Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and shortlisted for the 2018 FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, this book examines universal basic income—a regular stipend given to all citizens—and its potential relevance in addressing rising inequality, persistent poverty, and technological change. Annie Lowrey explores the UBI movement globally, traveling to Kenya to observe how the policy lifts people out of poverty, India to examine failing government assistance programs, South Korea to trace UBI's intellectual history, and Silicon Valley to meet technology leaders funding UBI pilots in anticipation of widespread automation. The book considers both the potential of universal basic income as a policy solution and the obstacles it faces, including conflicting objectives, significant costs, and cultural resistance to unconditional assistance. Lowrey argues that this policy could address major economic challenges while redefining citizenship and strengthening society during a period of rapid change.