This is the
Newsletter of the USBIG Network (www.usbig.net), which promotes the
discussion
of the basic income guarantee (BIG) in the United States. BIG is a
policy that
would unconditionally guarantee at least a subsistence-level income for
everyone. If you would like to be added to or removed from this list
please
email: Karl@Widerquist.com.
1. USBIG
CONGRESS: Deadline for
Proposals October 31
2. This Year’s
Alaska BIG is By Far the Largest in its History
3. EDITORIAL: The
Alaska Dividend and the Presidential Election
4. New Income Security
Institute Promotes BIG in the USA
5. Big Pilot Project in
Namibia Has Positive Impact
6. French National
Assembly Passes Bill Called “Effectively a Negative Income
Tax”
7. Brazil and Libya
Might Consider Oil Dividends
8. Several Minor
Parties in the U.S. And Canada Support BIG
9. Permanent Radio
Show on Basic Income in Mexico
10. Upcoming Evenings
11. Recent Events
12. Recent Publications
13. New Links
14. Links and Other Info
There are
only a few days remaining to submit a presentation proposal for the
USBIG
Congress. The deadline is Oct 31, 2008. The conference will take place
February
27 – March 1, 2009 at Sheraton New York Hotel on 811 Seventh Avenue at
53rd
Street, New York, NY. The congress will bring together academics,
students,
activists, policy analysts, and others interested to explore the pros
and cons
of the basic income proposal.
Participants include Mathias Risse, of the Carr Center for Human Rights
Policy,
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. His articles have
appeared in
journals such as Ethics; Philosophy and Public Affairs;
Nous;
the Journal of Political Philosophy; and Social Choice and
Welfare.
Steve Pressman, of Monmouth
University, is an economist with interest in poverty, public finance,
and
macroeconomics. He is co-editor of The
Ethics and Economics of the Basic Income Guarantee and author of Fifty Major Economists. Brian Steensland,
of Indiana
University, is a sociologist and author of The Failed Welfare
Revolution. Jeff
Manza, of New York University, is a professor of sociology and
author of Why
Welfare States Persist: Public Opinion and the Future of Social
Provision. Pablo Yannes is the head of the Mexican
affiliate of the Basic Income Earth Network. Brazilian
Senator Eduardo Suplicy is a third-term Senator
representing the state of Sao Paolo in the Brazilian Federal Senate and
one of
the founding members of Brazil’s ruling Workers’ Party. We
have tentative interest from and hope soon to confirm participation
by Canadian Senator Hugh Segal
and Member of the Canadian House of Commons Tony Martin.
Scholars, activists, and others are invited to propose papers, and
organize panel
discussions. Proposals and panel discussions are welcome on BIG or
topics
related to the distribution of wealth and income. Proposals from any
discipline
and with any point of view are welcome. Anyone interested in making a
presenting or organizing a panel should contact the chair of the
organizing
committee: Karl Widerquist: Karl@Widerquist.com.
More information about the conference is available at the USBIG
website:
www.usbig.net.
This year
every Alaska resident will receive an unconditional basic income of
$3,269,
That payment works out to $16,345 for a family of five. This figure is
nearly
double last year’s payout of $1,654 per person and it far exceeds the
largest
payment that Alaskans have ever received, $1,964 in the year 2000. More
than
$600,000 Alaskans will receive the basic income.
This year’s Alaska basic income is composed of two parts. One part is
the
regular Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) Dividend, which is paid to Alaskans
every
year from their share in past state oil revenues that have been
invested in
diversified assets. The payout from this investment was already the
highest in
the APF’s history, $2,069. This summer (the-then-not-nationally-known)
governor
Sarah Palin pushed through a measure to add an additional one-time
energy
rebate of $1200. As reported in the summer issue, the reasons for the
energy
rebate are that recent high oil prices have give the state government a
large
revenue windfall, but they have also hurt average Alaskans who consume
more
fuel than most Americans. Faced with an enormous budget surplus and a
difficult
year for residents, the supplement to the dividend was popular in the
legislature and with ordinary Alaskans.
Prospects for future dividends do not look as good. The APF’s portfolio
has
suffered in the current financial crisis. These losses will begin to
affect the
dividend only next year. Oil prices have dropped so that there is less
likely
to be money or motivation for a second resource rebate next year.
For more information about this year’s record-high Alaska basic income
go to.
A video of Governor Palin saying "the oil companies don't own the
resources"
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/347/index.html
An opinion article about the fund’s investment strategy:
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/sep/07/alaska-permanent-fund-more-dividend/?opinion
“Special session yields energy relief deal”
http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=6542
An opinion piece speculating that employers might reduces wages in
response to
the APF:
http://www.adn.com/money/story/496364.html
“A Conservative Voice for Alaskans” opinion opposing the energy rebate:
http://www.voiceofthetimes.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1628&Itemid=9
$2 BILLION: Boost to Alaska economy is a bit overwhelming:
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/488420.html
Lawmakers dole out $1,200 energy relief rebate:
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8809330
Resource Rebate, AGIA Top Special Session Accomplishments
http://www.sitnews.us/0808news/080908/080908_special_session.html
The views
expressed in this editorial are my own and do not represent the views
of USBIG
or its membership. -Karl Widerquist
Most people will be surprised to learn that the Republican
Vice-Presidential
nominee and the Democratic Presidential nominee have both endorsed the
basic
income guarantee (BIG). In one form or another both support policies to
guarantee a small government-provided income for everyone. As reported
in the
USBIG Newsletter earlier this year, Obama has voiced support for
reducing
carbon emissions with the cap-and-dividend strategy, which includes a
small
BIG.
Sarah Palin, like most Alaskan politicians, supports the Alaska
Permanent Fund
(APF). Existing rules caused the APF dividend to reach a new high of
$2,069
this year. That much had nothing to do with Palin. But, whatever else
you might
think of her, she deserves credited for adding $1200 more to this
year’s dividend
(see the story above and another in issue 49). She proposed it to the
legislature, and pushed it through, resisting counter proposals to
reduce the
supplement to $1000 or $250.
Most people who learned about Palin at the Republican National
Convention in
August would probably be surprised to learn that such a hard-line
conservative
supports handing out $16,345 checks to even the poorest families.
Actually,
families the size of Palin’s will receive $19,416—no conditions imposed
besides
residency, no judgments made.
The support of politicians like Palin’s provides evidence against the
belief
that BIG is some kind of leftist utopian fantasy with no political
viability.
In the one place BIG exists it is one of the most popular government
programs
and it is endorsed by people across the political spectrum.
The APF has not become an issue in the campaign, and I doubt she has
Palin
plans to introduce a similar plan at the national level, but when the
issue has
come up, Palin has taken credit for it as a conservative
policy. In an interview on the Fox News Network, Sean Hannity confirmed
that
Palin increased the Alaska dividend by $1200 this year. Hannity
comment, “I
have to move to Alaska. New York taxes are killing me.”
Sounding like some kind of progressive-era land reformer, Palin
replied, “What
we're doing up there is returning a share of resource development
dollars back
to the people who own the resources. And our constitution up there
mandates
that as you develop resources it’s to be for the maximum benefit of the
people,
not the corporations, not the government, but the people of Alaska.”
Tim Graham, writing for the conservative website Newsbuster.com
criticized
NPR’s Terry Gross for asking questioning that implied opposition to the
APF in
an interview with Alaska public broadcasting host, Michael Carey.
Graham
writes, “Gross walked Carey through the idea that it’s not hard for
Palin to be
popular in Alaska when she’s handing every family a $1200 check from
all the
oil business. She then elbowed Carey about how that money could have
been
better ‘invested’ (as Obama would say) in government programs.’
Suddenly
conservatives are ridiculing people they assume do not support
unconditional
grants.
Palin justified a tax increase on the
oil companies to support higher BIG on the PBS Now program before she
was
nominated for vice-president. “This is a big darn deal for Alaska. That
non-renewable resource, of course, is so valuable …. And of course [the
oil
companies] they’re fighting us every step of the way when we say, ‘Well
we
wanna make sure, especially as it's being sold for a premium, that
we're
receiving appropriate value.’ … The oil companies don't own the
resources. They
have leases and the right to develop our resources for us. And we share
a
value, we're partners there, because they do the producing for us. But
we own
the resources.”
It is tempting to dismiss all of this conservative praise for BIG as
election
year insincerity. No doubt if a democratic candidate had handed out an
unconditional grant of $3,269 to every citizen of their state, many
conservatives would jump on it as socialist class war. Indeed some of
Obama’s
tax credit proposals, which are not nearly as far reaching as the APF
have
received just this treatment.
Speaking at a recent rally in Virginia, McCain took issue with Obama’s
refundable
tax credits saying, his tax plan “is not a tax cut; it’s just another
government giveaway …. I won’t let that happen to you. You’re paying
enough
taxes. … Obama raises taxes on seniors, hardworking families to give
‘welfare’
to those who pay none." McCain often invokes Joe the Plumber to label
such
policies as “socialism.” Ruth Marcus noted that only minutes later John
McCain
touted his own “refundable tax credit” and that McCain vilifies Obama
for
wanting to reverse the Bush tax cuts McCain voted against. I have
little doubt
that McCain would give the APF the same treatment if his opponent
rather than
his running mate had expanded it.
Politicians who call themselves strait-talkers and don’t talk straight
are
nothing new, and they exist in all parties. But this doesn’t meant that
we can
dismiss all conservative support for the APF as insincere. There are
limits to
what people will accept even from leader of their own party. Many
conservatives
would not accept, for example, a leader who had proposed public funding
to help
rape victims obtain abortions, but they will support a leader who
endorses
$16,345 in no-questions-asked grants to every family of five.
The lesson here is that the APF is a model ready for export. Readers of
this
newsletter will know that governments in places as diverse as Alberta,
Brazil, Iraq,
Libya, and Mongolia have recently thought seriously about imitating the
Alaska
model.
Some might be tempted to think that the APF isn’t a true BIG and it
isn’t
motivated to help the poor. Not so: Jay Hammond, the Republican
governor of
Alaska who created the APF, came all the way to Washington, DC to speak
at the
U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network conference in 2004. He told me that
his
intention was to create a BIG to help everyone—most especially the
disadvantaged. If he had his way the APF fund would now be producing
dividends
4 to 8 times the current individual level of $2,069.
Others might dismiss the Alaska model saying that it is a unique case
because
Alaska has so much oil wealth. Again, not so: Alaska ranks only sixth
in U.S.
states in terms of per capita GDP, with an average income just over
$43,000 in
2006, more than $15,000 per year less than number-one Delaware, and
only $6,000
per year ahead of the national average. Any other state or the federal
government can afford to do what Alaska has done.
Alaska has oil wealth; other states have mining, fishing,
hydroelectric, or
real estate wealth. Governments give away resources to corporations all
the
time. The U.S. government recently gave away a large chunk of the
broadcast
spectrum to HDTV broadcasters at no charge. Offshore oil drilling will
soon be
expanded on three coasts. Everyone who emits green house gases and
other
pollutants into the atmosphere takes something we all value and—so
far—pays
nothing.
What was different about the Alaskan situation was that Jay Hammond was
there
to take advantage of the opportunity. With the Alaska model in place,
it will
be just a little easier for next person at the next opportunity.
-Karl Widerquist
University of Reading, October 23, 2008
For the Newsbusters article go to:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2008/10/19/snobby-airs-nprs-terry-gross-goes-after-palins-extreme-religious-views
For the Hannity Interview go to:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,424346,00.html
For the Now program report go to:
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/347/index.html
[The quoted exchange occurs about 18 to 20 minutes into a 25 minute
report
titled “Alaska: The Senator and the Oil Man.”] (Thanks to Paul A.
Martin)
For U.S. GDP figures by state go to:
http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/062007t.htm
Ruth Marcus’s editorial on McCain is online at:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/mccains_campaign_is_both_unciv.html
USBIG
promotes discussion of BIG in the
United States, but until now there has been no U.S. organization
directly
promoting BIG. To support research and educate people about basic
income, a new
organization is being formed in Washington DC. The Income Security
Institute,
like USBIG, will promote all versions of basic income. The Institute
will be
nonpartisan and nonprofit.
The institute invites everyone to participate. Within the next few
weeks, the
web site will go up at www.IncomeSecurityForAll.org. The site will
include
blogs where you’ll be able to post ideas, join discussions, comment on
and link
to news items. There will also be places to post papers and articles.
The
institute will also sponsor and publish research, often in conjunction
with
universities and other organizations. And it will support USBIG by
providing
funds for speakers and participants with limited incomes.
If there are research projects you want to pursue, papers and articles
you’re
writing and looking for a place to publish, the Income Security
Institute can
help. The institute is also looking for financial contributions. Funds
are
needed immediately for legal fees and web site construction. Please
contact
Steven Shafarman, steve@CitizenPolicies.org, 202-319-9279.
In January
2008, a Basic Income Grant (BIG) pilot project began in the
Otjivero-Omitara
area in Namibia. All residents below the age of 60 years receive a
Basic Income
Grant of 100 Namibian dollars per person per month, without any
conditions
attached. According to BIEN, the grant is being given to every person
registered as living there in July 2007, whatever their social and
economic
status. This BIG pilot project is designed and implemented by the
Namibian
Basic Income Grant Coalition (established in 2004) and is the first
universal
cash-transfer pilot project in the world. The BIG Coalition has just
published
its first assessment report on the project, which compares the results
of a
baseline study and a panel survey after the first six months of
implementation.
1. The community
itself responded to the introduction of the BIG by
establishing its own 18-member committee to mobilize the community and
advise
residents on how they could improve their lives with the money. This
suggests
that the introduction of a BIG can effectively assist with community
mobilisation and empowerment.
2. Since the introduction of the BIG child malnutrition in the
settlement has
dropped remarkably. Using a WHO measurement technique, the data shows
that
children's weight-for-age has improved significantly in just six months
from
42% of underweight children to only 17%.
3. Since the introduction of the BIG, the majority of people have been
able to
increase their work both for pay, profit or family gain as well as
self-employment. This finding is contrary to critics' claims that the
BIG would
lead to laziness and dependency.
4. Income has risen in the community since the introduction of the BIG
by more
than the amount of the grants. There is strong evidence that more
people are
now able to engage in more productive activities and that the BIG
fosters local
economic growth and development. Several small enterprises started in
Otjivero,
making use of the BIG money being spent in the community.
5. More than double the number of parents paid school fees and the
parents
prioritized the buying of school uniforms. More children are now
attending
school and the stronger financial situation has enabled the school to
improve
teaching material for the pupils (eg. buying paper and toner). The
school
principal reported that drop-out rates at her school were 30-40% before
the
introduction of the BIG. By July 2008, these rates were reduced to a
mere 5%.
6. The BIG supports and strengthens Government's efforts to provide ARV
treatment to people suffering from HIV/AIDS by enabling them to access
governments services and afford nutrition.
7. The residents have been using the settlement's health clinic much
more since
the introduction of the BIG. Residents now pay the N$4 payment for each
visit
and the income of the clinic has increased fivefold.
8. The criticism that the grants are apparently leading to more
alcoholism is
not supported by evidence from the community. On the contrary, the
introduction
of the BIG has induced the community to set up a committee that is
trying to
curb alcoholism and that has worked with local shebeen [unlicensed
tavern]
owners not to sell alcohol on the day of the pay-out of the grants.
9. The introduction of the Basic Income Grant has helped young women
recipients
to take charge of their economic affairs. Several cases document that
young
women have been freed from having to engage in transactional sex.
10. Economic and poverty-related crime (illegal hunting, theft and
trespassing)
has fallen by over 20%.
11. The BIG has helped to achieve progress towards all eight Millenium
Development Goals.
In brief, according to the report the initial results of this pilot
project are
very encouraging and by far exceed the expectations of the BIG
Coalition. The
local community has embraced the pilot project and is engaged in
efforts to
make it work well. According to BIEN, as commented by one of the
community's
residents: "Generally, the BIG has brought life to our place. Everyone
can
afford food and one does not see any more people coming to beg for food
as in
the past. What I can say is that people have gained their human dignity
and
have become responsible.” (Jonas Damaseb, June 2008) Bishop Dr. Z.
Kameeta,
speaking at the report launch on October 2nd, said: “We, as a Nation,
cannot
wait to address poverty head on. We cannot wait to implement a
universal Basic
Income Grant nation wide. This is a challenge for the whole country.”
Further information about the project is available on www.bignam.org.
Including a video of the presentation of the report at
http://www.bignam.org/page4.html.
An article on the report published by "The Namibian" (October 3, 2008)
in online at http://allafrica.com/stories/200810030605.html
The French
National Assembly passed a new welfare reform bill, which is being
called
“effectively a negative income tax.” According to Tax-News.com, “The
bill
announces an anti-poverty back-to-work program designed to mark an end
to the
welfare trap by ensuring that it is no longer unprofitable for the
unemployed
to return to work and guaranteeing a minimum level of income.” The
measure
found immediate approval with the vast majority of MPs, although there
was
considerable controversy about its financing. The allowance reduces
progressively as income received from the work increases so that those
who go
back to work immediately earn more than by remaining on benefits. The
senate
begins deliberation of the bill on October 20.
For further information see:
http://www.tax-news.com/asp/story/French_Assembly_Agrees_Tax_On_Investment_Revenue_xxxx32938.html
Thursday, October 09, 2008
A recent
BBC news article reports that Brazilian President Lula has “vowed” to
use
revenue from newly discovered offshore oil fields to eradicate poverty.
