DeepSummary
The episode focuses on Michael Tubbs, the former mayor of Stockton, California, who implemented the first city-led guaranteed basic income program in the United States. Tubbs, who grew up in poverty, saw the program as a way to address the root causes of many societal issues. The pilot program provided 125 individuals with $500 per month for two years, with no strings attached.
The results of the program were promising, with participants more likely to find full-time employment, improved mental and physical health, better parenting, and spending the money on necessities and local businesses. Tubbs and Natalie Foster, co-founder of the Economic Security Project, discuss the potential of guaranteed basic income to address poverty, economic insecurity, and the changing nature of work.
The episode also features John Summers, a participant in the Cambridge Rise guaranteed income program, who shares his perspective on how the program has positively impacted his family's well-being. The guests explore the potential of guaranteed income to address time scarcity, provide dignity, and challenge negative stereotypes about poverty.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Stockton's guaranteed basic income pilot program demonstrated promising results, including increased employment, improved health and well-being, and better financial stability for participants.
- Guaranteed income programs have the potential to address poverty, economic insecurity, and the changing nature of work in the face of automation and job displacement.
- These programs challenge negative stereotypes about poverty and provide a sense of dignity by decoupling personal worth from economic standing.
- Guaranteed income can give individuals more time and agency to make choices that improve their quality of life.
- While there are challenges and opposition to implementing such programs, there is growing interest and support from policymakers and presidential candidates.
- Addressing poverty and economic insecurity in the present can better prepare society for potential future challenges related to work and automation.
- Changing the narrative and public perception around poverty is crucial for gaining support for guaranteed income programs.
- Guaranteed income programs have the potential to address racial and economic disparities and inequalities.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I'm obsessed with ending poverty, and I've always been, as someone who grew up in poverty.“ by Michael Tubbs
- “We found that, number one, people didn't stop working. In fact, they were more likely to move from part time jobs to full time jobs and two times less likely to be unemployed than those who did not receive the guaranteed income.“ by Michael Tubbs
- “The mantra of the so called american dream is you get what you deserve and you deserve what you get. So universal basic income doesn't imply anything about our family's individual personal value in society, and it doesn't put a price for any specific activity that I'm carrying out.“ by John Summers
- “The future's, the present's a little dystopian too. So let's get this figured out today so then we're in a better position to make the right policy calls in the future.“ by Michael Tubbs
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Episode Information
Better Life Lab
New America
5/10/22
Michael Tubbs grew up in poverty. And when, at 26, he was elected mayor of his hometown, he decided to do something about it.
And what he did in Stockton, California, no American mayor had done before. He started giving poor people cash. No strings attached.
Stockton’s pilot program in Guaranteed Basic Income started lifting people out of poverty. It gave parents more time with their kids. And it was actually cost-effective.
So as we look to the Future of Work and Wellbeing, could Guaranteed Basic Income programs play a central role in lifting all of us up — and boosting the standard of life for all Americans?
Guests
- Michael Tubbs, elected mayor of Stockton, California in 2016 at the age of 26 — the youngest mayor in the country. He is known nationally for establishing the first city-led Guaranteed Basic Income program in America, which has inspired dozens of other cities across the country to try similar programs. Having lost his re-election bid in 2020, Tubbs recently founded the nonprofit End Poverty in California.
- Natalie Foster, co-founder, co-director Economic Security Project, which worked closely with Tubbs on Stockton’s Guaranteed Basic Income program
- John Summers, participant in pilot guaranteed basic income program Cambridge RISE in Massachusetts.
Resources
- Stockton’s Basic Income Experiment Paid Off, Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic
- The Potential for a Guaranteed Income: A Conversation with Four Mayors, New America California, 2021.
- The Future of Leisure, Stuart Whatley, Democracy Journal, 2012
- The Evolving Concept of Time for Work, Leisure, Pew Research, 2008
Less Work and More Leisure: Utopian Visions and the Future of Work, CBC Radio, 2018