Also, since I haven't offered any solutions, here's some things I'd like to explore with basic income:
1) Offer BI to the working poor - People that are making over the cap (48k for a household or whatever). Tell them that this safety net exists even if they quit their job tomorrow. Based on my criticism, we know that giving more money to poor people improves their outcomes. But I actually don't know what would happen if you gave a BI to middle class people that already have (crappy) jobs. Would they quit and go back to school? Would they continue working knowing that their jobs are being taxed at a marginal rate of 70%+ based on the amount they'd receive from BI?
2) Do BI in a major metropolis for the poor. Does it change outcomes in a place like Toronto when housing and services are ridiculously expensive? How effective is a flat BI when cost of living is drastically different?
3) Do a larger roll out of BI along with a funding scheme. For example, do BI in Hamilton or a small to mid-sized city, but have the funding end too. Add a 5% "BI tax" to everything (or whatever revenue generator), and then have a near-revenue neutral BI. Then test outcomes of all socio-economic classes including businesses, middle class, lower class and upper class.
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