Newly
discovered offshore oil could as much as triple Brazil’s oil reserves
and
possibly make Brazil one of the biggest oil producers in the world.
Lula
promised not to squander the profits but to open “a direct bridge
between
natural wealth and the eradication of poverty.” He added, “We won't
allow
ourselves to be dazzled and go spending money that we still don’t have
on silly
things.”
This effort may lead to the creation of an Alaska-style dividend
system.
Senator Eduardo Suplicy, a founding member of Lula’s Worker’s Party,
has been
pushing for BIG in the form of an Alaska-style dividend for years, and
has
successfully pushed policy in that direction. New potential oil revenue
could
help make Suplicy’s proposal a reality.
Reuters reports that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi called for reforms
to the
nation’s bureaucracy to distribute oil-wealth directly to the people.
The
details of the idea are unclear. But Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya since
taking
power in a coup 39 years ago, said, “The implementation will start at
the
beginning of next year.”
See the BBC News story on Brazil at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7603655.stm
See the Reuters story on Libya at:
http://www.progress.org/2008/gaddafi.htm
The
Canadian Green Party, which won nearly a million votes (6.8% of the
national
total) in recent elections, endorse BIG in its campaign. Green Party
leader
Elizabeth May said, “Current welfare and employment insurance policies
have
failed to eradicate poverty in Canada and we believe it is time for a
new,
innovative approach.” She outlined the Green Party position, saying,
“To
eliminate poverty and hunger, the Green Party would look at introducing
a
Guaranteed Livable Income for Canadians. As a regular annual payment,
negotiation
with the provinces could allow Guaranteed Livable Income supplements to
be set
regionally. Setting the payment at a level adequate for subsistence
will still
encourage additional income generation.”
Many minor parties participating in the current U.S. elections have
also
endorsed BIG. These include the Green Party, the Socialist Party, and
others.
The Green Party platform states, “We call for a graduated supplemental
income,
or negative income tax, that would maintain all individual adult
incomes above
the poverty level, regardless of employment or marital status.”
The vice-presidential candidate of the Socialist Party, Stewart A.
Alexander,
has proposed a common U.S.-Mexican currency and establishing a Basic
Income
Guarantee for working people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Mountain
Party Gubernatorial candidate, Jesse Johnson, has also endorsed BIG.
The
Charleston Gazette-Mail reports, “He would like to see the emergence of
a
citizen’s dividend, a policy based upon the principle that the natural
world is
the common property of everyone and that each person should receive
regular
payments from revenue raised through the leasing or selling of those
natural
resources.”
For more information on the Canadian Greens go to:
http://www.greenparty.ca/en/releases/08.09.2008
For article on Jesse Johnson go to:
http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/200810180378
For article on the Socialist Party go to:
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2008/08/378329.shtml
Starting
Thursday October 23, 2008 at 8:30am (14:30 GMT) the Mexican affiliate
of BIEN
will have a radio show dedicated to promoting, analyzing and spreading
the
basic income proposal. The show will be on the air every Thursday and
will be
live on www.radiociudadana.imer.gob.mx ('Radio Ciudadana' section). The
show
will be hosted by Pablo Yanes and Karen Makieze, members of the Mexican
affiliate and will include guests and permanent correspondents. A
cordial
invitation is extended to all of those who wish to participate in the
program
to get in contact through www.icu.org.mx.
For further information contact: Pablo Yanes at pyanes2007@gmail.com.
-From BIEN
Call for
Papers:
CITIZEN’S INCOME SESSIONS AT THE SOCIAL POLICY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland
June 29 –July 1, 2009
The Citizen’s Income Trust—BIEN’s affiliate in the United Kingdom—is
attempting
to organize several sessions on BIG at the Social Policy Association’s
43rd
annual Conference at the University of Edinburgh June 29 –July 1, 2009.
The
conference will provide a great opportunity for presentations on all
aspects of
BIG. Now that BIEN has become a worldwide network, it only has
conferences in
Europe every once every four years. The CIT sessions may provide an
opportunity
for English-language meetings on BIG in Europe in between BIEN meetings.
To participate in one of the CIT’s sessions, send a title, an abstract
of
300-400 words, together with full contact information and affiliation,
to Annie
Miller at the CIT office, info@citizensincome.org by Friday, 16 January
2009.
These papers will be grouped by topic and sent to the SPA for their
approval.
