Rising income inequality and the threat of automation have given the basic income, an old idea, new wings. Everyone — Silicon Valley technologists, social justice justice activists, even some conservative thought leaders — thinks that the moment has come to guarantee each citizen enough to cover their basic needs. In this TEDx talk, Sebastian Johnson lays out the case for the basic income, and why this time could be different. Sebastian Johnson is a Senior Associate with Freedman Consulting, LLC and a passionate believer in the role public policy can play in bettering lives. From 2014 to 2016 Mr. Johnson was the state policy fellow at the Institution on Taxation and Economic Policy. He also served as a policy analyst for Governor Martin O’Malley and a number of local officials in Maryland. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Politics.
