Entries by Soomi Lee

Mandatory Participation on Trial

Editor’s note: Karl Widerquist, Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University-Qatar), has recently launched a new 17-part series on his blog titled “Mandatory Participation on Trial”. USBIG is going to repost this series with our audience on our blog. Part 1 of this series was released, and the remaining 16 parts will be released every week for […]

Moral Luck, Guaranteed Income (GI), and Basic Income (BI)

Michael Lewis Recently, my spouse and I were talking about the cases of Carolyn Bryant Donham and Amy Cooper. Donham is the White woman whose lie, back in 1955, helped lead to the murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old, Chicago born, boy who, while visiting family in Mississippi, was brutally murdered by two White men. […]

Critical Race Theory, Guaranteed Income, and Basic Income

Michael Lewis I’ve been following debates about basic income, guaranteed income, and similar policies for a long time. This semester, for the first time, I’m teaching a course called The Critical Race Theory Debate and Public Policy. This is why, while listening to a recent episode of this Forward podcast, my ears perked up. Carly […]

Introducing Chelsea Wilkinson, New Interim President of USBIG

It is an honor to introduce myself to our readers and I am excited to have this opportunity to help shape the future of USBIG as the Interim President!  I’m an Asian-American woman who grew up in California’s East Bay Area and now reside in Portland, Oregon. I grew up very passionate about animals, fostering […]

Mike Howard’s Parting Words Stepping Down as President of USBIG

I have been the Coordinator of the US Basic Income Guarantee Network since 2008, when Karl Widerquist stepped down, and President of USBIG, Inc., our non-profit organization, since it was incorporated in 2017. I was drawn to the organization as a scholar and an activist, writing on theories of social justice and their applications. Basic […]

BIG Conference 2022 High School Essay Contest Winners!

This year’s High School Essay Contest winners have been announced! Congratulations on all three winners! To read, click the titles below. 1st Place: “Fall Apart.” Ahmed Ahmed (Nevada, United States) 2nd Place: “The Effects of Universal Basic Income.” Sania Patel (Tennessee, United States) 3rd Place: “Universal Basic Income Could Change the World.” Felix Ni (Manitoba, Canada)  

Researchers Learn from UBI Pilots around the World

Soomi Lee Many pilot programs are being implemented in U.S. cities and some states. What do we learn from all these pilot programs and what new questions have they raised? Researchers in Portugal and Spain interviewed many stakeholders in the past pilots and experiments around the world in the U.S., Canada, India, Namibia, Finland, Spain, […]

Guest Blog | BIG LEAP: Los Angeles Basic Income Pilot

“Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot,” or in short, BIG: LEAP, is officially in effect last week on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.  Our guest Paloma Henriques explains the program design, research plans, and its significance.  * * * L.A. Basic Income Pilot Builds Off Success in Stockton Paloma Henriques In Los Angeles, 3,200 […]