logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2017
23m 20s

Does Universal Basic Income Work?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Around the world, governments and researchers are experimenting with the introduction of universal basic income. From Finland and Spain to India, the idea of giving every citizen – whether working or not – a set amount of money per month is gaining momentum. It’s claimed to be a fairer and more efficient way of running a welfare system, but we’re only just starting to understand what actually happens when you introduce a basic income for everyone. We look at the evidence and try to establish whether it is an idea whose time has come.

Presenter: Mukul Devichand Producer: Jo Mathys

Image: An Indian man counts currency / Credit: Sajjad Hussain / AFP / Getty Images

Up next
Oct 27
We've moved! Subscribe to The Documentary
People Fixing The World has moved to a new home. Just search for The Documentary wherever you get your podcasts to continue hearing from Myra and the team, with a new episode exploring positive solutions to some of the world's biggest challenges published every Wednesday. 
43s
Oct 20
Breaking the code of silence
We travel to the Italian island of Sicily to see how Palermo residents are fighting back against the influence of the Mafia. Presenter Myra Anubi meets people from the charity Addiopizzo, which encourages residents to stop paying protection money known as "pizzo" and visit a neig ... Show More
23m 38s
Oct 13
The everyday tech helping to prevent disasters
For International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13th), we're finding out how technology can help prevent disasters, save lives and help rescuers. In Argentina, we’ll meet Franco Rodríguez Viau whose family friends lost their home in a fire, inspiring him to find a way ... Show More
25m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
Universal Basic Income: does it even work?
<p>This episode is about Universal Basic Income (UBI) and its potential to reshape our society in light of ChatGPT. We explore the fundamental principles, benefits, and challenges associated with implementing a UBI system. Additionally, we explore the potential long-term effects ... Show More
56m 53s
Feb 2021
Universal basic income: is now the time?
The concept of universal basic income (UBI) - paying everyone a regular, fixed amount of money to ensure a basic standard of living - has moved to the mainstream in recent years, driven by concerns over economic inequality and the erosion of traditional employment bases. More rec ... Show More
40m 15s
Jun 2020
Universal Basic Income vs. Sprawling Bureaucracy
Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been advocated in various forms by Thomas Paine, Andrew Yang, Milton Friedman, and Richard Nixon: a minimum income floor available to all Americans. How does it stack up compared to our existing welfare state? How would it work, and can we afford ... Show More
1h 14m
Aug 2025
348. What is Universal Basic Income? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ ⁠https://nordvpn.com/think85⁠ Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Today we are going to look at an interesting and often controversial idea: Universal Basic Income, or UBI for short. Let me ask you a question: What if the government g ... Show More
22m 28s
Sep 2022
An Honest Discussion About A Universal Basic Income | Economics Explained
Subscribe to Economics Explained 👉 https://bit.ly/sub2ee In this video we go over the pros and cons of a universal basic income. The US government spent over $5 trillion of economic stimulus and relief payments during the pandemic of 2020 and 2021. This is enough money to give e ... Show More
16m 33s
Jul 2021
Guaranteed Income Isn’t Just About Solving Poverty — It’s About Dignity
The idea of a universal basic income has gained more prominence recently-most notably with former New York Mayoral Candidate Andrew Yang pushing for a basic income program that would give $2,000 a year to those living in extreme poverty. To clarify—guaranteed income is similar, b ... Show More
29m 55s
Jun 2018
#130 — Universal Basic Income
Sam Harris speaks with presidential candidate Andrew Yang about "universal basic income" (UBI). They discuss the state of the economy, the rise of automation and AI, the arguments for and against UBI, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you ... Show More
24m 52s
Apr 2016
242. Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?
<p>A lot of full-time jobs in the modern economy simply don't pay a living wage. And even those jobs may be obliterated by new technologies. What's to be done so that financially vulnerable people aren't just crushed? It may finally be time for an idea that economists have promot ... Show More
36m 42s
May 2024
Tavneet Suri on Universal Basic Income
<p><!-- wp:paragraph {"dropCap":true} --></p> <p class="has-drop-cap">Here's a thought experiment: You want to spend a reasonably large sum of money providing assistance to a group of people with limited means. There's a lot of ways you might do that with a lot of strings and saf ... Show More
21m 33s
Apr 2022
⚖️ The governments should give each citizen a basic income, so they have enough money to live on, even if they are unemployed. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Introduction: It has been argued that, in order for citizens to be able to maintain an acceptable standard of living in a country, the government should institute a policy of payments to them regardless of their employment status. While such an idea may be appealing in principle, ... Show More
18m 44s