The coronavirus has prompted governments around the world to think of ways to pandemic-proof the world. One of the main ideas that is gaining traction is universal basic income (UBI), something we’ve written quite a few stories about (see here and here).
If you’re not familiar with UBI, it’s a system in which every citizen is guaranteed a minimum income each month, which would be enough to cover their basic costs of living. Governments and nonprofits have experimented with the idea before, but no country has ever really implemented it on a country-wide scale. But with times forcing people away from work, the government of Spain has announced that it is working to roll out a universal basic income as soon as possible, as part of a battery of actions aimed at countering the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva is coordinating the project and plans to put some sort of basic income “in place as soon as possible,” with the main focus on assisting families. The government’s broader ambition, according to Economy Minister Nadia Calvino, is that basic income becomes an instrument “that stays forever, that becomes a structural instrument, a permanent instrument.”
At the Optimist Daily, we believe in the need for a system that can at least guarantee people their basic needs so they can pursue a quality life. UBI is one of the promising systems we know of to make this happen, so we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on Spain’s UBI developments.
