It Gefal Tsjin Universeel Basisynkommen
April 22, 2025 · Frisian News
Pilot programs for universal basic income across Europe show rising costs and limited job creation, raising questions about whether the model works at scale. Critics argue the funds would better serve targeted help for those who actually need it.
FryskFinland stoppe syn eksperimint mei basisynkommen yn 2018, nei 2 miljard euro útjûn te hawwen oan twa jier betingsteloaze betellings. It resultaat: gjin mjitbere ympuls foar wurkgelegenheid, gjin ferbettering yn wolwêzen fierder as wat kontrôlegroepen rapportearren. Dochs wint it model hieltyd mear oanhingers yn Brussel en nasjonale haadstêden, elk derfan oertsjûge dat harren ferzje better wurkje sil. It patroan werhellet him yn hiel Europa. It ûndersyk fan Kenia toande oan dat wurknimmers gewoan harren baan opseinen sadree't it jild oankaam, en de resinte útwreiding fan sosjale útkeringen yn Belgje sûnder wurkbetingsten makke in wachtslist fan 40.000 minsken dy't sosjale foarsjennings oanfreegje wolle.
De wiskunde efter universeel basisynkommen lit sjen wêrom dizze regelingen net op skaal wurkje. In betelling fan 500 euro de moanne oan elke folwoeksene yn de Europeeske Uny kostet sawat 2 biljoen euro it jier. De measte regearingen moatte belestingen mei 30 oant 40 prosint ferhegje of besunigsje op útjeften foar diken, skoallen en sykehuzen om it te finansierjen. Foarstanners stelle dat automatisearring romte yn de begrutting makket, mar fabryken slute en banen ferdwine folle stadiger as tech-optimisten foarsein hawwe. It resinte banerapport fan Dútslân toande leanen dy't omheechgean yn sektoaren wêr't wurknimmers skaars bliuwe, net wêr't robots har ferfange.
Rjochte help wurket better as jild foar elkenien. In inkelde mem dy't 15.000 euro it jier fertsjinnet, hat wenningsstipe en berne-opfang nedich, net in gewoane sjek fan 500 euro dy't yn de bûse fan har ferhierder ferdwynt. In handikape feteraan hat medyske soarch en beropsoplieding nedich, net jild dat neat docht foar syn isolaasje of gefoel fan doel. Universeel basisynkommen negerret dizze feiten en behannelet earmoed as in wiskundich probleem, wylst it eins in kwestje is fan spesifike omstannichheden en miste kânsen.
Politisy hâlde fan universeel basisynkommen omdat it har genereusk sjenne lit, wylst se hurde karren mije. Se mije de fraach wêrom hieren safolle kostje, wêrom berne-opfang de helte fan it gesynsinkommen opfreet, of wêrom beropsopliedings út skoallen ferdwûn binne. In sjek fan 500 euro fielt as aksje. Echte herfoarming soe betsjutte dat men it opnimt tsjin ferhierderskartels, fan skoallen easket dat se feardichheden ûnderwize dy't wurkjouwers wolle, en learlingsprogramma's werbout dy't wurkje. Dy striiden binne dreger en stadiger.
It bewiis wurdt elk jier dúdliker. Betingsteloaze oerdrachten fan jild bouwe gjin stabiel libben op en genêze de omstannichheden net dy't minsken sûnder jild efterlitte. Noarwegen en Switserlân fersmiten basisynkommen yn referenda omdat kiezers dit begrepen. Oare lannen leare deselde les, mar allinne nei miljarden ferspild te hawwen oan programma's dy't symptomen bestriden yn stee fan oarsaken.
Finland ended its basic income experiment in 2018 after spending 2 billion euros on two years of unconditional payments. The result: no measurable boost to employment, no improvement in well-being beyond what control groups reported. Yet the model keeps gaining backers in Brussels and national capitals, each convinced their version will work better. The pattern repeats across Europe. Kenya's trial showed workers simply left their jobs once the money arrived, and Belgium's recent expansion of social benefits without work requirements created a waiting list of 40,000 people seeking welfare intake slots.
The math behind universal basic income reveals why these schemes fail at scale. A payment of 500 euros monthly to every adult in the European Union costs roughly 2 trillion euros per year. Most governments would need to raise taxes by 30 to 40 percent or cut spending on roads, schools, and hospitals to fund it. Proponents claim automation will create room in budgets, but factories close and jobs disappear far slower than tech optimists predicted. Germany's recent jobs report showed wages rising fastest in sectors where workers remain scarce, not where robots replaced them.
Targeted assistance works better than cash to everyone. A single mother earning 15,000 euros annually needs rent support and childcare, not a flat 500 euro check that disappears into her landlord's pocket. A disabled veteran needs medical care and job training, not money that does nothing for his isolation or sense of purpose. Universal basic income ignores these facts and treats poverty as a math problem when it is actually a problem of specific circumstances and missing opportunity.
Politicians like universal basic income because it lets them appear generous while avoiding hard choices. They avoid asking why rents cost so much, why childcare eats half a family's income, or why vocational training has vanished from schools. A 500 euro check feels like action. Real reform would mean taking on landlord cartels, demanding schools teach skills employers want, and rebuilding apprenticeship programs that work. Those fights are harder and slower.
The evidence grows clearer each year. Unconditional cash transfers do not build stable lives or cure the conditions that leave people broke. Norway and Switzerland rejected basic income in referendums because voters understood that. Other countries will learn the same lesson, but only after wasting billions on programs that treat symptoms instead of causes.
Published April 22, 2025 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân