MAEZAWA METHOD Basic Income Social Experiment

By distributing JPY1,000,000
to 1,000 individuals, this ‘social
experiment’ aims to research how a life
with Basic Income affects people.

What is
Basic Income?

Basic Income is a system that allows all citizens to receive money unconditionally on a regular basis. It has been a topic of debate in many countries and some are considering implementing it.

Click here for more

Why is Maezawa
conducting
this experiment?

Yusaku Maezawa (MZ)

"People can be happier if they received Basic Income"

If people were given money needed for an adequate living, wouldn't they have the freedom to enjoy work, therefore, increase people's labor productivity?

The 1-million-yen is a depiction of chance. A chance to challenge themselves. Wouldn't this turn peoples' lives for the better?

Of course, this is just an idea of mine, but why think when you can act?
And, I hope this social experiment will guide us to a better future.

Yusaku Maezawa

Reference
【Social Experiment using Otoshidama】
Why give away 1 million yen to 1000 people?

How will it
happen?

4 groups will be surveyed
over a period of one year.
They will answer a total of
17 questionnaires and the effect that the money has will be analyzed.

Overview and Sample of the
Questionnaire Survey

Research Groups

  • Group 1

    Receive JPY1,000,000
    in one payment
    in April, 2020

  • Group 2

    Receive JPY1,000,000
    in one payment
    in October, 2020

  • Group 3

    Receive JPY1,000,000
    in smaller monthly payments
    over a period of 1 year

  • Group 4

    Won’t receive
    JPY1,000,000
    but will contribute
    to the social
    experiment

    Experiment
    Participants Wanted
    We are looking for people who would like to participate in the ‘Maezawa Method Basic Income Social Experiment’.
    Participate in the Experiment

    Experiment has ended.
    Thank you for your participation.

Research Contributors

Professor at Hitotsubashi University Institute of Economic Research

Takashi Unayama

Graduate of The University of Tokyo School of Economics. Completed Doctoral Course at University of Tokyo. PhD in Economics. Engaged in research activities at Keio Univ., Kyoto Univ. and Kobe Univ. Currently a Professor at Hitotsubashi University. Specializes in Japanese economy, household consumption and economic statistics.

I am very excited to participate in such an exceptional social experiment. I look forward to unraveling the mysteries of human behavior.

Associate Professor at Komazawa University School of Economics

Tomohiro Inoue

Part-time Lecturer at Waseda University. Senior Research Fellow at Keio University SFC. PhD in Economics. Obtained Doctoral Degree at Waseda University. Graduate School of Economics in 2011. Assistant Professor at Waseda University School of Political Science and Economics. Senior Lecturer at Komazawa…Read more University School of Economics. Assistant Professor at Komazawa University since 2017. Specializes in Macroeconomics. Often debates on the effect that AI has on the economy. Has written books such as 'A New Textbook of Java', The Future of Artificial Intelligence and Economy', 'Helicopter Money', 'Artificial Super Intelligence', 'New Basic Income', 'Theories in the AI Era', 'The Pure Mechanized Economy' and 'MMT'.

I hope this experiment spreads the idea of basic income to more people.

Specialists who wish to contribute
to this experiment
as a researcher, please contact us

What We Want to Find Out

The 2 key aspects
we want to find out about
Basic Income

  1. The possibility of improving one’s labor productivity
  2. The possibility of increasing one’s motivation to work and challenge themselves

Other aspects
we plan to research on

  1. The effect cash benefits have on one’s labor productivity
  2. The effect cash benefits have on one’s level of happiness
  3. The effect cash benefits have on one’s health
  4. The effect cash benefits have on one’s expenditures（the change in the amount and purpose of the expenditure）
  5. The effect cash benefits have on one’s expenditures
  6. The effect cash benefits have on one’s relationship with others
  7. The effect cash benefits have on one’s countermeasure for declining birthrate
  8. The different effects seen from various payment methods
  9. The difference in behavior seen from various characteristics and personalities of the recipients
  10. Any effects similar to those from 1 to 9 that are likely to be helpful when considering the implementation of Basic Income

Please refer to the PDF below for further details about this social experiment.

Further Details About the
Basic Income Social Experiment
See the Survey Report Here