Discussing Basic Income with Y Combinator Research

Elizabeth Rhodes and Matt Krisiloff work at Y Combinator Research – https://ycr.org

They’re closing in on a final design for their basic income study. They’ll be providing people with a stipend each month and studying what happens.

Craig met up with Elizabeth and Matt to discuss the ideas behind basic income and YCR’s upcoming study.

—

0:10 – Matt and Elizabeth’s intro.

0:37 – What is basic income?

0:51 – Why is YCR working on basic income?

2:12 – Who else is studying basic income?

2:49 – Basic income’s history in the US.

4:05 – Basic income’s history internationally.

4:39 – Status of YCR’s basic income study.

5:37 – What is YCR hoping to learn from the study?

6:57 – How will YCR measure the effects of basic income?

8:34 – How much money will people get?

9:42 – How are they choosing people for the study?

11:28 – How are they logging the spending of people who participate?

12:25 – How does basic income differ from welfare?

13:48 – What are the best case scenarios for basic income outcomes?

16:02 – How might the market react to basic income?

17:30 – What are the arguments against basic income?

20:29 – YCR is hiring a basic income research manager – https://jobs.lever.co/ycr/2f74d9d7-0292-4a60-ae83-4602ad1d0daa

21:38 – Where can you learn more about basic income?

22:17 – If Elizabeth and Matt had a basic income, what would they spend it on?