For me these studies are utterly meaningless without real world long-term data.
> would not reduce people’s willingness to work
> The psychologists also found an indication that people with a basic income look for work that suits them better.
Note how the authors use the word *willingness" to work. 0 people want to clean toilets or public restrooms for a living. Or be waiting staff at a restaurant. Yet those "grunt work" jobs are often formative in developing grit, social skills & long term prioritisation skills (instant gratification vs. long term payoff). I shudder to think what the consequence would be of participating in a society where you are free to skip the "hard stuff" because it's inconvenient.
Is the only "hard stuff" in life found in employment?
What about losing a friend? Learning who you are in relation to your parents? Attempting to cooperate with a partner? Sacrificing your goals for your children?
Life is much richer than the lessons learned by doing menial labor.
if the 'hard stuff'means earning a pittance so the investor class can sent their children to a decent school and I can't even afford to get treatment for my shot back. or to understand how clueless and narcissistic low level managers can sometimes psychologically abuse their employees. or that no matter how much time and energy I put in I'm never going anywhere.
some of these are lesson we can maybe stop teaching.
Agreed. The way I see it is that UBI has all the makings of an abusive relationship. One party supports the other, while there is no reciprocation. You don’t have to contribute to the society - the society will support all your basic needs.
Without a strong incentive for reciprocation we are solving half of the problem, while ignoring the negative consequences.
In a way it’s similar to how large mental institutions were closed in the US (the idea that had some merits), and now just ignore people with severe mental problems until they either injure themselves or someone else.
Isn’t the reciprocation that you keep voting for the people that want to send you checks? I’ve yet to see anyone explain how UBI isn’t eventually just buying future votes.
If I see them stand on a stage and tell grandmas they are going to end social security and Medicare - but will send everyone a check for $1000 instead, and I’ll think they are serious about UBI as an economic solution, but “we’ll also end other programs someday” isn’t the leading bullet point.
> would not reduce people’s willingness to work
> The psychologists also found an indication that people with a basic income look for work that suits them better.
Note how the authors use the word *willingness" to work. 0 people want to clean toilets or public restrooms for a living. Or be waiting staff at a restaurant. Yet those "grunt work" jobs are often formative in developing grit, social skills & long term prioritisation skills (instant gratification vs. long term payoff). I shudder to think what the consequence would be of participating in a society where you are free to skip the "hard stuff" because it's inconvenient.