The USBIG NewsFlash is both the newsletter of
the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee (USBIG) Network and the U.S. edition of the
Basic Income Earth NetworkÕs NewsFlash. The USBIG Network (www.usbig.net)
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 go to: http://www.usbig.net/newsletters.php.
For questions, contact the editor, Karl Widerquist <Karl@Widerquist.com>.
1. Editorials
Report from the 15th
Congress of the Basic Income Earth Network
Open Letter To All Candidates For The
European Parliament
2. BIG News
from the United States
3. BIG News from around the world
4. Events
5. BI Literature
6. Audio-video
7. New Links
8. More news, links and other
info
Karl Widerquist, co-chair of the Basic Income
Earth Network
The 15th International Congress of
the Basic Income Earth Network was held in Montreal at McGill University from
June 27 to June 29, 2014, and a pre-conference North American day was held on
June 26. The event was sold out with well over 200 people attending.
Two of the central topics at the conference
were the recent basic income pilot projects the recent petition drives for
basic income. Renana Jhabvala, of Self-Employed WomenÕs Association and Guy
Standing, of School of Oriental and African Studies discussed the recent pilot
project in India. Among other results, basic income was found to increase
health and employment.
Enno Schmidt, Co-founder of the Initiative
Basic Income in Switzerland and president of the Cultural Impulse Switzerland
Foundation, and Stanislas Jourdan, Co-founder of the French Movement for Basic
Income and Coordinator for Unconditional Basic Income Europe, talked with
Barbara Jacobson, of Basic Income UK, and Philippe Van Parijs, of BIEN, about
the citizens initiatives of basic income in Switzerland and the European Union
(EU). Between the two initiatives, activists raises more than 400,000
signatures, enough to trigger a vote in Switzerland to take place in 2015 or
2016. Although the EU movement did not receive enough signatures to trigger a
vote, it created headlines across the continent, sparked a pan-European
movement for BIG (UBIEurope), and organized national movements in all of the
EUÕs member states.
Joe Soss, of University of Minnesota, gave the
NABIG (North American Basic Income Guarantee) lecture, which was surprisingly
optimistic despite its depressing title, "Disciplining the Poor,
Downsizing Democracy?" He discussed how many recent social policies from
welfare "reform" to the 500% increase in the incarceration rate are
part of an international trend toward treating poverty as willful misbehavior
curable only by discipline. The optimism came from his belief that people are
coming to recognize what's been happening, and they're fighting back through
various movements.
The conference included a good mix of
academics and activists. The Congress generated press around Canada and to some
extent around the world. Some of the attendees started an international youth
activist organization for the basic income, called Basic Income Generation. The
Basic Income Canada Network furthered its push for a $20,000 basic income for
all Canadians. The theme of technological unemployment recurred through many of
the sessions—much more than it has in any past BIEN Congress. Thomas
PikettyÕs Capital in the Twentieth
Century, was discussed by many of the academics at the Congress. And
discussion of the Great Recession was frequent.
The Congress closed with BIENÕs General
Assembly (GA) meeting. The GA voted to recognize five new affiliates from
Norway, France, Portugal, Europe (UBIEurope) and the Southern African Development
Community (the SADC BIG Coalition). UBIEurope and the SADC BIG Coalition have
become BIENÕs first transnational affiliates.
A new Executive Committee (EC) was elected by
the GA, including Louise Haagh and Karl Widerquist as Co-Chairs, Anja Askeland
as Secretary, Borja BarraguŽ as Treasurer, and Andrea Fumagalli, Toru Yamamori,
Pablo Yanes Rizo, and Jason Murphy as EC members for News and Outreach.
Several issues were tabled (delayed) due to
lack of time. These included some proposed amendments to BIENÕs statutes and a
proposal to change BIENÕs definition of unconditional basic income to include a
clause that it must be high enough to allow individuals to live in dignity.
The GA ended with a bit of drama. Before we
could give up the room to the cleaning crew, which had been waiting much longer
than they expected, the GA had to decide the location of the next Congress
between three impressive proposals from affiliates in Finland, the Netherlands,
and South Korea. As time was running out, the representatives of Netherlands
and Finland both dropped their bid in favor of Seoul, Korea, and the motion was
quickly passed unanimously.
I think I speak for all of BIENÕs leadership
when I write that we are looking forward to working with Korea on the 2016 Congress
and to working with UBIE and all of BIENÕs European affiliates to help build on
the political moment for basic income has developed on that continent.
-Karl Widerquist, Cru Coffee House, Beaufort, North Carolina, July 13, 2014
Some of the press coverage of the BIEN
Congress:
Ahn Hyo-sang, Ò[Special
report] Basic income movement gaining momentum worldwide.Ó The Hankyoreh, July12, 2014.
Benjamin Shingler, Ò$20,000
per person: Activists push for guaranteed minimum income for CanadiansÓ The Globe and Mail, 29 June 2014.
Beryl Wajsman, ÒThe fierce urgency
for a guaranteed national incomeÓ, The
Metropolitain, 30 June 2014.
The Canadian Press, ÒGuaranteed
$20K income for all Canadians endorsed by academicsÓ, CBC News, 30 June 2014.
Deirdre Fulton, "New Campaign Pushes
for 'Basic Income Guarantee' in Canada", Common Dreams, 3 July 2014.
Dan Delmar, ÒThe
Exchange Podcast with Dan Delmar,Ó CJAD
800AM Radio, 2 July 2014. [Discussion
of BIG begins about 18 minutes into the broadcast.]
Jacob Kearey-Moreland, ÒUniversal
Income Worth a LookÓ, Orilla
Packet, 4 July 2014.
MŽlanie Loisel, ÒLe revenu
garanti est la voie de lÕavenir, croit BlaisÓ, Le Devoir, 30 June 2014.
Karl Widerquist, co-chair of the Basic Income
Earth Network
During the 2014 elections for the European
Parliament, the Basic Income Earth Network, at the request of its partner,
Unconditional Basic Income Europe, signed an open letter to all candidates for
the European parliament. The full text of the open letter follows.
Open Letter To All Candidates For The European Parliament
Given the commitment by the EU to reduce poverty by 20 million by 2020,
most people want to know: What will you do to deliver results for people in the
European Union? Did you know that according to the most recent data available, around one
fourth of the EU population, that is about 120 million people, are at risk of
poverty? However, given the prolonged economic crisis since 2008 and increasing
automation of production permanently eliminating many jobs, there are reasons
to believe that the situation will get even worse in the future if nothing
changes.
Unconditional Basic Income Europe, which
represents basic income networks and organisations in 25 EU countries, along
with Basic Income Earth Network, with members all around the globe, would like
to underline the current threat which income inequality represents to a
peaceful, democratic and social Europe. Therefore we expect our newly elected
representatives to support those strategies which will promote social cohesion
and ensure sustainable and inclusive development in Europe. Our representatives
should see the crisis as a wake-up call.
Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) is an amount of money, paid on a
regular basis to each individual unconditionally and universally, high enough
to ensure a material existence and participation in society. It differs from
traditional guaranteed minimum income (GMI) / social security schemes by
removing the bureaucracy and its costs as well as the stigma of means-testing.
UBI also eliminates the disincentive to work caused by the high marginal tax
rates (65-95%) imposed by these schemes.
Pilot studies throughout the world have proved
that UBI is a far more effective tool for reducing poverty and inequality than
traditional social security schemes and subsidies, with more positive effects
on local economies, health, societal cohesion, public safety and education. An
unconditional basic income implemented throughout Europe could also reduce
tensions created by intra-EU immigration forced by lack of economic
opportunity. It may seem like a radical proposal, but the current Ôbusiness
as usualÕ attitude is not sustainable and endangers the EU itself.
We expect our representatives and the European
Commission to take further serious and practical steps on the European
Parliament resolution 2010/2039(INI) of 20 October 2010 on the role of minimum
income in combating poverty and promoting an inclusive society in Europe.
Considering that the unemployment rate will
gradually increase due to technological advancement while productivity
increases, ordinary Guaranteed Minimum Income schemes are becoming less and
less effective, leading to rising inequality and social exclusion - all these
lead to conclusion that we need culture change to tackle these problems. If
you are elected, will you raise a debate about unconditional basic income in
the European Parliament and will you stand for implementing it in the EU?
The 9th of May is celebrated as Europe Day
because of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 by French Foreign Minister
Robert Schuman. He had a strong vision of a Europe which was peaceful and
prosperous for everybody without exception. Europe has become peaceful and
prosperous, but not for everybody. Let«s finish the job Robert Schuman has
started. What are we waiting for?
Undersigned by:
Unconditional Basic Income Europe
Basic Income Earth Network
The
open letter was originally posted at: http://one-europe.info/initiative/open-letter-to-all-candidates-for-the-european-parliament
Sources about poverty in Europe and Unconditional Basic Income:
Ending Poverty is a Political Choice! http://www.eapn.eu/en/news-and-publications/press-room/eapn-press-releases/ending-poverty-is-a-political-choice
Short movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zru79jcVTt4
Recent interview with Prof. Philippe van
Parijs, UniversitŽ Catholique de Louvain (UCL): ÒVan Parijs: An unconditional
basic income in Europe will help end the crisisÒ http://www.euractiv.com/sections/social-europe-jobs/van-parijs-unconditional-basic-income-europe-will-help-end-crisis-301503
For more profound insight, please watch the
movie "Basic Income – a Cultural ImpulseÒ http://dotsub.com/view/26520150-1acc-4fd0-9acd-169d95c9abe1
Unconditional Basic Income Europe: http://basicincome-europe.org/
Basic Income Earth Network: http://www.basicincome.org
[Josh Martin]
A new political party, named the After Party,
has declared its support for a basic income guarantee in the United
States. Founded in May of this
year, the party hopes to push its candidates into positions at every level of
government.
For more on the After Party see the following
links:
Occupy Wall St. ÒAlliance
of Activists to Launch New Populist Political Party in Detroit,Ó Occupy Wall St. 30 April 2014.
After Party Official Website (http://www.afterpartyusa.org/)
[Josh Martin]
A new petition has been started on MoveOn.org
to establish a basic income guarantee for all Americans, similar to what is
being proposed in Switzerland.
To view and sign this petition, follow this
link. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/establish-a-basic-income.fb47?source=s.fb&r_by=9732631
Dean Capone, an active member of the Socialist Party of the United
States of America, has announced his intention to seek the Party's nomination
for President of the United States with the intention of making Basic Income a
major issue in his platform. Capone told BI
News, ÒThe Basic Income Guarantee is a crux of my proposed candidacy.Ó
A proponent of public ownership of primary heavy industry, a strong and
unionized workforce, a National Basic Income and advocacy of civil and human
rights at home and abroad, Capone considers himself part of a new generation in
democratic socialist leadership. In an interview with the Independent Political Report, Capone said, ÒImplementation of
an unqualified basic income would foster economic growth by leveling the
playing field to a degree, and provide stability to meet the needs of every
adult, while replacing most other entitlements.Ó
More information about CaponeÕs candidacy is on the campaignÕs webpage
at: deancapone.com.
See also: Joshua Fauver, ÒInterview With Declared 2016
Socialist Party USA Presidential Candidate Dean Capone.Ó the
Independent Political Report, July 8, 2014.
The Citizens Climate Lobby, a California-based environmental group, has
released a report advocating a plan involving a small basic income as part of
its strategy to address global warming. The plan is to tax carbon and
redistribute the proceeds to every citizen in the form of an unconditional
dividend. They would introduce $10 tax on each ton of carbon dioxide in the
planÕs first. It would raise an estimated $56 billion in the first year, enough
to provide a family of four with $44 in monthly rebates. The tax would rise
by $10 a year over twenty years, so that ton of carbon would eventually cost
$200. Every adult would receive $96 a month within ten years and $132 a month after
20 years. That would be an annual rate of $1,584. Children under 18 would
receive half a rebate. Thus, a family of four would receive $4,752.
For more information see: ÒA climate solution thatÕs also good
for the economy.Ó Citizens Climate Lobby, June 9, 2015.
The complete report is also online:
Scott Nystrom and Patrick Luckow, ÒThe Economic, Climate, Fiscal,
Power, and Demographic Impact of a National Fee-and-Dividend Carbon Tax.Ó Washington, DC: Regional Economic Models, and
Coronado, CA: CitizensÕ Climate Lobby.
