We studied what happened when financially struggling artists received $1,000 a month, no strings attached, for 18 months

money & economicsanalysisThe Conversation: Arts + Culture (US)2022 · New York, USA

We studied what happened when financially struggling artists received $1,000 a month, no strings attached, for 18 months

the gist

In 2022 a New York programme gave 2,400 financially struggling artists $1,000 a month for 18 months, with no work requirements. Researchers compared recipients with unselected applicants and found they spent about 3.9 more hours a week on arts work and about 2.4 fewer hours a week on non-arts side jobs. Total earnings did not clearly change, however, because artists' incomes swing widely from year to year. The payments mainly gave artists control over their time rather than more income.

how it works

Artists often accept poorly paid creative work because they value it. A steady cash payment reduces the need to take unrelated paid work, so time moves towards the creative practice instead of being lost entirely.

so what

The study adds evidence to the basic income debate. Critics fear cash makes people stop working, but here people shifted their work towards what they valued, which matters as AI reshapes creative jobs.

the bigger pattern

Cash-transfer experiments, from Finland's basic income trial to guaranteed-income pilots in US cities, have repeatedly found that recipients changed how they worked more than whether they worked.

The Conversation

Illustrative photo · Stefan Bohrer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

source: The Conversation: Arts + Culture (US) ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