The Irish government will give 2,000 artists unrestricted weekly stipends, following a successful three-year basic income pilot program. Last week, Ireland’s Department of Culture, Communications and Sport announced it would create a recurring basic income program for artists in three-year cycles. The program, which will begin accepting applications this May, will provide practicing artists with unrestricted weekly installments of €325 (~$383) over three years. Over the course of one year, those payments would amount to roughly €16,900 (~$19,919). The Irish government first launched the program as a pilot in 2022, framing it as a "recognition, at government level, of the important role of the arts in Irish society." According to a statement by the culture ministry, preliminary data from the pilot suggested that the guaranteed basic income led to significant benefits, including increased productivity and reduced anxiety among participants.…