ITSA Newsletter: May 2025

The Latest and Biggest Basic Income News:

‣ Basic Income Has Increased Employment in 20 Pilots According to MGI

‣ Amnesty International Says Universal Basic Income is an ‘Essential Measure’

‣ Pete Buttigieg Suggests an AI Dividend to ‘Give Everybody a Share’

‣ 20 Lawmakers from 17 States Launch ‘Legislators for a Guaranteed Income’

‣ Largest-Scale Cash Transfer Reentry Program to Date Shows Reduced Recidivism

‣ First Ever Long-Term UBI Study in Germany Shows Significantly Positive Effects

ITSA Foundation News Update:

The Income To Support All Foundation is a proud sponsor of this year’s 23rd annual BIG Conference in DC on June 17 and 18. The BIG Conference is “a national convening for the basic income community to engage in fun and inspiring sessions that celebrate the progress and wins from across our diverse movement while connecting and collaborating on the work yet to do.”

If you’d like to attend the conference, you can register here. For those who do attend, I will see you there!

Basic Income Has Increased Employment in 20 Pilots According to MGI [link]

• Nearly 200 cities have now run or are running a basic income pilot, of which 72 are affiliated with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.

• Of those 72 pilots, 20 have published final results, and none of them have found significant decreases in employment.

• The vast majority of pilots have reported increases in full-time employment as the result of a basic income floor.

Amnesty International Says Universal Basic Income is an ‘Essential Measure’ [link]

• In a recent press conference warning against the rise of authoritarianism across the globe, Amnesty International referred to UBI as an ‘essential measure.’

• Quote: “We are absolutely convinced that the social and economic divisions and chaos that could come with artificial intelligence with the restructuring of the global economic system must be a priority for all governments. In our opinions an essential measure that must be taken in order to balance out the fields is in the form of a universal income.”

• Quote: “We do not believe that the economic situation as it is being drawn out can be tackled simply through economic or trade measures. There must be social policy in place including in the form of universal income.”

Pete Buttigieg Suggests an AI Dividend to ‘Give Everybody a Share’ [link]

• In an appearance on FLAGRANT, Pete Buttigieg suggested a dividend for citizens from the value being created off AI.

• When asked if he meant UBI, he replied “it could be.”

• He went on to talk about how it was public funding that funded all the original R&D in the first place in the 1960s, so why shouldn’t we all get a share?

20 Lawmakers from 17 States Launch ‘Legislators for a Guaranteed Income’ [link]

• 23 Democratic lawmakers from 17 states have launched “Legislators for a Guaranteed Income.”

• The lawmakers want to see states play a larger role in guaranteed basic income programs.

• LGI says its 23 members have so far introduced 25 bills across 11 states.

Largest-Scale Cash Transfer Reentry Program to Date Shows Reduced Recidivism [link]

• The Returning Citizens Stimulus (RCS) program—implemented in 28 cities across the US, and administered by the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)— was a pilot program for larger-scale reentry cash support.

• 824 participants got up to three cash payments upon their release from prison, totaling up to $2,750 over three months.

• In the first year after being released, participants in the RCS program committed fewer parole violations (both overall and for violent offenses) than their nonparticipant counterparts in the comparison group.

First Ever Long-Term UBI Study in Germany Shows Significantly Positive Effects [link]

• 122 people in Germany received 1,200 euros in basic income every month for three years.

• There was no change in the percentage of people employed or the number of hours worked per week. On average, all study participants worked 40 hours – with or without a basic income.

• Compared to the control group, basic income recipients enjoyed 4 hours a week more social time, saved 2.5x more money, and gave away 2.5x more money to others.

• Recipients were happier, healthier, less stressed out, and more satisfied with their lives than non-recipients.

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Scott Santens

Founder & CEO, ITSA Foundation