Or contact: Steve Valk <mailto:steve.valk@citizensclimatelobby.org>, 1-404-769-7461.
[Karl Widerquist]
Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor (under the Clinton
Administration), is already on record as saying that some form of basic income
guarantee is Òalmost inevitableÓ in response to the changes in the labor
market brought about by changing technology. He has now release a statement
endorsing BIG as a part of a strategy to address climate change. Without using
the term BIG, or any of its common synonyms, Reich argues that we should tax
carbon and redistribute the revenue equally to every citizen—that is in
the form of a universal basic income. He made the statement on June 10th,
2014 on his Facebook page. We reproduce the entire statement below:
ÒThe single best way to reduce climate change is to put a price on
carbon. The big fossil fuel companies say this will hurt the economy, but they
said the same when we put a price on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide –
the pollutants causing acid rain -- in the 1970s. We did it anyway, all but
eliminating acid rain, and the economy did fine. As to carbon, weÕd start with
a low price – say $10 for every ton put into the air – with the
price gradually rising over time. This would give energy companies an incentive
to save money by reducing carbon pollution – and also spend and invest
more in non-carbon energies like solar, wind and hydro power. Our electricity
bills might rise, but thereÕs an easy fix: The money polluters pay would go
into a big fund thatÕs then divided up and sent to every American. So even if
your electricity bill goes up $10 a month, you get back at least $10 if not
more. Are you with me?Ó
For info see: https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/posts/809307552415176?fref=nf
[Karl
Widerquist]
Bernie Sanders, the only socialist in the United States Senate, evaded a question about BIG. The question came up during an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the popular website, Reddit. During an AMA, a prominent person agrees to be available online for a given period time to and to answer whatever questions Reddit members ask. Although Sanders is known as one of the strongest defenders of the poor in high-level U.S. politics, he would not give a direct answer to the following question asked by Reddit member using the name, LoveAllHarmNone, ÒWhat do you think of a Basic Income Guarantee if/when unemployment rises due to automation?Ó
Sanders replied, ÒI think that as a nation we should be deeply troubled by the fact that we have more people living in poverty today than ever before and that millions of seniors are finding it difficult to survive on about $1,200 a month from Social Security. I think we need to take a very hard look at why real income has gone down for millions of Americans despite a huge increase in productivity. In my view, every American is entitled to at least a minimum standard of living. There are different ways to get to that goal, but that's the goal that we should strive to reach.Ó
Although some of the comments in the thread expressed frustration at the lack of clarity in the answer, there was no follow up by Sanders.
The entire AMA is online at: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/24zdnn/i_am_senator_bernie_sanders_ivt_ama/
Podemos, a new Spanish political party that includes unconditional basic
income (UBI) as one of its main economic policy objectives, has one five seats
in the European Parliament. Organized barely three months before elections for
the European, the party seemed to come out of nowhere to a win nearly 8% of the
vote (1.2 million votes) and finish in fourth place in the elections held on
May 25, 2014.
Podemos (which means Òwe canÓ) grew out of the anti-austerity protest
movement known as Indignados. It claims to be a party of ordinary citizens who
desire a fundamental change in the political process toward greater democracy,
freedom, and social protection. The Guardian quoted the PartyÕs leader, Pablo Iglesias,
"It's citizens doing politics. If the citizens don't get involved in
politics, others will. And that opens the door to them robbing you of
democracy, your rights and your wallet." Party leaders promise to accept a
salary of no more than three times the Spanish minimum wage.
