Give People Money, by Annie Lowrey. ISBN 1524758760. 2018.
Universal Basic Income (“UBI”) is a system that gives everybody “free” money, say $1000/month. The idea is being considered by people with various goals: providing people with a way out of poverty, reducing the complexity and cost of social programs, paying a sort of dividend from our society’s wealth, figuring out what to do if technology eats most of the jobs, paying people for work that’s previously gone unpaid (e.g., elder-care), … (While these approaches may push the idea toward mainstream, note that they still can conflict.)
Lowrie explores several experiments from around the world. She looks at both the impact on poverty, and the impact on work. (Will people still work if they can get by without it?)
She notes that America may have the hardest time with UBI – we have a puritan influence that equates work and virtue, and we have a legacy of racism that makes many people want to avoid supporting “them” even if everybody might be better off.
This is a good introduction to the topic, not buried in complicated explanations. It explores enough of the experiments and debates to give you a taste of the major issues.