Episode 207: Talking UBI, part 1

Professor of Economics Hilary Hoynes and UC Berkeley MPP Student '20 Sarah Edwards probe whether work is a solid foundation on which to build the welfare of American society. Can and should income from working really provide a stable base for all Americans? And can more universal coverage social safety nets for non-working adults alleviate the stigma of government support? While welfare reform of the 1990s resulted in spotty coverage from the coupling of assistance and working, the universality of UBI could be an attractive counterproposal to extend coverage to those without it and reduce the stigma of government support. But untargeted programs risk becoming prohibitively expensive or overstretched. In this episode of Talk Policy to Me, find out why loosening the bind between working and government support opens a new space where new possibilities for policy solutions can come forward. Tune in to next week's episode on the specifics of one experiment in Stockton, California. See show notes and full transcript here: https://gspp.berkeley.edu/research-and-impact/news/podcast/talking-universal-basic-income-with-professor-hilary-hoynes