The party also supports doing away with tax havens, a maximum salary, the
reduction of the working week to 35 hours, more protection for workers against
dismissal, and lowering the retirement age to 60. According to Global Voices, ÒThe
objective [of Podemos] is to dismantle the austerity measures put in place by
the different governments that have been in power. To strengthen and increase
citizensÕ rights to political participation, education, housing, health and the
fight against corruption are the core elements of the party's programme.Ó
For more on Podemos, see the following articles:
Thomas G. Clarke, ÒHow the rise of Podemos in Spain
should be an inspiration for the progressive left in the UK.Ó Another
Angry Voice. May 28, 2014
Ashifa Kassam, ÒPodemos hopes to cement rise of
citizen politics in Spain after election success.Ó The
Guardian, 27 May 2014
Cristina Flesher Fominaya, ÒÔSpain is DifferentÕ: Podemos and
15-M.Ó OpenDemocracy. 29 May 2014
Elena Arrontes. ÒThe Rise of ÔPodemosÕ in Spain, the
Citizen's Party.Ó GlobalVoices. Translated by Kitty Garden,
1 June 2014
[Josh Martin]
The 2014 BIEN International Congress took
place in Montreal at McGill University from June 27 to June 29. Among the hundreds of attendees were
academics from a variety of disciplines—economics, social work,
development studies, philosophy, and many others—as well as community
activists, politicians, and others simply interested in the idea of a basic
income for all. The Congress
generated press around the world for a few major reasons: some of the attendees
started an international youth activist organization for the basic income,
numerous papers were presented on the basic income, and, perhaps most
significantly, the Basic Income Canada Network furthered its push for a $20,000
basic income for all Canadians.
Here are some of the news stories run around
the world about the Congress:
Benjamin Shingler, Ò$20,000
per person: Activists push for guaranteed minimum income for CanadiansÓ The Globe and Mail, 29 June 2014.
The Canadian Press, ÒGuaranteed
$20K income for all Canadians endorsed by academicsÓ, CBC News, 30 June 2014.
Beryl Wajsman, ÒThe fierce urgency
for a guaranteed national incomeÓ, The
Metropolitain, 30 June 2014.
Dan Delmar, ÒThe
Exchange Podcast with Dan Delmar,Ó CJAD
800AM Radio, 2 July 2014.
[Discussion of BIG begins about 18 minutes into the broadcast.]
MŽlanie Loisel, ÒLe revenu
garanti est la voie de lÕavenir, croit BlaisÓ, Le Devoir, 30 June 2014.
Deirdre Fulton, "New Campaign Pushes
for 'Basic Income Guarantee' in Canada", Common Dreams, 3 July 2014.
Jacob Kearey-Moreland, ÒUniversal
Income Worth a LookÓ, Orilla
Packet, 4 July 2014.
A new group, called Basic Income Generation (BIG), formed at the 2014 BIEN Congress in Montreal.
Although the group began as a youth movement, Basic Income Generation is a Basic
Income activist collective with open-ended membership (without age,
occupational, or locational restriction). Basic Income Generation aims to
facilitate the direct support of BIEN to movements and actions in support of unconditional
basic income around the world.
Basic Income Generation is the product of a process started in late 2012
by two Korean Basic Income activists, Juon Kim and Kieun Song, who first
proposed that a Basic Income Global Youth Network (BIGYN). After a few exchange
of emails and a Skype meeting, it was decided that activists would gather up
all the young people present at the next BIEN General Assembly to ask them what
they thought of the idea and how to move it forward. The group thus organized
two informal gatherings in Montreal, which led the group to turn into Basic
Income Generation (on a proposal from Stanislas Jourdan), on the Swiss model of
'Generation Basic Income' that was created to support their national citizen
initiative, and lead it to succeed.
Part of the reason for the choice of its name, is that Basic Income
Generation is not defined by some trait of its membership, but by its
objectives: Helping BIEN to be more present and efficient in its support of
Basic Income activism worldwide, as well as helping BIEN to develop new
communication strategies and material, while facilitating exchanges between
Basic Income activist from all over the world.
More information about Basic Income Generation (including information on
how to get involved) is on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248926788642187/
UNITED KINGDOM: Shadow Secretary of State Responds to Basic
Income Query
Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions, reaffirmed the Labour PartyÕs position on proposals for
a basic income this week, in response to a query from a constituent of the
Selly Oak MP Steve McCabe. Noting that the Labour Party had discussed the
possibility of a basic income in the past, Reeves stated that it had been
concluded the measure was riddled with Ôsevere difficultiesÕ. The principal
concerns expressed by Reeves regarding such reforms are that public support
would be lacking, and that it would undermine the obligation to work.
See a copy of ReevesÕs letter here: http://imgur.com/byKvB0c
Kari Polanyi Levitt, an active colleague of the
Basic Income Earth Network, has received the honor of becoming a Member of the
Order of Canada. Her citation reads as follows: ÒFor her contributions to the
establishment of international development studies as an interdisciplinary
academic field, and for her research on political economy in the Caribbean.Ó
Kari Polanyi Levitt is the daughter of famous economic historian, Karl Polanyi.
