The Future of Not Working

Source: Annie Lowrey
Affiliation: New York Times

In this article, Annie Lowrey investigates an experiment in universal basic income that is being run by the NGO GiveDirectly in a remote village in rural Kenya. Starting in 2017, each person in the village of around 220 people receives about $22 per month directly for 12 years. GiveDirectly is expanding the program to 40 other villages in Kenya, roughly 6,000 adults. GiveDirectly views this as a response to job loss due to automation, but also as a way to lift families out of poverty and allow them to take more financial risks, like starting a business.

 

Image credit: Andrew Renneisen for The New York Times

Keywords: Automation , Universal Basic Income