For more information email the CIT or go to their website:
www.citizensincome.org.
BERLIN, October 24 – 26, 2008
The Third German Basic Income Congress
“On the Way to Basic Income – Unconditional and Viable” (“Auf dem Weg
zum
Grundeinkommen – bedingungslos und existenzsichernd”). Under this
title, the
Berlin Congress will discuss a wide range of approaches to basic
income, from
philosophical concepts to practical policy proposals. Current congress
plans
are published on the German Basic Income Network's website
www.grundeinkommen.de. Presently, the schedule offers more than ten
main events
such as lectures and panel discussions as well as 36 workshops to be
held in
two blocks of two hours each.
For further information: http://www.grundeinkommen.de
-From BIEN
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, November 6-7, 2008
Conference on Basic income
A Basic Income Ibero-American Conference, organized by the Red
Argentina de
Ingreso Ciudadano, will take place November 6th and 7th at the Centro
Cultural
de la Cooperacion, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The participation of
numerous
experts from Spain and Latin America is expected. Discussion will focus
on the
following issues: BI and tax reforms, BI vs employment programs, BI vs
conditioned cash transfer programs, BI and democracy, BI and the local
level,
BI and social movements. More information at: www.ingresociudadano.org.
-BIEN
MADRID, Spain November 27-28, 2008
Eighth Symposium of Red Renta Basica
BIEN reports that the 8th Symposium of the Red Renta Basica (the
Spanish Basic
Income Network) will take place in Madrid on 27th and 28th November,
within the
framework of the 4th Seminar about Contemporary Visions of Human Rights
organized by the Institute of Human Rights of Universidad Carlos III
and the
Universidad P. Comillas of Madrid. The conference will be held at
University
Pontificia Comillas. Symposium is organised around the topics of the
Social
State, the crisis of labour, Minimum Insertion Incomes, the reciprocity
principle, human rights and ways to finance basic income.
For further information: José Luis Rey jlrey@der.upcomillas.es.
BASIC INCOME
WEEK IN GERMANY, AUSTRIA, AND SWITZERLAND
September 12-21, 2008
BIEN
reports: The first “International Basic Income Week” turned out to be a
successful tool to gain publicity all over Austria, Germany and
Switzerland.
Initiated by the Basic Income Networks of these three countries
together with
the ATTAC groups, “Basic Income Week” mobilized new organizations,
initiatives
and people, that had not been involved in the basic income discussion
so
actively before. In Austria, these included organizations in the field
of
development cooperation, art and culture, as well as representatives of
the
green party and the liberal party. More than twenty events took place
and the
“International Basic Income Week” ended with a conference-day in
Vienna, named
“on the way to Berlin”, where the 3rd Basic Income-Congress will take
place 24th
to 26th October, 2008. For more information see:
www.grundeinkommen.at.
COVENTRY, United Kingdom, August 12, 2008
Green Party Meeting on the Citizen's Income
BEIN Reports: Coventry's local section of the Green Party of England
and Wales
organized a meeting on basic income, which was held at the Coventry
Peace House
on August 12th, 2008. The Citizen's income is currently part of the
Green Party
platform. For further information, see "Coventry Green Voice", the
blog of Scott Redding (local party coordinator for the Coventry Green
Party),
at http://coventrygreenparty.blogspot.com/
The
likelihood of a basic income in Germany
OPIELKA, Michael
International Social Security Review,
61(3), 73-94.
In this
paper, Michael Opielka (Faculty of Social Welfare, University of
Applied
Sciences, Jena) discusses whether the likelihood of Germany introducing
a basic
income policy — that is independent of labor market participation — has
increased in recent years. A brief description of the main elements of
the
German welfare state is followed by a critical analysis of more recent
developments in guaranteeing a basic income, not least with the 2003
merger of
unemployment benefits and social assistance. Since then the resulting
fears of
downward mobility felt even by the middle classes have reignited the
1980’s
debate about a basic income. Two models (the “basic income guarantee”
and the
“solidarity citizen’s income”) are used to discuss practical system
design
problems and the chances of realizing a basic income policy.
