NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL FUNEMPLOYMENT: Finland just launched an experiment giving 2,000 people free money until 2019.
The experiment will also provide clues about how people behave when they’re receiving free money. Skeptics say people will sit on their couch all day. Proponents claim they’ll actually use the money to make their lives better. (Limited evidence from developing countries suggests it’s more of the latter.)
Turunen suspects the experiment will compel at least a few wannabe entrepreneurs to make the leap into starting their own business — a risky proposition in Finland today since business owners who are forced to close shop don’t receive unemployment benefits. It’s not unlike the system in place in most US states.
“The system nowadays, it’s pretty negative for people who try to do something — even little — in their lives and get something out of it,” she says.
A basic income might turn a risky move into a much safer one.
We heard similar claims in this country about ObamaCare, but they never quite panned out.