{"id":3211,"date":"2021-05-28T09:00:38","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T07:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/?page_id=3211"},"modified":"2021-05-28T13:38:33","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T11:38:33","slug":"virustovitamin-n16","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/virustovitamin-n16\/","title":{"rendered":"OF Discussion Board n\u00b016 \u2013 28 May 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>OF Discussion Board n\u00b016 &#8211; 28 May 2021<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-3190 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/16-UniversalBasicIncome-wordpress-300x115.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/16-UniversalBasicIncome-wordpress-300x115.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/16-UniversalBasicIncome-wordpress-1024x394.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/16-UniversalBasicIncome-wordpress-768x295.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/16-UniversalBasicIncome-wordpress-3x1.png 3w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/16-UniversalBasicIncome-wordpress.png 1040w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Question asked : <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">&#8222;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The coronavirus crisis and the restrictions on economic activity have threatened the livelihoods of many of the poorest families on the planet. To respond to this global crisis, some governments around the world consider how to expand their social safety net as many &#8211; especially women &#8211; in household or informal economy are left without any support. In this context, the idea of &#8222;universal basic income&#8220; has resurfaced in many places. Where does this debate stand today in your region? Has it been affected by the pandemic?&#8220;<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#Editorial\">Editorial<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#All-contribution\">All Contributions<\/a><span id=\"Link-contributions\"><\/span><span id=\"Link-contributions\"><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Thanks for those of our contributors who ventured to react to the this question posed in this Discussion Board.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Editorial &#8211; <\/strong><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Universal basic income &#8211; an idea boosted by the pandemic?<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><span id=\"Editorial\">by Virgile Perret &amp; Paul H. Dembinski<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 74%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) was, until recently, a utopian proposal relegated to academic discussions. But the experience of the pandemic has led to a marked increase in discussion of UBI as a potential tool of public policy, to the point where several basic income programmes are now running around the world. Advocates see in UBI an instrument to build more resilient societies in the face of pandemics, income inequality and automation, while critics argue that governments should strengthen existing social programmes instead.<br \/>\nOn 15 June 2020, Spain offered monthly payments of \u20ac1,015 (1\u2019145 $) to the poorest families. Germany implemented a small-scale pilot programme, testing such a system in a three-year study, with monthly payments of $1,430 (\u20ac1,200) to 120 Germans. In the UK, a motion to introduce a UBI has been signed by 100 parliamentarians from across the political spectrum. In the US, the government paid $1200 to all adults earning less than $99 000 annually. Thus, it seems that the crisis has shifted the UBI debate, at least in some European countries and in the US.<br \/>\nHowever, in South and Central America, the debate on the desirability of UBI \u201ccould not take off given the very severe fiscal constraints in most countries\u201d, despite the Bolsa Fam\u00edlia (Family Allowance) experiment of President Lula. This indicates that this debate is in part country-specific and that the implementation of UBI may \u201crequire several national experiments which are likely to influence corresponding variations in policy design.\u201d<br \/>\nIndeed, UBI is not a programme \u201cone size fits all\u201d and many schemes may be imagined along the following alternatives: 1). Per household (how to define?) or per person (adults only)? 2). To all or only to the bottom of revenue\/wealth pyramid? 3). Temporary or permanent? 4). What will be the effect of such a policy on willingness to be present on the labour market? 5). Gender inequality? 6). How would household adapt to it in terms of time devoted to education, elderly care etc. and would these adaptations affect the demand of some public\/private services; 7). Relation to other social security measures 8). How to finance it \u2013 specific tax on the top of the revenue\/wealth pyramid, Tobin tax or alike\u2026?<br \/>\nBuild on experiences, compare them, collect evidence is the first step to build an opinion of the feasibility and consequences (also collateral) of UBI. Thus, it could be a long time before governments and the wider population adhere to it, unless this very moment of crisis can serve as a catalyst for socio-economic change, contributing to make UBI part of the legacy of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 26%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Perret\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1912 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perret.png 1592w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Dembinski\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1903 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/PHD-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/PHD-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/PHD-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/PHD-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/PHD.png 552w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/VirusToVitamin16\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2483 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Image-PDF.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"124\" height=\"90\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Image-PDF.jpg 124w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Image-PDF-1x1.jpg 1w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 124px) 100vw, 124px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table id=\"All-contribution\" style=\"width: 100%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 ensure that everyone has a floor on which to build his life \u2026 \u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">World GDP in 2020 reached 90 trillion dollars. To bring this number down to earth, it means that what we presently produce is equivalent to 3800 dollars a month per four-member family, amply sufficient for everyone on earth to live a dignified and comfortable life<strong>.<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"> A modest reduction in inequality and a flat redistribution to adults is sufficient to ensure that everyone has a floor on which to build his life.