The Earth Belongs to Everyone
Alana Hartzock
Publisher: Institute for Economic Democracy, August 2008, ISBN-13:
9781933567044, 368pp
The Earth
Belongs to Everyone by Alanna Hartzok, co-director of Earth Rights
Institute,
sets forth the vision and policy foundation for no less than a new form
of
democracy -- "earth rights democracy." Following an introduction
containing glimpses of the author's fascinating journey through life,
this
compilation of her articles and essays describes how to establish
political-economic systems based on the human right to the planet as a
birthright. Her main point is that earth rights democracy is an
essential
ethical basis necessary to secure other economic human rights and to
create a
world of peace and plenty for all. She places this core perspective
into an
integrated local-to-global framework that balances the need for global
cooperation with the necessity for building demilitarized,
decentralized, and
sustainable local-based economies. Many of the essays discuss BIG
(under the
name Citizens Dividend). This book will be the subject of a panel at
the Eighth
Congress of the USBIG Network in New York, February 2009
The Physical Basis of Voluntary Trade
Karl Widerquist1, University of Reading
Human Rights Review, Online First,
August 30, 2008
ABSTRACT: The article discusses the conditions under which can we say
that
people enter the economic system voluntarily. “The Need for an Exit
Option” briefly
explains the philosophical argument that voluntary interaction requires
an exit
option—a reasonable alternative to participation in the projects of
others.
“The Treatment of Effective Forced Labor in Economic and Political
Theory”
considers the treatment of effectively forced interaction in economic
and
political theory. “Human Need” discusses theories of human need to
determine
the capabilities a person requires to have an acceptable exit option.
“Capability in Cash, Kind, or Raw Resources” considers what form access
to that
level of capability should come, concluding that a basic income
guarantee is
the most effective method to ensure an exit option in a modern,
industrial
economy.
SWISSINFO Report on the Ethical Case for Basic Income
A report on SwissInfo.ch outlines ethicist, Hans Ruh’s case for basic
income.
Ruh is a former professor at Zurich University and founder of the
social ethics
institute he founded there. He is the chairman of Blue Value, a centre
that
aims to bring more ethics to the business world, and he has supported a
basic
income for all Swiss adults for years. He says basic income is likely
to become
a hot political topic in the coming years. The article entitled,
“Ethicist puts
the case for basic income” is online at:
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/Ethicist_puts_the_case_for_basic_income.html?siteSect=105&sid=9705049&rss=true&ty=st
The Heretical Political Discourse. A
Discourse Analysis of the Danish Debate on Basic Income
CHRISTENSEN, Eric (2008), Aalborg University Press, 164p., http://forlag.hum.aau.dk/
BIEN reports: In this anthology about the basic income debate in
Denmark,
author Eric Christensen proposes a discourse analysis of Denmark's
development
from a universal welfare state to a workfare state. With its analysis
of
metaphors, narratives and key concepts in the debate, it unveils how
the basic
income discourse ended up being both heretical and excluded. Lastly, it
provides a global ecological argument for a basic income and discusses
the
conditions for bringing back the basic income question on the political
agenda.
Author’s address: erikchri@socsci.aau.dk
Publisher’s website: http://forlag.hum.aau.dk/
Towards a Basic Income Grant for
All
HAARMAN, Claudia & al. (2008), Basic Income
Grant Pilot Project Assessment
Report, September 2008, ISBN:
978-99916-842-3-9.
According to BIEN, this report compares the results of the baseline
study and panel
data after the first six months of implementation of the BIG Pilot
Project in
Namibia. Findings include are summarized in the report on Namibia
above. The
research of the Basic Income Grant Pilot Project is designed and
carried out
jointly by the Desk for Social Development and the Labour Resource and
Research
Institute on behalf of the BIG Coalition. The authors of this report
are
Claudia Haarmann, Dirk Haarmann, Herbert Jauch, Hilma Shindondola-Mote,
Nicoli
Nattrass, Michael Samson and Guy Standing.
For further information: web@bignam.org. Coalition web page:
www.bignam.org
Discrete choice models
of labour supply, behavioural microsimulation and the Spanish tax
reforms
LABEAGA, José M.,
OLIVER, X. & SPADARO, A. (2008), Journal
of Economic Inequality, 6 (3), pp. 247-273.
BIEN
Reports: This article explores the potential of behavioural
microsimulation
models as powerful tools for evaluation of public policies which affect
tax and
benefit systems. In the context of an evaluation of recent Spanish
income tax
reforms, the article studies the effects of a basic income-flat tax
scheme
(among others) on efficiency and household and social welfare. The
microsimulation model takes labour supply explicitly into account. The
results
show that the proposed basic income scheme would only have a minor
impact on
economic efficiency and labour market supply, but, by contrast, would
significantly improve social welfare. According to the authors, “the
main
contribution of this paper consists of highlighting the potential of a
Basic
Income Flat Tax scheme as an institutional redistribution mechanism
which can
both reduce inequality and increase social welfare in Spain. Its
feasibility
depends on the associated efficiency costs (in terms of reductions in
labour
supply) it may produce, although the results of our econometric
estimations
indicate that such costs are minor”.
