Unconditional Basic Income in Estonia¶
Monday, February 9, 2026
Good news: Ireland continues to provide 2,000 artists with $1,500 per month after a successful three-year pilot. They have set up a website about it: https://basicincome.ie
As far as I can see, next step for a similar project in Estonia would be to read their website and contact them and have a first video meeting. A fundamental question is whether a similar organization in Estonia should be national or international (AFAICS the project in Ireland is limited to Irish citizens). And then start to find people in Estonia who believe in the idea. A website would probably be among the next steps.
But don’t expect me to actually do this. Some years ago I dreamed about starting a non-profit organization who would pay a basic salary to “selected” people. It would be a manager of common good and therefore deserve and accept donations. But income would mainly come from their own activities, which, in my dream, would be software development and maintenance of real estate (I would donate Lino, and a friend of mine would donate his farm). I even had a name for this organization: Synodal World.
Creating and managing such an organization is a full-time job. And it’s not my job. I’m a senior software developer, it would be stupid to stop using my experience. There are enough young and talented leaders and managers in Estonia. It’s up to young people to do something for their future.
Sources: