Universal Basic Income

As federal aid shrinks, communities try new ways to tackle child poverty on their own

5:00am December 02, 2024

After Congress ended extra cash aid for families, local efforts aimed to fill the gap. In Flint, Michigan, Rx Kids gives cash aid to every family for a baby's first year. Will it work elsewhere?

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A 2017 meeting of a rotating savings club formed in a village near Lake Victoria soon after every adult there was chosen to receive a monthly through GiveDirectly's experiment. The clubs have enabled recipients to convert their grants into lump sum payments: Each month the members put $10 into the communual pot — for a total of $100 — and a different person takes it home.

It's one of the biggest experiments in fighting global poverty. Now the results are in

12:08pm December 07, 2023

by Nurith Aizenman

The study focuses on a universal basic income and spans 12 years and thousands of people in Kenya. How did the money change lives? What's better: monthly payouts or a lump sum.

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The aftermath of a mudslide that ripped through villages on the foothills of Mount Elgon in 2012, killing at least 18 people. The slopes of this extinct volcano in eastern Uganda have become increasingly prone to such disasters as a result of climate change. The looming question: How do you help people find a safe new place to live?

Why villagers haven't left a mudslide prone mountain — and how a novel plan might help

10:19am November 14, 2023

by Nurith Aizenman

On an extinct volcano in Uganda, hundreds of thousands face disaster due to climate change. The charity GiveDirectly is trying a surprising approach to help them get out of harm's way.

The California city of Palm Springs has taken the first step in developing a universal basic income program for transgender and nonbinary residents.

Palm Springs looks to create a universal basic income pilot for trans residents

5:00am April 07, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

The Palm Springs City Council took the first step in approving funding for two organizations to develop a universal basic income pilot program that prioritizes trans and nonbinary residents.

Results From The City That Just Gave Away Cash

6:31am March 09, 2021

by Emma Peaslee

A new study looks at the experiment with a guaranteed basic income in Stockton, California.

Stockton, Calif., resident Susie Garza displays the city-provided debit card she receives monthly as part of a pilot universal basic income program. The program began in 2019, when this photo was taken.

National

California Program Giving $500 No-Strings-Attached Stipends Pays Off, Study Finds

2:16pm March 04, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

Independent researchers found that the first year of a universal basic income experiment in Stockton, Calif., measurably improved recipients' job prospects, financial stability and overall well being.

Flaviane da Conceição, 40, a self-employed house cleaner, poses for a photo at her home in the Cidade de Deus favela on July 29 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A single mother of three, she applied for government emergency aid at the beginning of the coronav

Coronavirus-Hit Brazil Considers Major Public Funds For Poor And Unemployed

2:19pm August 31, 2020

by Catherine Osborn

Pandemic emergency aid gave an unlikely ratings boost to President Jair Bolsonaro, who has criticized welfare and protested virus prevention measures. Now he's weighing further social spending.

President Trump has his highest approval rating yet, even though his reelection prospects continue to be lackluster.

Politics & Government

Poll: Americans Not Sold On Trump — Or Democrats

8:07pm July 22, 2019

by Domenico Montanaro

President Trump has his highest approval rating yet, even though his reelection prospects continue to be lackluster. But voters aren't yet buying what Democrats are selling.

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Euro bank notes lie on a table in counter of a bank in Dresden, Germany, Monday, June 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Matthias Rietschel)

Episode 796: The Basic Income Experiment

7:05pm September 22, 2017

by Avery Trufleman

The basic income. A flat payment to citizens, without strings. Is it a progressive fantasy, or sensible policy? We may soon find out. The Finnish Government is testing it on 2,000 unemployed citizens.