Economic distress was the norm for many before the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic is an opportunity to provide an economically secure future for all.
A consumer pays for her purchase with 1000 rupiah at a market in Lenek Village, East Lombok District, Indonesia.
asiandevelopmentbank/flickr
A universal basic income could provide financially precarious people with the money they need. And it would keep money flowing through the financial system.
People need cash in hand.
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Francis Townsend had a similar if less ambitious idea in the 1930s that never got through Congress but ended up making Social Security a lot more generous.
An alleged Banksy artwork at the Extinction Rebellion camp site, London.
Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
Despite a range of laws and policy measures, many gender inequities seem firmly entrenched. One innovative policy measure that could make a difference is basic income.
The national minimum wage in Fiji is just $2.32 Fijian dollars per hour, or F$111.36 for a 48-hour week.
Darren Whiteside/Reuters
Experience in Fiji shows that reducing working poverty requires not only a raise in the minimum wage, but a minimum set of government services and benefits.
More than 40 years ago professor Ronald Henderson floated the idea of a guaranteed minimum income.
Dean Lewins/AAP
We increasingly celebrate entrepreneurial self-reliance, but for disadvantaged people, the certainty of an adequate income is a fundamental foundation. It may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.