The full list of new recipients can be viewed
here. http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15694&lan=eng
UNITED STATES: Call to Action for Citizens to
Write to Congress Supporting a Basic Income
[Josh Martin]
The moderator of the Basic Income page on Reddit, under the username
2noame, has called on all Americans to write to their representatives in
Congress encouraging them to consider supporting a universal basic income. He also includes an available template
he constructed that others can use.
Here is the template:
Dear Senator Last Name, (or
Congressman/Congresswoman Last Name)
I am writing to you as one of your constituents about something that is
not yet on the map of the political landscape but what I guarantee will become
increasingly discussed as current conversations amplify around ongoing
inequality, an increasingly strained welfare system, and ongoing automation of
human labor through innovations in software and hardware. I'm talking
about unconditional basic income.
I don't know how familiar with this idea you are, but it is the idea
that every U.S. citizen should receive an unconditional cash grant, given with
the same regularity as a paycheck, regardless of any conditions other than
citizenship, and set at a level sufficient to cover our most basic needs such
as food and housing. Think of it as a Social Security check for every citizen,
in the amount of about $1,000 per month per adult and perhaps $333 per child,
for nothing other than being a citizen.
If this idea is new to you, I admit it can sound crazy on its face, but
once you actually look into it and learn all the evidence of where forms of it
exist or have been tried, including our own state of Alaska, it really starts
to not only make sense, but becomes the policy option that makes the most sense
of all. I understand you keep a busy schedule but please consider reading the
following article as a primer to the idea. It'll take about 12 minutes.
Article: https://medium.com/working-life/why-should-we-support-the-idea-of-an-unconditional-basic-income-8a2680c73dd3[3] (leave as is or insert your own
favorite link)
I write this letter to urge you to consider looking into basic income as
an idea for new legislation. If you are aware of the Oxford study that
estimated 47% of all current jobs are at risk of being eliminated by technology
in 20 years, and you are also aware of Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century
calling for redistributive taxation to prevent capitalism from endangering our
democracy, and you are also aware of the inefficiencies and inadequacies of our
current safety nets, and you also recognize the need to provide stimulus to our
economy to allow consumers to return to consuming and the vital importance of
regrowing our middle class, then the idea of unconditional basic income will no
doubt make a lot of sense to you. The question will become what is the best way
of funding it.
If you get out ahead of the curve on this matter, you will be seen as
having real vision, and a real understanding of where we are headed. Bill Gates
himself has warned of the inevitability of labor demand being reduced by
software and that he thinks people don't "have that in their mental
model." Meanwhile Robert Reich when recently asked about basic income
directly, replied that he sees it as "almost inevitable." We need to
start seriously looking into this as actively debated legislation as support
for it will only continue to increase. Of this, I have no doubt. Please
consider leading the way in this matter, and begin personally working towards
the introduction of legislation for basic income to be voted on in Congress.
Thank you so much for your time, and if you have any questions about
basic income, now or at any point in the future, please feel free to contact
me.
Sincerely,
Your Name
His full post
is available here.
John Ralston Saul, (born June 19, 1947) is a Canadian author and essayist
recently endorsed BIG. His comments can in response to a question about the
ÒGuaranteed Annual IncomeÓ the name by which the Basic Income Guarantee in most
commonly known in Canada. Saul replied in plane and highly supportive language,
ÒIn order to save public money, IÕm in favor of it, and also to bring a certain
level of dignity. ItÕs clear that the managerial approach is to have multitude
of programs, which have to be managed, and which give them power over
individuals. Whereas a Guaranteed Annual Income would be very cheap, and would
remove that power from them.Ó
To see a video of SaulÕs endorsement, go to: Jack Saturday, ÒJohn Ralston Saul's View of Basic
Income,Ó June 11, 2014.
The Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) and The
BIG Push campaign have announced the following leadership changes. Rob
Rainer, the founder of The BIG Push in April 2013 and its volunteer
director since that time, has taken on the role of Interim Executive Director
of the Green Party of Canada (covering a maternity leave until the end of
March). Rob will continue to serve for BICN, volunteering primarily on building
the national campaign network and on fundraising. Rob can continue to be
reached at rob.causeworth@gmail.com.
