© AP Photo/David Goldman
A nationwide experiment with basic income in Finland has not increased employment among those participating in the two-year trial, but their general well-being seems to have increased, a report said Friday.
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, or Kela, said "it was not yet possible to draw any firm conclusions" from the first half of the experiment, where about 2,000 randomly selected, unemployed people aged 25-58 got tax-free income of 560 euros ($636) a month with no questions asked.
Finland is looking into ways to reshape its social security system and became in January 2017 the first European country to launch the trial, which will end in 2020.
Critics say universal basic income reduces incentives for people to look for work.
Proponents say it can empower people to start new businesses, knowing that they would continue to receive monthly income no matter how well their new venture does. It can also encourage people to try a new job without the fear of losing their unemployment checks or having to go through the paperwork of reapplying for benefits.
Comment: That Mr Yorke thinks May's handling of Brexit is comparable to the Third Reich, of all the tragedies that befall our planet, clearly shows that people shouldn't pay too much heed to his opinion on the topic, or others: Radiohead's Thom Yorke gives supporters of BDS the finger during concert in Glasgow
However, there is one musician who seems to see reality with a much more objective eye, and that's Roger Waters from Pink Floyd: