I’m Scott Santens, and I've been researching and advocating for the concept of unconditional universal basic income (or UBI) since 2013.
Acknowledged by former U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang as one of those who helped shape his thinking, I've lived with a basic income floor via Patreon since 2015 which has enabled me to focus on popularizing UBI full-time.
I am the founder and CEO of the Income To Support All (ITSA) Foundation, the host of The Basic Income Show, and I also serve on the board of directors of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity and as the editor of Basic Income Today — a daily UBI news hub.
My debut book about UBI and how to pay for it is titled Let There Be Money. You can buy it on Amazon or listen to it for free on your favorite podcast platform.
Thank you to all who support my work by sharing it, and if you're new to UBI, my UBI FAQ or my evidence threads on Bluesky or X are great places to start.
A Guide to Basic Income: Frequently Asked Questions about UBI
Over the years I've been asked many questions about the idea of an unconditional universal basic income guarantee. Some questions are asked far more than others, and so I've made a point of writing various articles to answer many of these questions. Whatever question you may
We Gave Homeless People Cash. They Bought Housing Not Drugs.
The evidence from Vancouver to Denver is undeniable: When people in crisis receive money, substance use goes down, employment goes up, and homelessness ends. On any given night in the United States, over half a million people have no place to call home. They sleep in shelters, in cars, under
Top 10 Universal Basic Income Articles of 2025
As host of The Basic Income Show and moderator for the Basic Income subreddit, I read hundreds of article every year about UBI. Below, I’ve compiled a list of the top ten articles I consider my favorites out of everything published in 2025. A big thanks to my monthly
The 200-Year Experiment: How a 'Privileged' Basic Income in Brazil Proves We Can Afford to Be Universal
From $500 to $15,000 a Month: How Decades of Data Prove That an Unconditional Basic Income Guarantee Fuels Ambition Instead of Laziness What if I told you that the Portuguese Empire accidentally ran one of the most comprehensive basic income experiments in human history? Not a one-year or two-year
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