Near future
No Result
View All Result
February 7 2023
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Inland solutions
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+
Understand, anticipate, improve the future.
CES2023 / Coronavirus / Russia-Ukraine
Near future
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Inland solutions
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+

Understand, anticipate, improve the future.

No Result
View All Result
Society

Choose: universal minimum income or disaster.

Reviled and opposed, but he is the only one who can face this crisis (and the next ones): the minimum Universal Income is needed now more than ever.

READ THIS IN:

EN CN FR DE JA PT RU ES
Share24Pin5Tweet15SendShare4ShareShare3
July 19 2020
Gianluca RiccioGianluca Riccio
⚪ 5 minutes

In the frenzy that arose from the Covid-19 pandemic, several countries are considering huge packages of fiscal and economic stimuli to mitigate their effects.

Essential plans, of course, but they must be strategic and sustainable. To avoid creating new problems, first of all, you need to add a new element, an old knowledge that is always underestimated: the Minimum Universal Income. Universal Basic Income (UBI). The only thing that can get us out of the quagmire.

Rule number one in case of crisis: when you are in a hole, stop digging immediately.

Opponents, and there are many, point out that it will not work because no country can afford to regularly distribute money to all citizens. They will argue that we will have unsustainable deficits, which cannot be financed.

This is a valid concern. But the alternative is a greater spike in inequalities and tensions. Factors that would cost governments even more and open countries to an enormous risk of social conflict.

The article continues after the related links

First 2 years of universal basic income? Excellent: more employment and health

How universal minimum income can change the world

The abuse virus

The pandemic that began in China has raged across Asia and beyond, exposing the inequalities and vulnerabilities of huge sections of the population.

Se 1.3 billion people, two thirds of the Asia-Pacific workforce, as well as migrants (100 million in India alone) will lose their livelihood, without a safety net, the social costs will be unsustainable. Economic instability will be outclassed by social chaos.

The debate on universal minimum income is inevitable, indispensable

A new social contract that can rebalance the profound inequalities prevailing between societies. To put it bluntly: the question must no longer be whether resources for effective social protection can be found, but HOW they can be found.

USA and Canada are finally studying it. The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau it provided 2.000 Canadian dollars per month, for the next four months, to workers who have lost income as a result of the pandemic. Other countries in the world are further ahead (even Italy thanks to a measure, the citizenship income, which conceptually goes in similar directions). Now it needs to be expanded and made to work for the long term.

We can do it

In my opinion, we need to change our approach from the past. The universal minimum income should not be considered as a dispensation, nor as an additional solution to be added to those already in place. Rather, it must be a catalyst for changes in other sectors as well: the minimum universal income can and must be the factor of change that we need.

Domino effect on other reforms

We will need, to say, fair taxation. Countries will have to work together, sharing data, to prevent people and companies from evading taxes. We all have to pay our fair share, and less. We can no longer privatize profits and socialize losses.

Subsidies, in particular for fossil fuels, which hinder the path towards sustainable development goals, should be stopped. In particular, the objectives of climate change. This would benefit all of us, while generating financial resources for a universal minimum income, but also to support fossil fuel companies.

Even Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, among the wealthiest people on the planet, have asked that the rich pay more taxes. According to Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2018, 10% of the richest people in the world own 85% of the wealth.

Multinational corporations are not paying their fair share

Apple, Amazon, Google and Walmart, to name just a few, generate staggering profits and, after taking advantage of all the flaws of the tax systems, pay ridiculous amounts.

If even only the top 1.000 companies in the world were taxed fairly, a modest universal minimum income could be distributed rigorously and reasonably worldwide.

When governments are deprived of the funds they should legitimately have to build a better state, something is simply wrong.

The beautiful, magnificent theories on the global economy (some proposed by today's so-called "frugal countries") is deeply flawed. To work effectively, they say, a global economy needs ground rules that can also help companies move capital to places where they can optimize their performance. And this without hindering national governments' goal of meeting the legitimate expectations of their citizens for a fair share in the benefits and costs of globalization.

Basically the full barrel and the drunk wife. It is evident that it cannot work.

To achieve "acceptable ground rules" and "fair share of benefits and costs" would require global coordination. Otherwise, highly mobile capital flees to countries that "frugally" do not charge enough taxes.

There is no doubt that the universal minimum income will be difficult to start

It is important to consider the pros and cons impartially, the reasons why it has not been widely implemented so far and what could make it viable.

A complicating factor is that it should complement existing social programs. Another important element would be to leave an incentive to work. The universal minimum income should be sufficient to support a person leaving them motivated to work, save and invest.

Not easy, as said. But the alternative to not having a universal minimum income is the growing likelihood of social unrest, conflict, unmanageable mass migration and proliferation of politicians or extremists who capitalize on social disappointment.

It is in this context that we must seriously consider a well-designed universal minimum income.

With him, a shock can strike you, but it cannot destroy you.

Tags: minimum income

To submit articles, disclose the results of a research or scientific discoveries write to the editorial staff

Most read of the month

  • Akio Toyoda has an idea: instead of new cars, we convert existing ones

    369 Shares
    Share 147 Tweet 92
  • I tested for you GPTZero, the weapon against the invasion of automatic texts.

    442 Shares
    Share 176 Tweet 110
  • 'AI lawyer' to assist client in a lawsuit: first time in the world

    1368 Shares
    Share 547 Tweet 342
  • VALL-E, the Microsoft AI that "steals" your voice in 3 seconds

    192 Shares
    Share 76 Tweet 48
  • 27 jobs that will disappear within 50 years

    2836 Shares
    Share 1134 Tweet 709

Enter the Telegram channel of Futuroprossimo, click here. Or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon e LinkedIn.

The daily tomorrow.


Futuroprossimo.it provides news on the future of technology, science and innovation: if there is something that is about to arrive, here it has already arrived. FuturoProssimo is part of the network ForwardTo, studies and skills for future scenarios.

FacebookTwitterInstagramTelegramLinkedInMastodonPinterestTikTok
  • Environment
  • Architecture
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Gadgets
  • concepts
  • Design
  • Medicine
  • Spazio
  • Robotica
  • Work
  • Inland solutions
  • Energy
  • Edition Francaise
  • Deutsche Ausgabe
  • Japanese version
  • English Edition
  • Portuguese Edition
  • Русское издание
  • Spanish edition

Subscribe to our newsletter

  • The Editor
  • Advertising on FP

© 2022 Near future - Creative Commons License
This work is distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

No Result
View All Result
Understand, anticipate, improve the future.
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Inland solutions
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+