Thread by @bristolideas

Some mayors in the US are campaigning for - and piloting - guaranteed/ universal basic income programmes. More here: mayorsforagi.org Our events 13 October will feature two - Oakland and Stockton - as well as the experiment in Finland: ideasfestival.co.uk/events/is-it-t… #UBI 1/

'As the pandemic devastates the bank accounts of American families, mayors like Carter [St Paul, Minnesota] are proposing guaranteed income experiments...as a simple, scalable and equitable solution for families and local economies.' nbcnews.com/news/us-news/p… 2/

'Stockton has been piloting a program for around 18 months, providing $500 a month to 125 people. During the pandemic, about 45 percent of that money went to food, [Mayor] Tubbs said. Much of the rest went to other essentials, like rent.' 3/

Mayor Schaaf (Oakland) said a guaranteed income is 'powerful in its simplicity' though it's not the 'end of the work' as 'issues like housing costs and fair wages must still be addressed...'. #UBI 4/

'Dorian Warren, the president of Community Change, a Washington-based national organization that works to build power for low-income people of color' argues that 'universal basic income could function as something close to reparations for Black Americans.' #UBI 5/