Providing a global basic income means getting money to every person in the world every month. A few years ago this might have been close to impossible, but new low-cost technologies and improvements in administration make it much easier.
Registering the world
To begin receiving a global basic income, we will all need to register with the scheme. There are various options for how this could be done. The aim is to develop a simple, workable system in which:
Existing systems for banking, birth and death registrations, social security, mobile phone money, and aid-related cash transfers may be used in order to get money to people reliably and cheaply every month. Some governments may be keen to co-operate, others less so - these will be challenges for the scheme to overcome. We believe that receiving regular, unconditional cash will be a strong incentive that will encourage people to find ways to register themselves and their families, and to lobby their governments to support the process.
- People can register themselves, with a minimum of fuss and paperwork.
- You choose how to receive your basic income - direct to your bank account, as mobile phone money (see below), on a smartcard, or by another method which works for you and your community.
- Those who need it are supported to register.
- There are good systems in place to prevent fraud and ensure people can only register for their own basic income.
Existing systems for banking, birth and death registrations, social security, mobile phone money, and aid-related cash transfers may be used in order to get money to people reliably and cheaply every month. Some governments may be keen to co-operate, others less so - these will be challenges for the scheme to overcome. We believe that receiving regular, unconditional cash will be a strong incentive that will encourage people to find ways to register themselves and their families, and to lobby their governments to support the process.
Reaching people without bank accounts - mobile phone money
In 2007, a new kind of banking using mobile phones was launched in Kenya and Tanzania. M-Pesa allows people without bank accounts to receive, store and transfer money using their phone. This service and others like it are already widely used in some countries, with 61% of the Kenyan population using mobile money, and an average usage rate of 30% across Africa. As of 2014, there were mobile money services available in 89 countries, run by 255 different operators. Around two-thirds of people around the world have a mobile phone. Providing a global basic income via mobile phone money could help to reach many of those who struggle to access standard bank accounts.
How people get social security and other cash transfers
Money is already transferred regularly to people all over the world, including in remote rural areas and war zones. Many low income countries pay pensions and other benefits to citizens, and have invented suitable ways of delivering the money each month, including vouchers, smart-cards, and mobile cash machines. Humanitarian organisations provide cash in some of the most challenging environments of all, and have a broad evidence base as to what works best in terms of accessibility, security and transaction costs. A global basic income scheme would make use of these existing systems and knowledge to develop a simple, accessible way to get money to people every month, no matter what.
