Update
Statement of Belief, Signed by 100+ Leaders
12. 06. 2016
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We believe people need financial security, and cash might be the most effective and efficient way to provide it.
The time has come to consider new, bold ways to make our economy work again for all Americans. In a time of immense wealth, no one should live in poverty, nor should the middle class be consigned to a future of permanent stagnation or anxiety. Automation, globalization, and financialization are changing the nature of work, and these shifts require us to rethink how to guarantee economic opportunity for all.
A basic income is a bold idea with a long history and the potential to free people to pursue the work and life they choose. Now is the time to think seriously about how recurring, unconditional cash stipends could work, how to pay for them, and what the political path might be to make them a reality, even while many of us are engaged in protecting the existing safety net.
The undersigned commit to work over the coming months and years to research, experiment, and inspire others to think through how best to design cash programs that empower Americans to live and work in the new economy.
Founding Signatories of Economic Security Project
Sam Altman President, Y Combinator
Sandhya Anantharaman Co-Director, Universal Income Project
Marcellus Andrews Professor of Economics, Bucknell University
Roy Bahat Head, Bloomberg Beta
Peter Barnes Co-Founder Credo Mobile, Author, With Liberty and Dividends For All
Ian Bassin Former Associate White House Counsel to President Barack Obama
John Battelle EIC + CEO, NewCo
Tom Begich Alaska State Senator-elect
Yochai Benkler Professor, Harvard Law School and Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
Juliana Bidadanure Assistant Professor in Philosophy, Stanford University
Jeremy Bird Founding Partner & CEO, 270 Strategies
Mia Birdsong Co-Director, Family Story
James K. Boyce Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Rose Broome Co-founder & CEO, HandUp
Ron Carmel Co-Founder, 2D BOY, Indie Fund
Seiji Carpenter Vice President, David Binder Research
Jon Carson Former Executive Director, OFA
Robin Chase Co-founder Zipcar, Author, Peers Inc
Misha Chellam Founder, Tradecraft
Larry Cohen Founder, WhyUBI
Simon Denny Artist
Pedro Domingos Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington
Michael Faye Co-founder, GiveDirectly and Segovia
Natalie Foster Fellow, Institute for the Future
Josh Fryday President, Golden State Opportunity
Alicia Garza Co-founder, Black Lives Matter
Mark Gomez Founder, Leap Forward Project
Marina Gorbis Executive Director, Institute for the Future
Joe Greenstein Co-founder InnerSpace, frmr founder/CEO Flixster
David Grusky Professor of Sociology, Stanford University
Molly Haigh President, Megaphone Strategies
Samuel Hammond Poverty and Welfare Policy Analyst, Niskanen Center
Jeremy Howard Founding researcher, fast.ai
Gerald Huff Technologist
Chris Hughes Co Founder, Facebook
Tim Hwang Co-Founder, Awesome Foundation
Taj James Co-Director, Movement Strategy Center
Leila Janah CEO + Founder, Samasoure and LXMI
Ryan Johnson Executive Director, State Policy Advisors
Sebastian Johnson Policy Advocate
Steve Kest Senior Advisor, Center for Popular Democracy
Josh Kline Artist
Sean Kline Director, San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment
Russell Klusas Founder, Tradecraft
Konrad Kording Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University
Kaitlyn & Mike Krieger Founders, Future Justice Fund
Matt Krisiloff Director, Y Combinator Research
Lawrence Lessig Roy L Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard University
Michael Lewis Associate Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center
Ioana Marinescu Assistant professor, University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy
Courtney Martin Author
Tom Matzzie CEO, CleanChoice Energy
Andrew McCollum
Kate McFarland Basic Income Earth Network
Jane McGonigal Author and game creator
Douglas Meeks Professor of Theology, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University
Sarah Meyohas Artist
Dan O’Sullivan Basic Income Action
Trevor Paglen Artist
Eli Pariser Co-CEO, Upworthy
Leila Pedersen Engagement Manager, New America CA
Serkan Piantino Founder and CEO, Top 1 Networks
Nick Pinkston Founder & CEO, Plethora
Ai-Jen Poo Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance
Jamil Poonja
john a. powell Director of Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society
Jim Pugh Co-founder, Universal Income Project
Jose Quinonez CEO, Mission Asset Fund
Connie Razza Director of Campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy
Rob Reich Professor of Political Science, Stanford University
Robert B. Reich Former Secretary of Labor and Professor at University of California, Berkeley
Elizabeth Rhodes Research Director, Y Combinator Research
Tristan Roberts Activist, Basic Income America
Brishen Rogers Associate Professor, Temple University Beasley School of Law
David Rolf President, SEIU 775
Joseph Sanberg Chair, Golden State Opportunity
Scott Santens Moderator, /r/BasicIncome
Kellee Santiago Co-Founder and Investor, Indie Fund
Mark Schmitt Director of Studies, New America
Nathan Schneider Scholar in Residence of Media Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
Rachel Schneider co-author, The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty
David Segal Exec Director at Demand Progress, former Rhode Island State Representative
H. Luke Shaefer Co-author of $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America
Eldar Shafir Professor of Behavioral Science and Public Policy, Princeton University
Kati Sipp Managing Director, National Guestworker Alliance
Gretchen Sisson Research Sociologist, University of California, San Francisco
Derek Slater Policy Strategist
Anne-Marie Slaughter President and CEO, New America
Sandra Smith Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California-Berkeley
Saket Soni Executive Director, National Guestworker Alliance
Michael Stein Game / AR designer
Andy Stern Former President, Service Employees International Union
Kat Taylor Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Beneficial State Bank
David Thigpen Research Affiliate Institute for the Future
Camila Thorndike Co-founder, Our Climate & Carbon Pricing Coordinator, CCAN
Lynda Tran Founding Partner, 270 Strategies
Moshe Y. Vardi George Distinguished Service Professor, Rice University
Dorian Warren Fellow, Roosevelt Institute
Vinitha Watson Founder & Executive Director of Zoo Labs
Albert Wenger Managing Partner, Union Square Ventures
Adam Werbach Former President, Sierra Club
Bill Wielechowski Alaska State Senator
Will Wilkinson Vice President for Policy, Niskanen Center
Felicia Wong President & CEO, Roosevelt Institute
Haeyoung Yoon Director of Strategic Partnerships, National Employment Law Project
Matt Zwolinski Professor of Philosophy, University of San Diego