Since early , municipal and national governments around the world have begun to implement creative policy solutions to address the ever-shifting economic challenges posed by the COVID pandemic.
For some, this has meant experimenting with guaranteed income programs, an economic policy solution in which governments dole out no-strings-attached cash payments to specific parts of the population they deem most vulnerable. While Ireland's program is one of few to focus on the arts another being the Creatives Rebuild New York program , the country is not alone in its creative experimentation with short-term income plans that came about following the pandemic.
With this many programs underway, it is worth considering what guaranteed income will look like in a post-pandemic world; as politicians and public opinion move past the pressing financial concerns associated with the COVID pandemic, the innovation behind these projects could end with their expiration dates.
In order to keep them alive, it is crucial for communities to come together and continue to advocate for guaranteed income in the years to come.
It is critical to note the diversity of guaranteed income pilot programs worldwide today: they vary not only in their selection of target recipients, but also in their sources of funding, frequency of payment, scales of projects, and more. However, all programs are united in their goal of providing assured financial support to the groups outlined in their mandates. The projectβthe first of its kind in Germanyβwas launched in by the German Institute for Economic Research and the non-profit association, My Basic Income, to research how guaranteed income affects emotional and psychological well-being.
