What is Universal Basic Income? (UBI)
Universal Basic Income = is a form of social security[3] in which all citizens or residents of a country receive a regular, unconditional sum of money, either from a government or some other public institution, independent of any other income.[4
i.e. you get this money even if you have a job!
What is the difference between UBI and traditional unemployment benefits / welfare?
With traditional unemployment / welfare benefits you receive money if you do not have a job, but if you get a job you lose the benefits.
Does UBI sound crazy? Think again…
Reading 1
Pre-reading ideas / language activation:
- Guess the author’s linguistic choice (LC) for this sentence: Robot-to-worker ratios are rising gradually / constantly / rapidly.
- Which country has the highest robot-worker ratio?
- Author’s Linguistic Choice (LC) :The cost of robot implementation is shrinking / decreasing / plummeting.
- True / False: When it comes to jobs at risk, the developing world is not much better-off that the developed world.
- True / False: Some believe UBI could be given as a lump sum when people turn 18
- Author’s LC: You could make exclusions for households / people / families earning $100,000 a year or more
- LC: The greatest / most substantial / key benefit of UBI would be the elimination of people living below the povery line
- True / False: Trial projects are currently being undertaken in Kenya and Switzerland
Now read the infogaph here
Post -reading discussion:
- What do you think about the arguments for and against?
- Of the two case studies, Namibia and Alaska, which is more interesting for you?
- Why do you think that those countries mentioned are undertaking experiments but others like Australia are not?
- Which proponent quote did you
- like the most
- find the strangest
- disagree with
Reading 2
Pre-reading ideas / language activation:
Author’s linguistic choice (LC): Finland’s pilot UBI scheme is radical / groundbreaking / unprecedented
True / False: The scheme sees people receiving 500 Euros a month
Author’s LC: The scheme is addressing / combating / tackling poverty
True / False: Under the current social welfare, claimants are afraid of losing out if they find a job.
LC: Finland has generous social security. As a result people refuse work because they feel better off with social benefits. This problem is growing / acute/ inevitable
Now read the article here
Post -reading discussion:
- Do you agree that generous benefits can lead to an acute problem in terms of people turning down work?
- The article references one person’s quote concerning “reduced stress”. What was the situation? How representative do you think it is?
- How much do you agree with the listed benefits?
Video 1
Pre-reading ideas / language activation:
Elon Musk believes large-scale unemployment will happen. In the video he talks about UBI, and mentions a “much harder challenge” than how to deal with income for those without jobs. What do you think this challenge is?
Now watch..
http://aitonenglish.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=488&action=edit
Post -reading discussion:
To what extent do you agree that:
goods and services will be in abundance due to automation?
a lot of people derive their meaning from their employment?
finding a replacement for “meaning” will / would be much more difficult than implementing a UBI sloution
Video 2
Pre-reading ideas / language activation:
- In this talk, Professor Peterson mentions the connection between computational (computer) power and concentration of wealth. What is the connection?
- When asked about the feasability of UBI, he introduces sled dogs as a metaphor. Why do you think he does this?
- How do you think unemployment affects conscientious people as opposed to unconscientious people?
Post -video discussion:
- To what extent are computational and cognitive skills important for making money in your country?
- According to the speaker, people on the right believe that everyone can find a job, whereas those on the left believe everyone is equal. Do you agree with this?
- Do you agree that people are pack animals?
- To what extent does a person’s personality effect how the react to unemployment?
- Do you also doubt that people with “enforced” leisure will / would figure out what to do with their lives?
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