¹ú²úÊÓÆµ

Podcast

Is America Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

Regular cash with no strings attached? Pilot programs suggest it actually works.

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?

The podcast is a partnership of ¹ú²úÊÓÆµ and Slate, and sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Subscribe to get all the new episodes on , , , or wherever you get your podcasts

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
  • Natalie Foster, co-founder, co-director , 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

Is America Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?