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We knew 2017 would be an interesting year because, well, the year following the mess that was 2016 definitely can’t be boring. And boy were we right. Get ready to raise those eyebrows, because apparently Finland just gave 2000 people free money! Yes, seriously. But don’t worry, it’s with purpose. According to Business Insider, it was a part of Finland’s basic income experiment. And it’s as curious as it sounds.
Plus, this will finally answer the question once and for all about what people do when they’re given money by the government. Some say they’ll just sleep all day, while others say it means they’ll have a chance to not stress about money for five minutes and focus on looking for jobs, writing up cover letters and resumes, and gaining new skills.
The move comes from the federal social-security institution Kela. As one of the leaders of the project, Marjukka Turunen, told Business Insider,
“Some people might stay on their couches, and some might go to work. We don’t know yet.”
As reported by Business Insider, according to advocates of universal basic income, or UBI, people receive a standard amount of money just because, well, they shouldn’t just starve to death and disappear just because they’re poor.
