&quot;Consider what could happen if just a single state offered universal basic income, for instance.&quot;<p>Roughly the same thing as one country that offers universal basic income but doesn&#x27;t control its borders, for the exact same reason?<p>Also, UBI isn&#x27;t magic. If it would not work in a state individually, it does not become practical by banding 50 states it doesn&#x27;t work in together. In fact, with the size of most US states, that&#x27;s just generally true; it is not possible for something to not work in a state due to resource contraints but suddenly become possible when 50 insufficiently-resourced states band together.