Jamie Morgan: Improving racial equity by combining basic income and Baby Bonds
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One of the proposals championed during the 2020 Democratic primary was Baby Bonds, which would create steadily growing trust accounts for each child that they could access when they turn 18. The Institute for Assets and Social Policy at the Heller School of Social Policy at Brandeis partnered with podcast co-host Jim Pugh through the Universal Income Project to model how such a program would drastically reduce income and asset poverty when combined with a basic income. Jamie Morgan, a PhD student at the Heller School, joined the podcast to discuss this concept and the promise it holds.
The $1200 Check for Every American and What's Yet to Come
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Recently, the CARES Act, the largest coronavirus relief package to date was signed into law, and it included, among many other things, a $1200 check for every legal adult resident making $75,000 (or $150,000 for couples), and $500 for each of their children. Jim and Owen discuss this major dispersement of unconditional cash, what it means in the short term and what we might expect going forward.
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Basic Income Interest Surges Due To COVID-19 Crisis
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While interest in universal basic income has increased steadily over the last five years, it has surged to unprecedented levels over the last five weeks. Cash transfers, either as a one-off or an ongoing program, are being discussed on both sides of the aisle as the U.S. deals with the economic fallout caused by social distancing measures to slow the spread of the novel coranavirus. Jim and Owen discuss some of the bills under consideration, what makes for a good basic income bill and how far we’ve come in such a short period of time.
Leah Hamilton: Why Basic Income Could Address Issues of Welfare Programs
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We often mention that our current welfare programs have serious inefficiencies, bottlenecks and unnecessary filters, and on this episode, we delve into the tragic human toll these bureaucratic issues cause. Dr. Leah Hamilton, Associate Professor at Appalachian State University and author of Welfare Doesn’t Work: The Promises of Basic Income for a Failed American Safety Net, has studied the welfare state in the U.S. and gotten to know families that have been torn apart as a result of asset limits and other harmful criteria in our benefit programs. She joined the podcast to discuss these problems and why basic income could be a solution.
Alex Howlett: Making Basic Income Dynamic and Responsive
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The amount that everyone would receive under a basic income is generally stated as $1000 per month, give or take, with any nod to how this amount would change contained in the occasional “chained to inflation” at the end. Our guest this week, Alex Howlett, argues for a different framework: making the basic income dynamic and dependent on several economic factors. Jim discusses this concept with Alex, and how it might work in practice.
Stacey Rutland: Building a Post-Yang Campaign Basic Income Movement
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The Andrew Yang presidential campaign introduced millions of people to the idea of basic income, and galvanized many who are excited by the idea. Income Movement is an organization looking to build on this progress to create a sustained national movement for basic income. Jim spoke with Stacey Rutland, one of Income Movement’s cofounders, on what they have done so far and their plans for the future.
Bliss Broyard: An Intimate Look at Basic Income Recipients in Stockton
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We have heard much about the basic income trial in Stockton, CA, and finally got some aggregate statistics earlier this year. These averages and other global reports are an important part of the story, but the actual experience of receiving unconditional cash is unique to each person. That becomes readily apparent through the in-depth profiles of five recipients, published by Bliss Broyard in New York Magazine. Broyard joined the podcast to reflect on her reporting and the lives she documented.
Morgan Harper: Running for Congress in Ohio on Universal Income
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While Andrew Yang has brought basic income to the national stage, we are seeing more and more state and local politicians exploring the idea as well. One of them is Morgan Harper, who is seeking to represent Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District. Harper is running on a number of transformative policies, including universal childcare, Medicare for all, and universal income. She joined the podcast to discuss her campaign, challenging an incumbent from the same party, and her take on basic income.
Sukhi Samra: Early Results From The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration
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The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) has drawn national attention as a modern basic income trial. Recently, we got the first reports from basic income recipients there, who are receiving $500 a month for 18 months. The results back up a lot of what we’ve already seen from cash transfer trials, but we also have some powerful stories of personal transformation, enabled by the extra cash. These stories provide compelling first hand accounts of what a little economic security can do. Sukhi Samra, Director of SEED, joined the podcast to talk about what we’ve seen so far in Stockton.
If we were to fund a basic income of $1,000 a month with a wealth tax, a carbon tax, some program consolidation and deficit spending, how much would your bank account increase or decrease after your income and current government assistance are factored in? A new project, the UBI Calculator (ubicalculator.com), seeks to answer this question down to the dollar for many of the UBI plans being proposed today. The project’s creator, Conrad Shaw, joined the podcast to discuss the UBI Calculator and why he built it.
