A plan that granted Finnish citizens a no questions asked universal basic income (UBI) is over. Finland has decided to end a first of its kind welfare experiment after only two years after the government turned down a request for extra funding from the Finnish social security agency.
Participants of approximately 2,000 unemployed individuals from ages 25 to 58 were given €560 ($685) monthly without any sort of requirements. If they found a job, they were still granted a monthly stipend for the same amount.
According to Time, Finland’s unemployment rate reached a record high of 10 percent in 2017 sparking a new debate on welfare reform.