Videos to help you understand UBI better
A non-exhaustive list of recommendations to add to your lunchtime YouTube watchlist
NOTE: We included watch times, so you can better plan out which video(s) to watch during your lunch break.
Universal Basic Income Explained - Free Money for Everybody? (10 min 5 sec)
Kurzgesagt — In a Nutshell
Concise and easy to understand. Quick watch packed with information. And who doesn’t love fun animations? (Many more videos with fun animations to follow)
The Monsters, Inc. Argument for Basic Income (11 min 23 sec)
UBIVisuals — How to convert an economy based on fear to one based on joy by Scott Santens. Video Edit by Philippe Chabot. Based on a Ken Burak talk.
If you love Monsters, Inc. or cultural analysis on the moves we watch, this is for you.
Basic Income, explained (2 min 17 sec)
Vox — We know how to end poverty. So why don't we?
For anyone saying, “I don’t have time to watch these videos.” You can watch this video while you wait for your food to heat up.
(If this video is too short for you and you want to learn more, here’s their article on UBI.)
The case for a universal basic income | Free Lunch on Film (19 min 44 sec)
Financial Times — The coronavirus pandemic has opened the door to radical economic reform, argues FT columnist Martin Sandbu. A no-strings regular cash transfer to everyone could shake up the welfare system, bring new economic security, and create more opportunities for all.
A great watch overall. Best part (that feeds into Bootstraps’ bias towards storytelling) was the inclusion of interviews from Alaska Dividend recipients, which we mentioned in our previous post:
Poverty isn’t a lack of character; it’s a lack of cash | Rutger Bregman (14 min 58 sec)
TED — "Ideas can and do change the world," says historian Rutger Bregman, sharing his case for a provocative one: guaranteed basic income. Learn more about the idea's 500-year history and a forgotten modern experiment where it actually worked -- and imagine how much energy and talent we would unleash if we got rid of poverty once and for all.
For anyone who loves a TED talk. (Guess what, the speaker has a book too. Check out our previous post below.)
Why the U.S. Should Provide Universal Basic Income (3 min 20 sec)
The Atlantic — America is the richest civilization in history. Why, then, are our living standards so low compared to those of other wealthy democracies?
For anyone wondering if the concept of UBI could even work in the United States. (The narrator also has a book that we featured in the book recommendation post.)
The Case for Universal Basic Income in Post-Pandemic Canada (7 min 56 sec)
Global News — In 1974, Canada conducted a landmark basic income experiment in a rural town in Manitoba. Now, decades later, as countries struggle with high unemployment rates and a global recession in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, debate around whether Canada should have a national basic income has resurfaced.
For anyone wondering how UBI works in our post-pandemic world, particularly within post-pandemic Canada.
What other videos should we add to this list? Let us know below.