https://www.positive.news/society/good-news-stories-from-week-7-of-2026/
"A basic income scheme for artists that launched during the pandemic to
kickstart Irish culture was made permanent this week.
Offering participants a weekly stipend of €325 (£283), the €25m (£21m) pilot
helped more than 2,000 artists, although many more applied. According to an
independent study, the scheme generated €100m (£87m) in “social and economic
benefits” to Ireland’s economy.
Elinor O’Donovan (pictured) is among the artists to have been accepted onto the
scheme, which was launched by the Irish government in 2022.
“Before I started receiving it, I was working part-time as a receptionist just
to be able to afford my rent. I was thinking about moving to a country where I
might be able to afford to live a bit cheaper,” she told
Positive News.
“Now I work full-time as an artist. [The scheme] has given me the flexibility
that the job of an artist requires and has allowed me to take risks. I’ve gone
into film and I was able to pay other people to work with me on it.”
Although limited in scope, it’s the world’s first basic income scheme to be
made permanent."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
