What I don't understand with BI is this: if you give everyone the same amount of money, won't prices and rents adjust accordingly by exactly that amount, thereby nulling the effect ?
2> This YCombinator experimental program is not a fully implemented BI system. They will be selecting low income individuals and paying them a regular no-strings-attached income to see how it affects their lives/behavior. Other people in Oakland who do not receive these payments will probably bear a cost due to inflation as more money ends up in Oakland.