26 votes

Finland's basic income trial boosts happiness but not employment

6 comments

  1. eladnarra
    Link
    Isn't one of the touted benefits of a basic income that you remove a lot of the administrative burden? I'd imagine that keeping track of job offers and whether people take them would cost the...

    Prime Minister Juha Sipila’s Centre Party has proposed limiting the basic income to poor people, with sanctions if they reject a job offer

    Isn't one of the touted benefits of a basic income that you remove a lot of the administrative burden? I'd imagine that keeping track of job offers and whether people take them would cost the government money and increase the stress of the claimants. Proving income and the possibility of losing all benefits after a small raise are also huge points of stress for people on benefits.

    It seems that in trying to make the system more palatable to people, like only giving it to unemployed people and proposing sanctions, governments might be skewing the results of the trials.

    9 votes
  2. wheresvic
    Link
    This reminds me of a very poignant quote: When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told...

    This reminds me of a very poignant quote:

    When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.

    Not sure who said or if it isn't a joke but it somehow left a deep impression in me :)

    5 votes
  3. [4]
    demifiend
    Link
    Maybe the jobs just aren't there, or just aren't worth doing for the wages on offer?

    Maybe the jobs just aren't there, or just aren't worth doing for the wages on offer?

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      Amarok
      Link Parent
      This study is somewhat noteworthy because it's happening in a 'first world' situation, $650 a month is a king's ransom in a lot of other countries where UBI can be done for $50 a month or less per...

      This study is somewhat noteworthy because it's happening in a 'first world' situation, $650 a month is a king's ransom in a lot of other countries where UBI can be done for $50 a month or less per family unit. Most studies have been in poorer areas with very different economic circumstances. The effect of UBI is much more pronounced in poorer societies. We always knew it'd play out differently in a more developed context.

      Part of the problem with unemployed people is that a lot of them simply haven't got any marketable skills. UBI alone is not a fix for that problem. Access to knowledge, education and training resources is also necessary so that people can develop those skills.

      12 votes
      1. Pilgrim
        Link Parent
        Something I think is often taken for granted when speaking about UBI and unemployment, is that some people are and never will be employable no matter how much education or resource. They either...

        Access to knowledge, education and training resources is also necessary so that people can develop those skills

        Something I think is often taken for granted when speaking about UBI and unemployment, is that some people are and never will be employable no matter how much education or resource. They either lack the mental capacity, are not healthy enough to work, or are simply not interested.

    2. MimicSquid
      Link Parent
      As mentioned in the article, many of the subjects (who were among the unemployed to begin with) had illness or other issues that made it hard to maintain a job, so any expectation that it would...

      As mentioned in the article, many of the subjects (who were among the unemployed to begin with) had illness or other issues that made it hard to maintain a job, so any expectation that it would cause a significant spike in employment is less than realistic.

      10 votes