MSU RED: Free Money?

July 18, 2019

The Mile High City has also experimented with UBI. Dubbed the Denver Income Maintenance Experiment, it was the last in a series of four large-scale efforts undertaken in the late 1960s and early 1970s to measure the effects of UBI. In February, Stockton, Calif., became the first U.S. city-led UBI pilot program, distributing $500 per month for 18 months to 130 residents.

Still, UBI remains untested at a national level, said Kishore Kulkarni, Ph.D., professor of economics at MSU Denver.

“Politically, it’s a viable idea, as some look only at the benefits of a program,” he said. “However, when we consider both economic and opportunity costs, I’m not sure it’s a good decision for the country.”