The idea of a basic income was, for decades, something of a policy fantasy. But the last few years have seen it become less outlandish, to the point where we now have many limited basic income programs up and running around the world — perhaps a dry run for a broader embrace of the policy in the coming years. The general idea — that the government should give every citizen a regular infusion of free money with no strings attached — has been around since the 16th century. (mais…)