Annie Lowery’s expansive overview of UBI is a great introduction and overview of this subject – even more timely than when it was published.

The author provides an interesting and informative discussion of the concept of a universal basic income (UBI). She provides a balanced analysis of the possible positives and negatives, including by examining past trial programs involving giving monetary aid to a select group of people versus giving other forms of the aid. I liked that she discussed the history of the concept of a universal basic income or similar programs and that she provided analysis of the concept from people of different political or philosophical perspectives. I also liked that she discussed how the concept and implementation would work differently in different parts of the world depending on political, cultural, economic, and demographic factors. She discussed different ways a UBI might be implemented in the US.

On the negative side, she spent too much time talking about the history of racial inequality and gender inequality in the US (and overstates the impact of policies, practices, and events from decades or even a century or more ago on the current economic situation of various groups in the US). Those are certainly very important topics, but not directly relevant to whether UBI could or should be implemented in the US in the near future or how best to implement it. This overemphasis serves as a distraction from the overall theme.

I’m really glad I picked this up, as I felt it provided a pretty comprehensive overview of the idea of a universal basic income (UBI). The author talked about the history of the idea and research that had been done on similar programs both within and without the United States, as well as the potential pros and cons of setting such a thing in motion. She also spoke of the difficulties of trying to change the current system in a way that I (in my limited knowledge and experience) thought seemed realistic without being cynical. Overall, this felt like a really good primer and makes me want to seek out more information, both about this particular idea and related ones. I highly recommend this read for anyone who finds the concept of a UBI interesting, as well as anyone who wants to learn some ways we can create a more nurturing society that’s less focused on the worth of individuals only insofar as they’re valued in the workplace.

Anyone who thinks their job can't be done by robots needs to have a hard conversation with themselves. And a society where a lot of the work is done by automation isn't a failure of humanity or human innovation - it's success. Automation might leave many people without the means to provide for their families, though. Ask the people who use to work in the automotive manufacturing industry. So, the concept of UBI really appeals to me as a way to provide economic and social stability, a flexible workforce, and social equity at a level we Americans have never experienced. A lot of social "safety nets" have racial bias an inter-generational poverty woven into their institutional cores. So, rather than deciding what people should have and administer a lot of rules around how they access it.... what if we just .... (wait for it).... gave people money?

This book does a good job of reviewing various case studies and similar situations in different settings, from towns to entire provinces and countries. I think it helped me to imagine a real world where America can give people money. I had a lot of questions going into this book, but it is well-researched and thoughtfully arranged so that not only did I feel that my questions were addressed (if not answered directly...) but there were even questions I hadn't thought of yet that were discussed.

Overall, I think this is an important read and something we should bring into modern American dialogue as we face the future of our economic and social reality, with more and more people "slipping through the cracks" and capitalism serving the masters it was designed to (corporations, mostly, and a few of the megarich people who own them). Give this to your thoughtful uncle, buy this for your boyfriend, buy this for your college student, and your bank teller cousin. We need to have this conversation sooner rather than later at a national level.

The concept of Universal Basic Income is an interesting one, and Anne Lowry does a good job of explaining the basics, pros, and cons.

This book may be a little ahead of its time. But as it forces us to think about where we want to be in the future—when there may be fewer jobs and where money may be even more unevenly distributed than it is now—it also makes us think about where we are now.

It focuses, of course, on UBIs, Universal Basic Incomes. A dollar amount that could be given to every person in the community. Not based on need. Not based on worth.

I don't know that I'm convinced (and I'm not sure the author is either) that it’s a workable idea. But after reading this book, I am definitely better prepared to consider it. At least now I can let it stew in time in a more educated way.

Author Annie Lowrey fills the book with statistics and ideas and theories. She does a good job staying on track, keeping the theme of the book—giving people money—front and center. She provides both pros and cons to help us keep an open mind.

As more communities put this into practice, we’ll have more data to consume. In the meantime, we can continue to learn more about the how and why of universal basic incomes.

Here are some excerpts:

“Yet the research we have on UBI-type programs suggests that even a large unconditional cash transfer might have less of a labor-market effect than that Economics 101 analysis implies, and that the people who chose to work less might do so for socially beneficial reasons, like raising a child or getting a better education. A UBI need not make an economy more sclerotic, need not divide makers and takers, and need not become a pacifier.”

“Right now, the poverty gap—the amount of money it would take to lift every man, woman, and child across the World Bank’s extreme poverty line—is about $66 billion, as estimated by Laurence Chandy and Brina Seidel of the Brookings Institution. That’s about what Americans spend on lottery tickets every year. It is half of what the world spends on humanitarian aid.”

