Would a universal basic income actually work?
Rutger Bregman is a Dutch economist who is causing a stir with his book “Utopia For Realists – And How We Can Get There” which is published in English this week. He has an article in today’s “Guardian” newspaper in which he summarises his case that “Poverty is not a lack of character. Poverty is a lack of cash.”
He puts the argument for “an incredibly simple idea: universal basic income – a monthly allowance of enough to pay for your basic needs: food, shelter, education. And it’s completely unconditional: not a favour, but a right.”
But would it actually work? Bregman has looked at the data from a little-known experiment which took place in the Canadian town of Dauphin from 1974-1979.
He insists that the result of introducing a universal basic income was that “the people in Dauphin had not only become richer, but also smarter and healthier. The school performance of children improved substantially. The hospitalisation rate decreased by as much as 8.5%. Domestic violence was also down, as were mental health complaints.”
You can find a review of Bregman’s book here.
You can learn more about the Dauphin experiment here.