Give People Money

Annie Lowrey on the Time Tax, Fraud, and Rationing by Paperwork

Conversations with Tyler, 16 September 2026. The author is the guest. The book comes up at 29 sec in.

Tyler Cowen asks Annie Lowrey how her views have changed since writing Give People Money, her book on universal basic income. Lowrey says subsequent UBI studies have been "sobering" and some expected ancillary benefits have not materialized, but maintains the core case for cash transfers holds. She also reflects on how AI's rapid development has shifted her earlier dismissal of claims that automation would necessitate UBI.

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