“It is clear that dollar for dollar it is better to give a family money rather than to send in volunteers to improve their house, or to give a family cash rather than to supply them with clothes and books.”

“We judge, marginalize, and shame the poor for their poverty—to the point that we make them provide urine samples, and want to force them to volunteer for health benefits. As such, we tolerate levels of poverty that are grotesque and entirely unique among developed nations.”

“This poverty comes at an extraordinary cost—not just to the people experiencing it, but to us all.”

“Providing everyone with the dignity of a stable life away from the poverty line need not be just an act of charity, in other words. It would also be a simple investment in the lives of people with creativity, ingenuity, and work to give to the greater good.”

My thanks to Net Galley for the review copy of this book.

Universal Basic Income is a concept that has been around a while. This book discusses the concepts surrounding the issue. In our current political climate, there are too many powerful and uncaring people who would ensure its demise. That said, this book discusses how providing security to all would help our society. Citizens should be entitled to receive some reasonable compensation in return to what they contribute to the society. A fair basic income from the government would go along way to providing everyone with security. Well written, controversial, Give People Money should be required reading for high school students, to hear the economic strategies that the greedy won’t consider.

Sadly, the author, Annie Lowery, thinks that the US will never really adopt the idea anytime soon, what with the current idiotic policies of trickle down economics that do nothing for the anyone except the rich.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for a pre-publication ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Typically, concepts of universal income and income equity are out of reach because of industry laden verbiage or other barriers to understanding. This book however, jumps right over those barriers and provides a solid groundwork to understand not only what universal income could mean, but also what it can do in the long run for an entire upcoming generation. I also liked the way it introduced the politics that surround how poverty is only acceptable if you do with money what others expect of you in poverty, rather than operating from places of dignity for all as a reason for a basic income, not as a condition that precludes the "state" caring about its people meaningfully.

Definitely a title I would recommend to understanding more about the issues surrounding poverty, from the perspectives of those living in it, more than disconnected financial "experts" telling people how to "pull up their britches" or "just work harder". This book also comes at a great time as this will no doubt become election issues in upcoming Federal elections in Canada. This book made so many parts of my SJW heart sing!

It's a great idea! When you think about it, everyone in the country contributes to the economic success of a country, they should be entitled to receive some reasonable compensation in return. A fair basic income from the government would go along way to providing everyone with security. I am glad I received this book as an Kindle ARC from Netgalley or I would never have heard of UBI. I'm glad it's being discussed. Everyone should read this book.

It's hard to be so in favor of an idea that makes so much sense, but that will face such huge opposition by people who are so invested in their own bad ideas that they won't even try. UBI is an idea that we should seriously consider, it's been tried and tested, as the author here lays out in detail, with overwhelming positive results, so much so that they aren't afraid to share the failures that also come along the way. After all, if automation is coming, does it really matter if people drop out of the workforce in larger numbers? Does it make sense to throw the baby out with the bathwater because of a few bad apples in a bunch?

The concept of UBI has been around for some time. It will likely gain more ground as the robotic replacements for workers come on board. Having grown up in the rustbelt of the auto industry, I can attest that it does and will happen for a lot of us, whether we fight it or not. Now living in Maine, under the psychotic governorship of LePage, a man who spews racist bile while cutting funding for kid's school lunches - doing nothing will be the death of the United States. The author touches on both of these areas of the country and what it means for the concept of a UBI. Having seen both firsthand, I can say that I would rather have the UBI concept installed than watch my friends and neighbors continue to suffer in a declining job market with stagnant wages. As the author says, the job market is only going to become more and more competitive - we're stupid to think that we'll be the lucky ones who will end up with the good jobs and succeed, Rockefeller style, as if that still existed. We would be better, as the author suggests, to adopt the communal mindset of our more successful foreign neighbors.

The author calls out the American foolishness of the idea of exceptionalism, running in tandem with the country's ingrained racism, that prevent us from embracing the idea that all of us, yes, do deserve a basic income. After all, the idea of teaching a man to fish only works if there are places to fish and fish to catch. In that absence, if a robot is catching the fish - can we really afford not to share it? Why destroy ourselves over pride and stupidity?

Sadly, the author does not seem to think that the US will really adopt the idea anytime soon, what with the current policies still embracing the utter foolishness of trickle down economics. But the point is, with the millennial generation outnumbering the boomers by a large margin, if we can get talking about this now, maybe we can get something rolling for future groups to consider as a main idea, not just an outlier suggestion.