8 basic income experiments to watch out for in 2017

Within the last couple years, basic incomea scheme in which citizens receive regular payments to cover basic living costshas touched nearly all corners of the world.Experiments from Kenya to the Netherlands to California are poised to reveal in 2017 what happens when governments and private organizations give people money for nothing: Do people work less' Do they escape poverty' How many sit and do nothing'Here are the experiments leading that charge.SEE ALSO:Finland just launched an experiment giving 2,000 people free money until 2019KenyaIn October of 2016, GiveDirectly, a charity best known for its cash transfer programs, launched a pilot version of what will become the largest basic income experiment in history.Beginning early 2017, 40 villages will receive roughly $22.50 per month for 12 years. Meanwhile, 80 villages will get the same amount for just two years, another 80 will get a lump sum equal to the two-year amount, and 100 villages will get no money.It'll produce some of the most comprehensive basic income data yet.FinlandA two-year experiment launched on New Year's Day in Finland.Kela, the country's federal economic agency, is giving 2,000 unemployed citizens approximately $600 a month.The goal will be twofold: to measure how basic income could provide new structure for social security and to see how people's productivity levels change when they receive the guaranteed stipend.Oakland, CaliforniaSilicon Valley's largest startup accelerator, Y Combinator, announced in mid-2016 it would soon begin paying out monthly salaries between $1,000 and $2,000 a month to 100 families in Oakland.In the true spirit of basic income, the families will range in socioeconomic status and come with no requirement to stay in the US.If the pilot is a success, a five-year trial will follow.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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