentation debunking the myth that if people are given a hand up that they will not be motivated to contribute to society. Actual test cases prove this is the myth, not the reality. He reports on this experiment in rural India. Compared to the control group the unconditional basic income substantially increased recipient labor, productivity and work. All social indicators were better. It cost less than existing social programs. People were twice as likely to increase their productivity at work. They increased their livestock by 70%. They were more likely to increase their income from work. They were 3 times more likely to start a new business. There was significant reduction of debt and increase in savings. They were more likely to improve their living conditions and hence healthier children. And so on.When you are freed from survival needs you can invest your time and energy into achieving something meaningful. We've discussed this early in part 1 of the anti-capitalism thread, how once we have surplus at lower needs we can use it to develop our higher needs.

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