Some 600
people have enrolled in a private basic income experiment in
Switzerland, less than a week after it was announced. The trial
apparently aims to find out what the citizens are going to do if
granted over $2,500 monthly.
Some 590
people in the Swiss town of Rheinau have reportedly agreed to receive
a monthly universal basic income (UBI) of 2,500 francs ($2,570) for a
year. The practical experiment needs 650 participants – half the
population of Rheinau – before it can go ahead.
The
woman behind the experiment, Rebecca Panian, says she needs minimum
half of the town’s population to be involved before the project can
move onto the fundraising stage. The 3 to 5 million francs needed for
the 12-month experiment is going to be raised from crowdfunding or
donations from institutions.
Participants
who earn more than 2,500 francs will be required to repay any money
received during the 12-month period. If the experiment goes ahead,
Panian plans on documenting its progress with a team of researchers
including sociologists, an economist and a media linguist.
The
deadline from Panian’s experiment in September 17th, but only
Rheinau residents who moved there before June 5th are eligible to
take part.
The
concept has been trialed recently in Finland, Canada, California,
Spain, and Kenya. A Silicon Valley UBI experiment plans on giving
1,000 people, $1,000 per month for three years, and 2,000 thousand
people $50 for five years.
Finland
UBI experiment is scheduled to end next year, which pays $690 to
2,000 random, unemployed, Finns each month. The program was proposed
as a possible solution to a record-high unemployment rate.
Switzerland
overwhelmingly rejected the idea of a 2,500 francs UBI for all 8
million residents in 2016. Some said they basic income would free
people to pursue more production or creative life goals, while
critics argued it would cripple the economy and encourage less
productivity.
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