In theory, ending poverty is simple: the government could just give everyone enough money such that no one's poor anymore. That may sound too clever by half, but the idea — known as a "basic income" — has a long intellectual pedigree, and the case for it is better than you might expect. A limited version of it even passed the House of Representatives in 1970:

The video above details the the history behind basic income proposals, why policymakers moved away from the idea, and why it might be worth taking another look.

To learn more, check out our basic income explainer.