If we assume the best in people, we can radically redesign our democracy and welfare states.
Rutger BregmanRead
While it won't solve all the world's ills - and ideas such as a rent cap and more social housing are necessary in places where housing is scarce - a basic income would work like venture capital for the people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A basic income can empower individuals similarly to how venture capital empowers startups, even if it doesn't address all societal issues.
In this quote, Rutger Bregman emphasizes the potential of a basic income as a transformative financial tool for individuals. He acknowledges that while a universal basic income won't resolve all societal problems, it can provide valuable support akin to venture capital, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation among the populace, particularly in contexts where resources are limited and housing struggles exist.
Themes
Basic IncomeVenture CapitalEmpowermentSocial HousingEconomic Support
In practice
Example use cases
During a public seminar on economic reform, one might use this quote to advocate for basic income policies.
More from Rutger Bregman
All quotes →Since long workdays lead to more errors, shorter workdays could reduce accidents. Overtime is deadly. Tired surgeons have been found to be more prone to slip'ups, and soldiers who get too little shuteye are more prone to miss targets.
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My hope is that the corona crisis will help bring us into a new age of cooperation and solidarity and a realization that we're in this together.
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This is what a crisis does: It makes you question the status quo. That doesn't mean that after a crisis we move into some kind of utopia. But it is an opportunity for political change.
Rutger BregmanRead
Believing in the good of humanity is a revolutionary act - it means that we don't need all those managers and CEO's, kings and generals. That we can trust people to govern themselves and make their own decisions.
Rutger BregmanRead
We so often tend to think our democracies are ruled by procedures and laws, but they are also governed by implicit rules and assumptions and one of them is the ability to feel shame - that you can be shamed.
Rutger BregmanRead
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Addressing the weaknesses of capitalism will require us, above all, to do two things: first, to take a long-term perspective, and second, to re-set the priorities of business.
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If you followed this economic crisis and you do not think that the world is getting flatter, you are not paying attention. We saw the entire global economy at one time acting totally in sync. The real truth is the world is even flatter than I thought. Our mortgage crisis is killing Deutsche Bank. You still don't think the world is flat?
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The value of a currency is, ultimately, what someone will give you for it - whether in food, fuel, assets, or labor. And that's always and everywhere a subjective decision.
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