Exploring Basic Income in a Changing Economy Teach-Out

We’ve shown you a variety of views on basic income throughout this Teach-Out. Below are opinions on basic income from other public figures you may know. Read through these while considering your own point of view. We’ll ask you to write your own next.

“One idea that has gained prominence, particularly among leaders in Silicon Valley, is universal basic income. The theory is that automation will result in so many lost jobs that the only plausible answer is some type of guaranteed government check with no strings attached. I believe there is a better way forward. I believe we can – we must – build a future that puts work first.” - Joe Biden, former Vice President of the U.S.

“Over time countries will be rich enough to do this. However we still have a lot of work that should be done - helping older people, helping kids with special needs, having more adults helping in education. Even the US isn't rich enough to allow people not to work. Someday we will be but until then things like the Earned Income Tax Credit will help increase the demand for labor.” - Bill Gates, Microsoft

“I think a [universal basic income] is an invitation for people to see work as something optional...I think what people don’t think as much about is the long term implications of it -- what it would mean to be in a society where people are no longer responsible for providing for themselves, where that’s the government’s job. On the one hand, we have a strong commitment to not letting people starve. But on the other hand, we want to build a system where people still need to provide for themselves. How do you strike that balance?” - Oren Cass, Conservative anti-poverty scholar

“And a minimal guarantee with regard to income, it seems to me as almost inevitable in terms the direction that the structural changes of our economy are taking us in." - Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor

"There is a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation. Yeah, I am not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen." - Elon Musk,Stewart Butterfield,Slack and Flickr

“We need to develop a new system of redistributions, new policies that will redistribute inevitably from those that the market would have rewarded in favour of those that the market would have left behind. Now, having a universal minimum income is one of those ways, in fact, it is one I am very much in favour of, as long as we know how to apply it without taking away incentive to work at the lower end of the market.” - Christopher Pissarides, Nobel Laureate of Economics

“Well, I wanted very much to convey a commitment to trying to figure out ways to raise incomes. And so I looked at a couple of different approaches to what’s called UBI, universal basic income. The Alaska for America idea was really intriguing to me because in effect it was to argue that our natural patrimony really does belong to every American — to try to break mindset that the extraction of resources is a totally private sector effort.” - Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State of the U.S.

“I also think that it’s impossible to truly have equality of opportunity without some version of guaranteed income. And I think that, combined with innovation driving down the cost of having a great life, by doing something like this we could eventually make real progress towards eliminating poverty.” - Sam Altman, Y Combinator