There are plans to test a universal basic income (UBI) in England. This UBI test would give around 30 people a monthly payment of £1,600 ($2,665) without any attached conditions.. UK Pounds .In this first-of-its-kind UBI experiment in England, people living in central Jarrow, northeast England, and East Finchley, north London, will receive the monthly payments for two years. .The researchers will observe how this payment impacts their motivation to work and their mental well-being..The UBI trial is being run by the progressive Autonomy think tank. It aims to raise £1.6 million ($2.6 million) from private donors to fund this initiative. .It's important to note that UK taxpayers do not finance the UBI trial and it is not associated with the British government..“Our society is going to require some form of basic income in the coming years, given the tumult of climate change, tech disruption and industrial transition that lies ahead,” said Will Stronge, Autonomy’s director of research..“This is why building the evidence base and public engagement now is so important, so the ground is well prepared for national implementation.”.The researchers are interested in observing how the UBI payment will impact the mental and physical health of the recipients, as well as their motivation to keep working. .The recipients will have the freedom to continue earning their salary if they choose to do so and the UBI payment will be in addition to any income they receive from a job..“All the evidence shows that UBI would directly alleviate poverty and boost millions of people’s well-being,” said Stronge..“The potential benefits are just too large to ignore.”.One criticism of UBI is it creates a disincentive for people to work and rewards non-productive activities..The Autonomy report said that “there are potential risks to manage” in the UBI trial..“These include those relating to community cohesion, 'hedonistic' spending of additional income on things like alcohol or cigarettes, and transitions to and from the payments,” said Autonomy..Similar UBI programs have been recently tested in other parts of Europe. In Finland, a government-supported UBI took place in January 2017, where 2,000 unemployed citizens of working age received a smaller monthly payment of €560 ($802)..The Ontario Liberals had initiated a small-scale provincial UBI test. However, when the Doug Ford Progressive Conservatives (PC) were elected in 2018, they cancelled the program. .The cancellation took place a few months after the PC government took over..Elon Musk is one of the supporters of UBI and implementing a UBI could be a suitable solution to address the ongoing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs. .Musk sees UBI as a potential response to the continuous advancement of AI in the workplace..“UBI means that unemployed people will be paid across the globe,” Musk told a tech summit in Dubai in 2017. .“Machines, robots are taking over. There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot cannot do better.”
