Universal basic income gains ground: from New Zealand to the Marshall Islands
New Zealand proposes a $19,400 income, Yang pays for your data, and Musk announces the end of money by 2036.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Universal basic income is no longer just a dreamer's fantasy
What if, within a decade, working to live sounded as outdated as the fax machine? While most people argue about wages, a network of concrete proposals is landing in the real world. A Telegram channel (t.me/rbui_noticias) gathers the latest developments daily: New Zealand, South Korea and the Marshall Islands already have plans on the table or underway. And they don't come from the left.
The plans already on the table
The work dilemma in the age of automation
Not everyone sees it that way. Some argue that money is merely a representation of the value you contribute to society, and that handing it out without working is a mirage. The counterargument: if technology allows more to be produced with fewer hands, work becomes scarce. David Graeber, the anthropologist fashionable among tech people, called them 'bullshit jobs'. The question is not whether you get fed, but who controls the machine.
For now, the only real experiment is in the Pacific. And the uncomfortable question remains: if money stops mattering, who decides what is worth doing? Ironies of the future: those receiving the income may be the first to answer.
What if, within a decade, working to live sounded as outdated as the fax machine? While most people argue about wages, a network of concrete proposals is landing in the real world. A Telegram channel (t.me/rbui_noticias) gathers the latest developments daily: New Zealand, South Korea and the Marshall Islands already have plans on the table or underway. And they don't come from the left.
The plans already on the table
- New Zealand's Opportunity Party proposes an income of NZ$19,400 a year, funded by a 1.75% land tax.
- Andrew Yang proposes $15,000 per family per year as compensation for the personal data used in AI.
- Elon Musk claims that by 2036 money will no longer matter.
- A rural pilot program in South Korea already covers more than 300,000 people.
- The Marshall Islands launch the world's first permanent national basic income.
The work dilemma in the age of automation
Not everyone sees it that way. Some argue that money is merely a representation of the value you contribute to society, and that handing it out without working is a mirage. The counterargument: if technology allows more to be produced with fewer hands, work becomes scarce. David Graeber, the anthropologist fashionable among tech people, called them 'bullshit jobs'. The question is not whether you get fed, but who controls the machine.
For now, the only real experiment is in the Pacific. And the uncomfortable question remains: if money stops mattering, who decides what is worth doing? Ironies of the future: those receiving the income may be the first to answer.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (12 replies).
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