Basic Income – Creating the future today
A universal basic income is essential for the economy of the 21st century. It creates scope for development and entrepreneurship. It’s beneficial socially and economically. It allows to cope with the rapid changes through digitization and robotics. It increases intrinsic motivation, because people have a walk-away option. People who like their work, perform better. A universal basic income will come – sooner or later. Therefor many leading entrepreneurs and economists want to ask the questions a society with basic income will have to deal with already now. They are committed to advance the idea of an unconditional basic income in the present for the future.
Event note
“Future of Work” – Congress with Yanis Varoufakis, Albert Wenger and Guy Standing
May 4th 2016 – Zurich (CH) – Information and tickets
Voices from economy
The following entrepreneurs and economists support the introduction of an unconditional basic income:
Thomas Jorberg (Board, GLS Bank, Germany)
“Especially in the context of today’s distribution problem the idea of basic income is interesting: There is a lot of work to be done, but the tasks do not find their way to the people who could do them. And many people do not find tasks that fulfill them... read more
Prof. Robert Reich (Former US Secretary of Labor)
“We will get to a point, all our societies, where technology is displacing so many jobs, not just menial jobs but also professional jobs, that we’re going to have to take seriously the notion of a universal basic... read more
Simon Hirter (CEO Jet Boat Interlaken GmbH, Switzerland)
“Besides the upcoming robotization I support the unconditional basic income, because it will promote the innovative spirit of Switzerland and its citizens, and because it takes away existential and give the power back to the citizens, because it reduces bureaucracy... read more
Azeem Azhar (Strategist & Author at Exponential View, CEO of PeerIndex, UK)
“We are at a turning point in our development where technology may render the very acts of labour almost valueless. The ineluctable march of automation will make us wealthier in toto but come at the cost of livelihoods and meaning to millions. A basic income... read more
Andrea Bury ( Founder & CEO, ABURY Collection GmbH, Berlin)
“Basic Income allows everyone to unfold their fullest potential. Apart from this, basic income degrades existential fears. And without fear it is possible to live a better, more peaceful, more productive and happier... read more
Aurel Greiner (Co-founder revendo.ch, Switzerland)
“To do that professionally, what one likes to do is not only beautiful but also highly efficientl in economic terms. The platform Revendo.ch was created when I made my hobby become my job. I did what I was able to do well. I did, what I found useful to do. But... read more
Dr. Thomas C. Flatt (President SwissICT)
“I am convinced that our society needs solutions to cope with the rapid changes that are currently happening due to IT and digitization. Unlike the much-quoted ‘industrial revolution’, the changes will come so fast, that our society will not be able to adjust... read more
Alec Ross (Hillary Clinton’s former Senior Advisor for Innovation)
“… {And} (I do think that what might look on its surface like the far left and the far right) as the economy continues to develop in the way it is with more bounty and more spread more billionaires and more struggling members of the working class. I do think that... read more
Prof. Dr. Moshe Vardi (AI expert at Rice University, USA)
“Our current economic system requires people to either have wealth or to work to make a living, with the assumption that the economy creates jobs for all those who need them. If this assumption breaks down — and progress in automation is likely to break it down,... read more
Gian-Franco Salvato (Gründer &CEO, attrackting AG, Switzerland / China)
“An unconditional basic income will eliminate the fear for one’s existence. I am confident that through a basic income a breeding ground for innovation will be created. Only in such an environment of innovation we are going to be able to face the impacts of... read more
Albert Wenger (Venture Capitalist, Union Square Ventures)
“People mainly invest in innovations. And the major part of this innovations are in the field of automation. As more we invest in automation, so more we need to think about the future of labour and jobs.“ […] „Equipped with a basic income, people start to... read more