ANNOUNCING

Eighth Congress of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network

February 27 – March 1, 2009
Sheraton New York Hotel
811 Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street., New York, NY

Conference Program (pdf format) (html format) (doc format)

Registration Form (pdf format) (doc format) (html format)

Chair of the organizing committee: Karl Widerquist: karl@widerquist.com

What is a BIG?

The basic income guarantee (BIG) is a government insured guarantee that no citizen's income will fall below some minimal level for any reason. All citizens would receive a BIG without means test or work requirement. BIG is an efficient and effective solution to poverty that preserves individual autonomy and work incentives while simplifying government social policy. Some researchers estimate that a small BIG, sufficient to cut the poverty rate in half could be financed without an increase in taxes by redirecting funds from spending programs and tax deductions aimed at maintaining incomes. Click here for more information.

The USBIG Network

The U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network (The USBIG Network) is an informal group promoting the discussion of the basic income guarantee in the United States. USBIG (pronounced "U.S big") publishes an email newsletter (subscription 500) every two months, maintains an on-line discussion paper series, and has yearly conferences.

USBIG was founded in December 1999 by Fred Block of University of California-Davis, Charles M. A. Clark of St. John's University, Pamela Donovan of the City University of New York, Michael Lewis of the State University of New York-Stony Brook, and Karl Widerquist then of the Levy Economics Institute. The USBIG Coordinating Committee has eight members: Michael Howard of the University of Maine (Coordinator); Karl Widerquist, now of Reading University (Newsletter Editor); Al Sheahen, author (Public Relations Coordinator, alsheahen@prodigy.net); Steve Shafarman, author (Activist Coordinator, steve@IncomeSecurityForAll.org); Michael Lewis; Fred Block; Eri Noguchi of Columbia Universit; and Almaz Zelleke of The New School; Dan O'Sullivan of Rise Up Economics danosully@gmail.com. Click here for more information, or email (michael.howard@umit.maine.edu).

Last updated - March 9, 2009*