Robert Stayton: Could Solar Dividends Provide a Basic Income?
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Robert Stayton proposes an outside-the-box idea for how to provide both ample clean energy and a basic income on the local, state or national level: solar dividends. This proposal would leverage the abundance of available solar energy with the regulatory ability to increase the price at which solar energy is purchased into the grid. To read more about Stayton’s proposal and the book that details it further, go to solardividends.org.
Reverend Liz Theoharis: Building a Movement Centered on Poor People
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One of the most prominent advocates of guaranteed income is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the Poor People’s Campaign in the 1960s to demand economic justice for those living in poverty in the United States. The Poor People’s Campaign has been revived in recent years by Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and Rev. Dr. William Barber and aims to combat the challenges facing poor people at a systemic level. This includes issues as diverse as climate change, workers’ rights, housing, and economic empowerment. Importantly, the campaign puts poor people at its center as a driving, shaping force. Rev. Theoharis joins the podcast to discuss the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and how the work of the campaign connects to universal basic income.
In this discussion episode, Jim lays out his ideas on how we should think about basic income in relation to other benefit programs like unemployment insurance and the Earned Income Tax Credit. We get into topics like whether basic income should count as taxable income, and the difference between the social safety net and the social contract.
Also, we now have a new way you can support the podcast! To donate to support our operational costs, and, if we reach a certain level, to promote the podcast, go to https://glow.fm/basicincome.
Jhumpa Bhattacharya: The Racial Wealth Gap and Basic Income Policy Design
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Basic income has been heralded as a policy that can partially address racial inequities in our economy and social benefit system, but how would the goals of racial equity inform basic income policy? Jhumpa Bhattacharya of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development joins the podcast to discuss this issue, and the vital importance of countenancing our racial history as we design future economic policy.
Max Ghenis: Evaluating Today's Basic Income Policies
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As basic income gains more recognition and interest, new proposals and ideas for what a basic income should look like are starting to emerge. While these proposals are occasionally studied on a one-off basis, the basic income conversation didn’t necessarily have a single hub where one could evaluate policies side by side. The UBI Center, founded by Max Ghenis, seeks to change that by providing economic breakdowns of leading basic income proposals. Max joined the podcast to discuss his work, what motivates it, and his evaluation of Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend.
Dr. Evelyn Forget on Mincome and Basic Income in Canada (Rebroadcast)
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Canada’s basic income trials in trials in the 70s – the “Mincome” experiments – were largely forgotten until Dr. Evelyn Forget found records of the Mincome trials and individuals who had received a basic income. She discusses what she found, and the implications for Canada’s upcoming trials in Ontario. This episode originally aired in May of 2017.
Why is Interest in Basic Income Surging? (Rebroadcast)
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Three years ago, few people had even heard of universal basic income. Now interest is growing across the country, and the idea is getting more exposure and support. What led to this shift? Owen and Jim delve into many of the factors at play, and discuss how we can take advantage of this moment. This episode originally aired in August of 2017.
Roy Bahat, Head of Bloomberg Beta, on Innovation and Basic Income (Rebroadcast)
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Roy Bahat, Head of Bloomberg Beta, discusses the future of employment and why a universal basic income could spur innovation. He also discusses the mental leaps it requires to wrap our minds around the basic income, and what we can do to help others to make those leaps. This episode originally aired January, 2017.
A Step Forward for Basic Income in the U.K. feat. Jamie Cooke
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Recently John McDonnell, shadow chancellor of the U.K.’s Labour Party announced that he would like to see state-funded basic income trials when the Labour Party returns to power. This has triggered an active discussion on basic income in the Labour Party and throughout the United Kingdom. Jamie Cooke, Head of RSA Scotland came back on the Basic Income Podcast to discuss these developments and where things might go from here.
Basic Income and Cash Dividends at the First Democratic Presidential Debate
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On June 26th and 27th, the first Democratic Presidential debates were held in Miami, Florida. The debates gave basic income-focused Andrew Yang a national platform, and several other candidates pushed ideas such as a carbon dividend or expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit that would put more cash in people’s hands. Owen and Jim discuss the debates and how the politics of the moment is shaping these conversations.
