Ireland rolls out pioneering basic income scheme for artists


FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows people walking over the Ha'penny Bridge on the river Liffey with the Spire visible, in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland October 7, 2024. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo

DUBLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - ‌Ireland rolled out a permanent basic income scheme for the arts on ‌Tuesday, pledging to pay 2,000 creative workers 325 euros ($387) per week ‌following a trial that participants said eased financial strain and allowed them to spend more time on projects.

Ireland began the three-year trial in 2022 to help artists recover from COVID-19 shutdowns. While similar pilots ‍have been tried in San Francisco and New ‍York, Ireland's Culture Minister Patrick O'Donovan ‌said the scheme was the first permanent one of its kind in the world.

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