# Universal Basic Income Universal basic income is the idea to give every citizen a basic living stipend in the hopes of reducing inequality and class segregation. A trial in Finland conducted in 2017-18 showed that the participants worked more than those receiving unemployment benefits (speaking against a common argument against the UBI), their reported well-being was substantially higher, they registered less depression and stress, more social trust, and a higher degree of self-confidence. The trial consisted of 2000 randomly chosen individuals who were unconditionally paid a modest income each month. These findings are consistent with findings from 16 other studies published between 2009 and 2019 that covered both rich and poor countries. The studies provide consistent evidence of a positive effect of UBI on education and both physical as well as mental health, yet without significant effects on labor-market participation, with half of the studies even failing to find a statistically significant effect. An experiment in Kenya in 2019-20, showed that participants were more likely to engage in risk-taking commercial activities, increasing entrepreneurship. ## Sources - The Economist. March 6, 2021. Cheques and Balances.