Recently, there has been a spate of popular initiatives designed to curb inequality in the country. Earlier this year Swiss voters agreed to an idea proposed by entrepreneur Thomas Minder that limited executive (in his words, "fat cat" salaries of companies listed on the Swiss stock market. Next month voters will decide on the 1:12 Initiative, which aims to limit the salaries of CEOs to 12 times the salary of their company's lowest paid employee.

There's a crazier proposal than this, however. Earlier this month an initiative aimed at giving every Swiss adult a "basic income" that would "ensure a dignified existence and participation in the public life of the whole population" gained enough support to qualify for a referendum. The amount suggested is 2,500 francs ($2,800) a month.

While most observers think that the vote is a longshot, it has certainly sparked debate — and not just in Switzerland. Writing for USA Today, Duncan Black said that a "minimum income" should be considered for the U.S.
"It's pretty clear that the most efficient way to improve the lives of people is to guarantee a minimum income," Black concludes.

However, Black understates just how radical the proposal is. We spoke to Daniel Straub, one of the people behind the initiative, to get a better understanding of what the proposal really means, why it is so radical, and what the world could learn from it.

Business Insider: Can you tell me a little bit about how the idea came to be?

Daniel Straub: A lot of people have proposed this idea. For example Thomas Paine in the United States or also the famous psychologist Erich Fromm has written about it in the sixties.

BI: Why choose a minimum income rather than, say, a higher minimum wage?

DS: We are not proposing a minimum income — we are proposing an unconditional income.

A minimum wage reduces freedom — because it is an additional rule. It tries to fix a system that has been outdated for a while. It is time to partly disconnect human labor and income. We are living in a time where machines do a lot of the manual labor — that is great — we should be celebrating.

BI: How was the figure of 2,500 Swiss francs settled on? What standard of living does this buy in Switzerland?

DS: That depends where in Switzerland you live. On average it is enough for a modest lifestyle.

BI: What effect would you expect the minimum income to have on Swiss government expenditure?

DS: The unconditional income in Switzerland means that a third of the GDP would be distributed unconditionally. But I don't count that as government expenditure because it is immediately distributed to the people who live in this society. It means less government power because each individual can decide how to spend the money.

BI: I've seen people compare it to Milton Friedman's negative income tax, do you think that comparison works?

DS: We go a step further than Friedman with the unconditionality. This would lead to a paradigm change. Not the needy get an income from the community but everybody.

BI: There have been a variety of initiatives recently that appear to be aimed at limiting inequality in Switzerland, from the 1:12 initiative to Thomas Minder's "against rip-off salaries" referendum. Why do you think this is happening?

DS: People seem to be unhappy with the rising inequality. The other initiatives try to put a band-aid on an outdated system. We are proposing a new system.

"It's pretty clear that the most efficient way to improve the lives of people is to guarantee a minimum income," Black concludes.

However, Black understates just how radical the proposal is. We spoke to Daniel Straub, one of the people behind the initiative, to get a better understanding of what the proposal really means, why it is so radical, and what the world could learn from it.

Business Insider: Can you tell me a little bit about how the idea came to be?

Daniel Straub: A lot of people have proposed this idea. For example Thomas Paine in the United States or also the famous psychologist Erich Fromm has written about it in the sixties.

BI: Why choose a minimum income rather than, say, a higher minimum wage?

DS: We are not proposing a minimum income — we are proposing an unconditional income.

A minimum wage reduces freedom — because it is an additional rule. It tries to fix a system that has been outdated for a while. It is time to partly disconnect human labor and income. We are living in a time where machines do a lot of the manual labor — that is great — we should be celebrating.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/behind-the-swiss-unconditional-income-iniative-2013-10#ixzz2iBAEzL3x