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wasoxygen  ·  3305 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: YC Wants to Fund a Basic Income Study

    So it would be good to answer some of the theoretical questions now. Do people sit around and play video games, or do they create new things?

An important consideration is whether the recipients believe the income is temporary or permanent. They are more likely to give up productive work (i.e. work that others are willing to pay for) if they have long-term assurance that their basic expenses will be guaranteed by outsiders.

    Our idea is to give a basic income to a group of people in the US for a 5 year period

This experiment, like Mincome, will therefore be a nice bonus for recipients, but they will still have a long-term need to support themselves. The way people think about seeking education, pursuing a career track, and retirement won't change much because of a five-year allowance, though it might if the allowance were understood to be permanent.