The Finnish government has decided against expanding a universal basic income trial which has been widely touted as a global test case for the scheme.
As part of the pilot, 2,000 unemployed Finns chosen at random received an unconditional flat monthly payment of €560 (£490). While the results of the trial will not be published until next year, the test has “has drawn much international interest”, says the BBC.
However, the government has announced it will not extend the scheme and will instead examine other alternatives to reform Finland’s bloated and complex social security system.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Universal Basic Income has attracted significant support among economists as a way to radically overhaul the benefits system for the 21st century.
Supporters argue it would help unemployed people into temporary work by providing a guaranteed safety net between jobs as well as addressing insecurities associated with the so-called ‘gig economy’, boosting mobility in the labour market and helping more people out of poverty.
Yet basic income has also met fierce opposition from some politicians who argue it will dramatically increase the welfare budget and lead to a culture of laziness.
A study released earlier this year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found income tax would have to increase by nearly 30% to fund a basic income and argued that a universal credit system, similar to the one being introduced by the UK, would cut Finland’s poverty rate more effectively.
-
Political cartoons for November 30Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Saudi-China relationship, MAGA spelled wrong, and more
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
