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Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

freakonomics.com

11–20 of 133 posts

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you expand on "align incentives" a little more please?

Why would I, a rich person, pay 10% of my income in the US when I can simply claim citizenship of another (business focused) country?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillotine it can happen again.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you expand on "align incentives" a little more please?

Why would I, a rich person, pay 10% of my income in the US when I can simply claim citizenship of another (business focused) country?

Most people aren't willing to give up their citizenship that easily. We can see that because they already do pay more than 10% of their income.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#13
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you expand on "align incentives" a little more please?

At some point the poor are better off starting a revolution than being stuck at the bottom. We are heading to a future where most people are going to be poor because an average person with an average education is going to be unable to find a job.

That's a very good point. It's getting much harder for a non-college-educated person to get a job. Thank you for explaining that further.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By politically I'm imagining a politician campaigning on the promise to increase the basic minimum income. Vote for me and I'll get your basic income increased. Don't vote for my opponent because they just want to cut your basic income! It's the tax issue all over again.

Exactly, and just as likely to be gummed up by complexity. After all, how can you be against teachers and firefighters receiving just a little more BI for their essential, thankless jobs?

but such considerations are what their actual income is for.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#15
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you expand on "align incentives" a little more please?

At some point the poor are better off starting a revolution than being stuck at the bottom. We are heading to a future where most people are going to be poor because an average person with an average education is going to be unable to find a job.

Agitation comes when there is light at the end of the tunnel, it does not happen when there is complete darkness. That's to say the poor need the hope that change (revolution) will result in better things. They also need buy in from the better off (who would have the resources to stave off any revolution). People don't revolt for the sake of revolting there has to be an expected (positive) result at the end.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Politically I don't see it being any different to progressive taxes which many (most?) countries already implement. Practically I suspect it will need to be quite low to avoid all sorts of distortions.

By politically I'm imagining a politician campaigning on the promise to increase the basic minimum income. Vote for me and I'll get your basic income increased. Don't vote for my opponent because they just want to cut your basic income! It's the tax issue all over again.

You forget the US is run by the rich, which is why this does not happen with Social Security. It's all about not having the benefit cut instead of increasing benefits or lowering retirement age.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#17
It is important to consider this as more and more white-collar jobs may become redundant due to automation [e.g. 1].

Moreover, it would be interesting to see what becomes of today's jobs if there were an basic income. E.g. what percentage of jobs would disappear and not be missed? How many people would continue to work at their current job?

[1] http://books.simonandschuster.com/The-Industries-of-the-Futu...

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#18

Negative. Those with money will fight like hell to keep from giving it up. However if by some chance/miracle a guaranteed income is ever instituted, it will become a political football, as politicians and advocacy groups seek to continuously push it higher and higher. Instead of a money handout, I would rather support money in exchange for public works and service. I don't believe handouts without some kind of exchan…

Politically I don't see it being any different to progressive taxes which many (most?) countries already implement. Practically I suspect it will need to be quite low to avoid all sorts of distortions.

I haven't listened to the episode, but the Basic Income that makes sense is one that replaces all/most welfare programs.

The existing programs are very distorting already, often giving poor people 100%+ marginal taxes.

Sure, Basic Income would be distorting, but far less than that. It should also save a lot of money since it requires almost no people to administer.

This is also the biggest problem with instituting it, since the people holding those jobs will fight to the death to keep them.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#19

Negative. Those with money will fight like hell to keep from giving it up. However if by some chance/miracle a guaranteed income is ever instituted, it will become a political football, as politicians and advocacy groups seek to continuously push it higher and higher. Instead of a money handout, I would rather support money in exchange for public works and service. I don't believe handouts without some kind of exchan…

Politically I don't see it being any different to progressive taxes which many (most?) countries already implement. Practically I suspect it will need to be quite low to avoid all sorts of distortions.

it doesn't even exist yet and he's trying to distort it.

Re: Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

#20

Negative. Those with money will fight like hell to keep from giving it up. However if by some chance/miracle a guaranteed income is ever instituted, it will become a political football, as politicians and advocacy groups seek to continuously push it higher and higher. Instead of a money handout, I would rather support money in exchange for public works and service. I don't believe handouts without some kind of exchan…

I agree on the points of exchange for public good. Even poor people are loath to see others getting by on "freebies". But a progressive system where BI depends on need (age, for example) and commensurate effort (volunteering, helping take care of elderly, studying, training, etc.) I think is doable and will need to be worked out as more jobs get automated and people are left out of the economy either due to mismatch of skills or other handicap.
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