This is what one of the world’s largest experiments in basic income looks like

From Meaghan Tobin and Márvio Dos Anjos / Rest of World: Mumbuca is a digital currency used in Maricà’s basic income program. Residents, with few eligibility requirements, can qualify for a monthly stipend to purchase goods and services using a smart phone or a card. The currency runs on the digital platform E-dinheiro and can only be spent in the city limits. Individuals cannot swap Mumbucas for national currency, but businesses can after a 48-hour waiting period and a 1% fee. Local currencies, which are popular in Brazil, help residents increase personal savings and, with increased stipends during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowed informal workers to stay home.

Click here to read the full story on Rest of World.

Issue Areas:

Alternative Forms of Income, Wellbeing Economics

Impact Areas:

Creating New Economic Paradigms

Actors:

Government

Communities Served:

—

Strategies:

Easing Economic Burdens for Individuals, Reallocating Government / Public Financing

Success Factors:

Addressing Underlying Issues, Providing Cash Instead Of Goods/Services, Using Creative Financing

Geographic Region:

South America

Countries:

Brazil

Date:

July 23, 2020

More Resources:

The Benefits of Greening Affordable Housing

From Erica Sweeny / Next City: The Denver-based Triple Bottom Line Foundation funds projects to retrofit low-income, multi-family properties that house underserved groups. The projects include energy-efficiency upgrades, solar power installations, and weatherization upgrades among others. Click here to read...

Women Entrepreneurs Are Key To India’s Green Economy

From Deepali Khanna / Forbes: India’s Governmental program MUDRA Yojana sets up small loans to microentrepreneurs. Combined with SEMA (Self-Employed Women’s Association), the aim is to bolster growth of women entrepreneurs, reduce poverty, and increase the number of women entrepreneurs...

Microfinance helps Indian women borrow – with dignity

From Annie Banerji / Christian Science Monitor: Microfinance institutions in India are providing low-cost loans to women in remote areas who typically only have access to loan sharks. The women are using the money to break poverty cycles and start their...

What Germany’s Coal Miners Can Teach America About Medical Debt

From Noam N. Levey / KFF Health News: Germany, like the U.S., has a largely private healthcare system that relies on private doctors and private insurers. Like Americans, many Germans enroll in a health plan through work, splitting the cost...

Conversation with Donna Norton

Donna Norton is a founding member of MomsRising and serves as MomsRising’s Executive VP and Chief Advancement & Strategy Officer, helping to develop and drive the strategic direction of MomsRising’s agenda. Norton is an innovator and strategic manager with more...

Mongolian nomads create shared funds and financial security

From Sarah Trent, Khaliun Bayartsogt / Devex: Herders in Mongolia have resorted to cooperative shared funds to keep their pastures afloat, a sign of a slow tilt towards greater collaboration and trust in the area. The shared funds act as...