Finland Intros Trial To Give Jobless $800 Of Unconditional Cash A Month

Finland has become the first country in Europe and one of the most prominent nations in the world to begin trialling an unconditional, universal basic income for its citizens, as the concept picks up steam all over the shop.

A universal basic income, for the uninitiated, is different from welfare. Basically, it’s a flat sum that would be paid to every member of society, regardless of income and without any kind of means-testing. Whether you have a job or not, you receive that basic payment. We did an explainer on it last year, if you’re keen to learn more.
Under the two-year pilot program, two thousand unemployed Finns aged 25 to 58 will receive a guaranteed, unconditional monthly payment of €560 (AU$807). It’ll replace their existing social benefits, and they’ll still receive it even if they find work.
It’s one of those ideas that has nascent support across the political spectrum. People on the left like it because it has the potential to address structural issues around poverty, and people on the right like it because it promises a leaner, more easily-managed welfare state. 
By the same token, detractors on the left think it’d be super easy for conservative lawmakers to nip that ‘unconditional’ bit in the bud, and right-wingers reckon its free cash which will disincentivise work. But hey: automation and other economic forces promise to wipe out a lot of jobs, so we gotta do something.
A survey last year found that 68% of people across all 28 EU member states would “definitely or probably” vote for some form of universal basic income. But they’re Europeans.
A number of jurisdictions in countries like the UK, Canada and Italy are considering pilot programs which introduce a basic income or ‘citizen’s wage’ – a different name for essentially the same thing. Meanwhile in Australia, instead of considering the future of the social safety net, the Australian government is just running a mail money scam on Centrelink recipients. Nice.
Interesting times.
Source: The Guardian.
Photo: Parks & Recreation.

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