Michael Howard

Describes how Universal basic income (UBI) is in the news, and is being considered by leading politicians (including Obama and Clinton), titans of business (including Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Chris Hughes, and venture capitalist Sam Altman), and union leaders such as Andy Stern. Mentions how there are many factors contributing to the news explosion, including the 2016 Swiss referendum, and basic income pilot projects in Canada, Finland, India, and elsewhere.

Discusses how the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center invited local, regional, and international experts on universal basic income (UBI) to participate in a new feature: Maine Policy Perspectives.

Addresses the questions: What is a basic income? Is it a desirable and feasible policy? And could such a policy be implemented on a state or local level?

Offers a comprehensive discussion of all the important aspects of the Basic Income debate for academics, policymakers and interested individuals.

Studies the Feasibility of Creating Basic Income Security (referred to in this report as the “study committee”) with the passage of Resolve 2019, chapter 82. 

Examines the history, economics, politics, and ethics of permanent funds and resource dividends based on the Alaska model, in which every citizen receives an annual dividend from a fund based on common ownership of natural resources. Howard and Widerquist argue that there are good reasons to link basic income policies to resource taxation.

Examines the feasibility of exporting the Alaska model (the Alaska Permanent Fund and the Permanent Fund Dividend) to other places and for other kinds of resources. Resource dividends can be part of a solution to world poverty, and there is scope for development of the Alaska model in "resource-poor" states like Vermont, among the rapidly growing number of sovereign wealth funds, as part of environmental policies such as carbon capping and elimination of fuel subsidies, and through application to social as well as natural shared resources.

Argues that the costs of climate change need to be shared globally in a way that both holds polluters responsible for the costs of pollution and also takes account of ability to pay.

Proposes a dividend to all inhabitants of the NAFTA countries as part of a strategy to reform the trade agreement, and reduce poverty and migration.

Brings together a few classic works and contemporary assessments of socialism with respect to such themes as freedom, equality, democracy, ecology, technology, popular culture, and religion.

Defends economic democracy—worker-managed firms and social investment, in a market economy—as an alternative to contemporary capitalism and to a planned economy.