<\/span><\/strong> Huge financial resources lay idle in the world, growing not through productive investment, but financial rent. Taxing them might make these resources useful, stimulating demand and production at the bottom, while drastically reducing poverty. Those who do not need the support might just be taxed back for the amount<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Ladislau Dowbor<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Dowbor\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1631 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dowbor-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dowbor-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dowbor-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dowbor-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dowbor-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dowbor-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dowbor.png 1406w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 a certain confusion reigns here around the notion \u2026 \u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>In France, the debate concerning a \u201cuniversal basic income\u201d remains confined to academic spheres and to a few militant groups.<\/strong><\/span> The issue was, however, put in the political agenda by the socialist candidate in the last presidential elections (spring 2017), that is to say before the outbreak of Covid-19. This candidate achieved a very poor score. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The crisis itself does not seem to have brought the problem to the fore.<\/strong> <\/span>It is true that a certain confusion reigns here around the notion: is it a real universal basic income, a negative tax, aid to citizens without resources, or a subsidy to all the residents? <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The imagination is lost; which does not help the political inscription of this notion, nor the serene economic discussion<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Etienne Perrot<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Perrot\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1980 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-2048x2048.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Perrot-1x1.png 1w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 with the Covid crisis, the idea is resurfacing \u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>In June 2016 a proposal to introduce a universal basic income was rejected by three-quarters of Swiss voters and all Cantons<span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/strong><\/span> With the Covid crisis, the idea is resurfacing, but to gain traction it will need to address two issues. The first is <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>how to finance it<\/strong><\/span>, especially if UBI should be enough to live on, without having adverse incentives for work and the tax base. The second is <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">why provide support to everyone instead of those in need<\/span>.<\/strong> Even with the pandemic the vast majority of the population has kept their income, and thus do not need support.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>C\u00e9dric Tille<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Tille\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2001 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tille.png 1842w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 dissatisfaction with existing social-security systems \u2026 \u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Dissatisfaction with existing social-security systems has recently led to greater attention to the Universal Basic Income (UBI)<\/span>.<\/strong> Perhaps the best known experiment is that carried out on a limited sample of recipients in Finland. In the recent municipal elections in the UK, almost 300 candidates of the Green Party were declared supporters of the UBI. Supporters stress the automaticity and universality of the UBI, which are believed to contribute to wellbeing and the ease with which beneficiaries are able to handle other problems of their lives. Critics stress the undesirability of the delinking of financial benefits from particular welfare services owing to its likely impact on popular support for these services. <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">This is a debate that requires several national experiments which are likely to influence corresponding variations in policy design, including other solutions such as negative income taxes or simply strengthened social security<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Andrew Cornford<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Cornford\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1916 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Corrnford-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Corrnford-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Corrnford-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Corrnford-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Corrnford.png 412w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 the proposal could draw away people from the labour force \u2026 \u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>During the pandemic, the Spanish left coalition government accelerated a plan called <em>Ingreso M\u00ednimo Vital,<\/em> expected to hand out between \u20ac462 and \u20ac1015 per month according to the conditions of each household unit.<\/strong><\/span> This in part replaces or adds up to existing regional schemes. Until March 2021, 210.000 beneficiaries had their submission approved, of a total of 1.3 million requests. The Unions and a few NGOs \u2013 some of them very efficient in relieving newly emergent poverty \u2013 denounce slowness and administrative maze in the process. Spanish unemployed still number 3.6 million (15.99%) plus about 750.000 in furlough schemes. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The proposal, if successful, could draw away people from the labour force, whereas we need public-private policies aiming to the contrary!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Domingo Sugranyes<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Sugranyes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1605 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sugranyes-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sugranyes-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sugranyes-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sugranyes-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sugranyes-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sugranyes-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sugranyes.png 1296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 these measures would provide tangible help that women need right now \u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For myriad women in economies of every size, along with trailing income, unpaid care and internal work burden has exploded. While all are facing unprecedented challenges, women continue bearing the brunt of economic and social fallout of COVID-19. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Pandemic-induced poverty flow will also widen gender poverty gap that means more women will be pushed into extreme poverty than men, thereby revealing women\u2019s precarious economic security.<\/strong><\/span> Introducing direct income support to women would mean giving cash directly to women who are poor or lack income that can be a lifeline for those struggling to afford day-to-day necessities during the pandemic. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Further, these measures would provide tangible help that women need right now.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Archana Sinha<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Sinha\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1993 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sinha-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sinha-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sinha-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sinha-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Sinha.png 321w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 in Central America, it has not even been considered \u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Mexico the discussion went to Congress as a proposal in June 2020 and is unapproved with a cost 1% of GDP. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>In Central America, it has not even been considered as it is too onerous for the limited public finances of those countries. In Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Argentina, among other countries in the region, there is public discussion on the desirability of UBI promoted by ECLA and UNDP and has not taken off given the very severe fiscal constraints in most countries.<\/strong><\/span> UBI would not reduce inequalities as people who do not need it would get it and families with many adults in one household would get a bigger share than those with children.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Oscar Ugarteche<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Ugartech\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2219 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Ugarteche-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Ugarteche-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Ugarteche-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Ugarteche.png 297w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 at the center of the most dynamic debates \u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The pandemic triggered a socioeconomic downturn &#8211; already sharpened by the 2008 debt crisis &#8211; that raised the economic uncertainty and widened inequalities. Fundamental rights and basic life parameters are at risk, especially for the poorest of the poor. Scholars, experts and citizens feel that it&#8217;s surely the time to voice up their support for a series of socioeconomic initiatives, the universal basic income being at the center of the most dynamic debates. The southern Mediterranean countries and Greece prioritized the pandemic effects and kept aside for a short period of time the \u201causterity measures\u201d. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>However, Greece is expected to turn back to the \u201ceconomic stability narrative\u201d as described during the debt crisis, a fact that disempowers a possible engagement to the UBI debate.<\/strong> <strong>If this becomes &#8211; as it should &#8211; an international matter, weaker economies will follow.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Christos Tsironis<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Tsironis\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1785 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tsironis-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tsironis-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tsironis-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tsironis-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tsironis-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Tsironis.png 939w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 popularizing the idea of universal basic income (UBI) in the U.S. \u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Thanks Andrew Yang for popularizing the idea of universal basic income (UBI) in the U.S. Yang ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, offering the \u201cFreedom Dividend\u201d, a UBI of US $1,000 a month to every American adult, as a solution to the eventual replacement of (nearly all) humans with automation. <\/strong><\/span>He scarcely answered how his UBI was to be funded, a significant, but not insurmountable, problem for UBI\u2019s proponents. UBI skeptics were somewhat silenced when the former and current Administrations sent out modest checks to those who lost jobs in the pandemic, in a series of massive economic rescue packages. Maybe the rescue plans are a nascent solution to UBI funding: higher taxes, deficit spending, and pump priming.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Kara Tan Bhala<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#TanBhala\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2598 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tan-Bhala-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tan-Bhala-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tan-Bhala-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tan-Bhala-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tan-Bhala.png 355w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 Italy introduced 2 years ago the <em>Reddito di cittadinanza<\/em> \u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Italy introduced 2 years ago the <em>Reddito di cittadinanza<\/em>, with 1.2 millions Italians receiving this first attempt of universal basic income (560 euro on average), at the condition of refusing no more than two job offers.<\/strong> <\/span>In two years, only a small number of citizens actually signed a contract, as most offers were short-term. On the other hand, Italy just presented its <em>PNRR (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza<\/em>)<em>, <\/em>consisting in \u20ac235,12 billion. Roughly 27% of the resources of the plan will be devoted to digital agenda, 40% to investments to counteract climate change and 10% to social cohesion. Particular attention was paid to the historically-disadvantaged <em>Mezzogiorno<\/em> of southern Italy (\u20ac82 billion, of which 36 in infrastructures) with projects involving young people and women, groups hit hard by the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Valerio Bruno<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Bruno\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1965 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Valerio.png 1588w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 73.8941%; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><strong>&#8222;<\/strong><strong>\u2026 the pandemic has revealed the social value of unpaid or underpaid work \u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Everyone without exception is entitled to an income. Traditionally it is mainly provided in exchange for work. It may be the work of people or of capital. Some forms of work may be unpaid, or not paid enough to provide a living. Many people depend on what Germans call \u201c givers of work\u201d for their income: their work is servile. Some people are not fit to work at all, e.g. the very old. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The pandemic has revealed the social value of unpaid or underpaid work. It has also revealed how slow, cumbersome and unfair are the rules governing social security, so that many fall through holes in the safety net. Universal income plugs many holes and frees workers from servility.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>Edward Dommen<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 25.9608%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/from-virus-to-vitamin\/contributors\/#Dommen\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1615 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dommen-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dommen-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dommen-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dommen-1x1.png 1w, https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Dommen.png 606w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OF Discussion Board n\u00b016 &#8211; 28 May 2021 Question asked : &#8222;The coronavirus crisis and the restrictions on economic activity [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3211","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3211"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3219,"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3211\/revisions\/3219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obsfin.ch\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}