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The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

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Re: The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

#3
One of the things about UBI is that these pilot programs aren't UBI, because they aren't universal. Giving a segment of the population free money is going to benefit that segment, no question. Welfare and Quantitative Easing are both examples of that. But when you make it universal, my economics intuition says that the effect will be washed out by a commensurate rise in prices.

Or put another way, you can subsidize the few at the expense of the many, but you can't subsidize the many at their own expense and have it result in a positive effect.

Re: The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

#4

One of the things about UBI is that these pilot programs aren't UBI, because they aren't universal. Giving a segment of the population free money is going to benefit that segment, no question. Welfare and Quantitative Easing are both examples of that. But when you make it universal, my economics intuition says that the effect will be washed out by a commensurate rise in prices. Or put another way, you can subsidize t…

net result being an increase in taxes on many (or at least mid-to-high earners) with zero benefits to society, only a built-in voting block for those who enable this

edit: if I wanted upvotes I'd jump on the socialism/communism bandwagon. I feel sorry for the future if this is the prevailing thought :(

Re: The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

#5

One of the things about UBI is that these pilot programs aren't UBI, because they aren't universal. Giving a segment of the population free money is going to benefit that segment, no question. Welfare and Quantitative Easing are both examples of that. But when you make it universal, my economics intuition says that the effect will be washed out by a commensurate rise in prices. Or put another way, you can subsidize t…

net result being an increase in taxes on many (or at least mid-to-high earners) with zero benefits to society, only a built-in voting block for those who enable this edit: if I wanted upvotes I'd jump on the socialism/communism bandwagon. I feel sorry for the future if this is the prevailing thought :(

Being able to eschew shitty soul-sucking jobs in favor of real personal development is "zero benefit"?

Re: The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

#6
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

net result being an increase in taxes on many (or at least mid-to-high earners) with zero benefits to society, only a built-in voting block for those who enable this edit: if I wanted upvotes I'd jump on the socialism/communism bandwagon. I feel sorry for the future if this is the prevailing thought :(

Being able to eschew shitty soul-sucking jobs in favor of real personal development is "zero benefit"?

They are arguing that access to the economy without the exchange of productivity will not create the opportunity for personal development, that the cost of basic goods and housing will rise to absorb any universal payment.

Re: The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

#7

One of the things about UBI is that these pilot programs aren't UBI, because they aren't universal. Giving a segment of the population free money is going to benefit that segment, no question. Welfare and Quantitative Easing are both examples of that. But when you make it universal, my economics intuition says that the effect will be washed out by a commensurate rise in prices. Or put another way, you can subsidize t…

>you can't subsidize the many at their own expense and have it result in a positive effect.

You can if it changes local incentives to cause a better overall outcome. For example, a tragedy-of-the-commons situation can be improved by having each over-user give up their share of use to a monopolist whose subsidies replace the lost income.

This is explicitly one of the goals of replacing the current social safety nets with UBI. The social safety net as it stands has some extraordinarily shitty incentives. The effective marginal rate on income can exceed 100% in some situations, where income-based phase-outs of benefits are higher than the extra money you make. When I worked pizza delivery, my boss at one time had to scramble to figure out how to decline a pay raise that made her ineligible for childcare subsidies that cost more than the increase in take-home pay.

>But when you make it universal, my economics intuition says that the effect will be washed out by a commensurate rise in prices.

This is why a university degree isn't what it used to be, IMO, and why I oppose the college subsidies people are talking about. The net effect is that an undergraduate degree basically becomes what a high school degree is right now.

Re: The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

#8

One of the things about UBI is that these pilot programs aren't UBI, because they aren't universal. Giving a segment of the population free money is going to benefit that segment, no question. Welfare and Quantitative Easing are both examples of that. But when you make it universal, my economics intuition says that the effect will be washed out by a commensurate rise in prices. Or put another way, you can subsidize t…

I agree that these studies need to use the area's whole population to be complete.

They should give these a try in a more insular area, like a big town the middle of nowhere in Wyoming, for these studies. They would have a more isolated economy.

Re: The latest experiment in basic income will be coming to Stockton, California

#9
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

net result being an increase in taxes on many (or at least mid-to-high earners) with zero benefits to society, only a built-in voting block for those who enable this edit: if I wanted upvotes I'd jump on the socialism/communism bandwagon. I feel sorry for the future if this is the prevailing thought :(

Being able to eschew shitty soul-sucking jobs in favor of real personal development is "zero benefit"?

How many people will engage in real personal development, and how many people will just spend more time on Netflix and Facebook?
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