Social Justice Through Universal Benefits
VANDERBORGHT, Yannick (2008), Revista de Estudos Universitarios
(Brazil), 34 (1), 2008, pp.71-84.
Since the late 1990s, the reform of income transfer programs has become
a hot
topic in several developing countries. Among the proposals being
debated, the
idea of giving all citizens the right to an unconditional and universal
basic
income has attracted renewed attention. This introductory paper briefly
tackles
some of the main questions raised by this idea: would the introduction
of such
a basic income represent an improvement in terms of economic security
for
countries like Brazil? Would it be superior to existing targeted
schemes? How
should it be implemented? Even if basic income is not to be seen as
magic
bullet against all social problems, it is argued that it can be
considered as a
crucial component of any coherent strategy designed to foster social
justice in
developing countries.
-From BIEN
Basic income and productivity in cognitive capitalism
FUMAGALLI, Andrea & LUCARELLI, Stefano
Review of Social Economics, Vol.
LXVI, issue 1, March 2008: 14-37.
In this article basic income (BI) is not considered merely as a measure
to
raise both living standards and social well-being. Rather, the authors
argue
that it should be seen as an indispensable structural policy for
achieving a
healthier social order governed by a more equitable compromise between
capital
and labor. Embracing the French Regulation School approach, Fumagalli
(University of Pavia) & Lucarelli (University of Bergamo) maintain
that
such a compromise is founded on the redistribution of the gains of
productivity. In advancing the argument, they focus on the
socio-economic
transformation that has overtaken the Fordist paradigm within Western
Countries
and propose the term Cognitive Capitalism (CC) to describe the economic
system.
The authors address the relationship between the exploitation of
knowledge and
the accumulation of surplus, pointing out that such a process is based
on the
exploitation of dynamic scale economies. Their analysis highlight the
ambiguity
concerning the growth circle of contemporary capitalism. According to
Fumagalli
& Lucarelli, BI is compatible with the present form(s) of
accumulation, as
it increases productivity, through network and learning processes
whilst
increasing demand via levels of consumption. Such a result is not
always
guaranteed. It depends, on the one hand, upon how much BI positively
affects
productivity; the greater this probability, the lower the role played
by
intellectual property rights and the higher the diffusion of network
economies
(general intellect and social cooperation) and on the other, it depends
upon
the way BI is financed.
Authors' addresses: afuma@eco.unipv.it, stefano.lucarelli@unibg.it
THE WORKING
GROUP ON EXTREME INEQUALITY has launched a new website. Hosted by the
Institute
for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., the website aims to build
support for
public policies that can address the concentration of wealth and, at
the same
time, raise badly needed revenue for social investments that foster
real
economic opportunity. It can be found online at:
http://extremeinequality.org/
BLOGGER DISCUSSES CITIZENS DIVIDENDS: British blogger Mark Wadsworth, a
libertarian activist, argues for a Citizens Dividend with his many
readers. One
Line:
http://anti-citizen-one.blogspot.com/2008/05/geonomics-geonomics-is.html
For links to
dozens of BIG websites around the world, go to
http://www.usbig.net/links.html.
These links are to any website with information about BIG, but USBIG
does not
necessarily endorse their content or their agendas.
The USBIG Network Newsletter
Editor: Karl Widerquist
Research: Paul Nollen; and Yannick Vanderborght of the BIEN NewsFlash
Special help on this issue was provided by Jeff Smith and Paul A.
Martin of the
Georgist News.
The U.S. Basic Income Guarantee (USBIG) Network publishes this
newsletter. The Network
is a discussion group on basic income guarantee (BIG) in the United
States. BIG
is a generic name for any proposal to create a minimum income level,
below
which no citizen's income can fall. Information on BIG and USBIG can be
found
on the web at: http://www.usbig.net.
You may copy and circulate articles from this newsletter, but please
mention
the source and include a link to http://www.usbig.net. If you know any
BIG
news; if you know anyone who would like to be added to this list; or if
you
would like to be removed from this list; please send me an email:
Karl@Widerquist.com.
As always, your comments on this newsletter and the USBIG website are
gladly
welcomed.
Thank you,
-Karl Widerquist, editor
Karl@Widerquist.com