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EnglishWhat Is scottsantens.com and Who Runs It?
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scottsantens.com is the personal blog of Scott Santens, an author and advocate who has researched and promoted unconditional universal basic income (UBI) since 2013. The site is a collection of his writing on UBI rather than a general news site or an organization's official homepage. It is the place to go if you want to read his explanations of how UBI works, answers to common objections, and links to his other projects.
Who is behind the site
Scott Santens describes himself as a full-time UBI advocate. According to the site, his work has been acknowledged by former U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang as having helped shape his thinking on the issue. Santens writes that he has lived with a basic income floor through Patreon since 2015, which allowed him to focus on popularizing UBI.
His other roles, as listed on the site, include:
- Founder and CEO of the Income To Support All (ITSA) Foundation
- Host of The Basic Income Show
- Board member of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity
- Author of a Substack called Foreword to Civilization
- Author of the book Let There Be Money, about UBI and how to pay for it
The book is available for purchase on Amazon, and the site says it can be listened to for free on podcast platforms.
What you can find on the site
The blog is organized around a growing collection of UBI material. The main entry points are:
| Section | What it offers |
|---|---|
| UBI FAQ | "A Guide to Basic Income: Frequently Asked Questions about UBI," a long-running article answering the questions Santens is asked most often |
| Featured Posts | Highlighted articles, including the FAQ |
| Recent Posts | Newer essays on related topics |
| Evidence threads | Links to his evidence collections on Bluesky and X, suggested for readers new to UBI |
Recent posts shown on the site cover a range of adjacent subjects, such as:
- A proposed "Pigovian automation tax" and how it could support a 4-day, 32-hour workweek and universal healthcare
- A critique of "RISE pilot programs" that would attach behavioral requirements and surveillance to payments instead of giving unconditional cash
- A piece on data centers, AI safety, and the neuroscience of learned control
How to use the site
If you are new to UBI, the site itself recommends starting with the UBI FAQ or the evidence threads on Bluesky or X. From there, the Recent Posts section shows what Santens is currently writing about, and the book Let There Be Money is the site's own pointer for a fuller treatment of UBI and its funding.
One practical note: several posts are marked "Paid Members Public," which indicates that access to some content depends on a membership. The site does not state pricing for that membership, so check the subscription options on the page itself if you want to read those posts.
The site also offers an email newsletter. Subscribing requires entering an email address and confirming via a link sent to your inbox.
What the site is not
scottsantens.com is an advocacy and explanation site, not a source of official policy, benefit enrollment, or program administration. If you are looking for information on how to apply for a basic income program or verify eligibility for one, this blog is not the right resource. It is best used to understand the arguments for and against UBI, the evidence supporters cite, and the funding proposals Santens discusses.