<
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/07/finnish-basic-income-pilot-improved-wellbeing-study-finds-coronavirus>
"Finland’s two-year scheme, which ran in 2017 and 2018 and attracted
widespread international interest, paid 2,000 randomly selected
unemployed people across the country a regular monthly income of €560
(£490), with no obligation to seek a job and no reduction in their
payment if they accepted one.
Aimed primarily at seeing whether a guaranteed income might encourage
people to take up often low-paid or temporary work without fear of
losing benefits, the scheme was not strictly speaking a universal basic
income trial because the recipients came from a restricted group and the
payments were not enough to live on.
But it was watched closely by other governments who see a basic income
not only as a way to get more people into some form of work, but also as
a route to reducing dependence on the state and cutting welfare costs.
The idea has gained traction amid predictions that automation could
threaten up to a third of current jobs.
The researchers, who conducted 81 in-depth interviews with participants
in the scheme, concluded that while there was significant diversity in
their experiences, they were generally more satisfied with their lives
and experienced less mental strain, depression, sadness and loneliness
than the control group.
The researchers also noted a mild positive effect on employment,
particularly in certain categories, such as families with children,
adding that participants also tended to score better on other measures
of wellbeing, including greater feelings of autonomy, financial
security, and confidence in the future."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