Kelly Ernst has accepted the role of Secretary General for BICN and will take over
the campaign director role, continue to co-chair the 2014 International BIEN
Congress, and take on overall leadership of BICN. Kelly was the Chairperson of
BICN for the past two years. He was also Senior Program Director of the Sheldon
Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership for five years and President and CEO
of the Canadian Outcomes Research Institute for six years. For BICN and BIG
Push-related information, Kelly can now be contacted at kernst@biencanada.ca.
Sheila Regehr is the new Chairperson of BICN, having been a member of
the board for two years. Sheila is the previous Executive Director of the
National Council of Welfare, a former, longstanding federal advisory body. She
has 29 years of extensive policy development experience related to income
security. Sheila can now also be reached at sregehr@biencanada.ca.
See also the BICN website: http://biencanada.ca/
And the BIG Push Campaign website: http://www.thebigpush.net/
The Pirate Party is a movement that has been making gains in European
elections. Its main goals involve the freedom of information and the freedom
from surveillance, but Pirate Party platforms also usually involve strong
support for the freedom of the underprivileged. Most, if not all, Pirate
PartyÕs support BIG. The Pirate Party of the UK has followed suit, but its
support has been highly qualified. The Party website gives many arguments in
favor of bit, but announces support for it only as a long-term goal and then
heavily qualifies that support, ÒHowever there are significant hurdles to the
implementation of such a system, including the need for comprehensive research
into the social and economic impact it would have and whether it can be
affordable. We think it is likely that such a programme is possible but would
have to be reached incrementally. As such we propose funding trials to
establish how such a system could be implemented.Ó
For more info go to: Pirate Party UK: ÒMoving toward a Citizen's Income.Ó
This yearÕs International Basic Income Week is scheduled to run from
September 15–21, 2014. Preparations are already under way in Austria,
Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The organizers invite all
basic income initiatives and activists to spread the efforts within Europe and
beyond.
In 2008 basic income initiatives from German speaking countries initiated the
first International Week for a Basic Income (http://www.woche-des-grundeinkommens.eu/) with the aim of creating visibility for this
simple and beautiful idea by bundling events and actions during the 38th week
of the year.
In 2014 the international website http://basicincomeweek.org was created. This reflects the Europeanization of the Basic Income Week
based on the citizen initiatives in the European Union and Switzerland that led
to the creation of the new European alliance called UBIE (Unconditional Basic
Income Europe). Building on these recent developments, the 7th International
Basic Income Week will have more countries participating than ever before.
The first confirmed events for Austria have already been announced (http://basicincomeweek.org/preliminary-programme-austria/). Groups in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France,
Romania, Slovenia and the UK are thinking about how to get involved.
In the call for participation, UBIE draws attention to the fact that
Europe is facing increasingly violent conflicts, both within EU countries and
on the EU periphery. According to the organizers, ÒConsidering this explosive
context, we want to highlight the current social and democratic significance of
Unconditional Basic Income: it can become the basis for ÔBuilding Social
Cohesion in Europe.Õ This is the motto of this yearÕs Basic Income Week.Ó
Of course the issue of conflicts and the need for social cohesion is not
limited to Europe, and so the organizers give the following message:
ÒWe want you to be a
part of the 7th International Basic Income Week.
Organize an event.
Coordinate the efforts in your country.
Show the world that you are a part of it on http://basicincomeweek.org.
Contact us: 7th@basicincomeweek.org.
LetÕs make this a truly international effort.Ó
The Basic Income Earth NetworkÕs (BIENÕs) 15th International
Congress gets underway today, June 26, 2014 with the pre-conference day
dedicated to the 13th Annual North American Basic Income Guarantee
(NABIG) Congress, a joint meeting of the Basic Income Canada Network and the
U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network. The NABIG Day is focusing on strategies to
activate and implement a basic income policy in Canadian and United States
jurisdictions.
The BIEN Congress is the oldest and largest basic income conference in
the world. He has taken place every two years since 1986, when it was known as
the Basic Income European Network
Congress. It expanded to become the Basic Income Earth Network Congress in 2004. This yearÕs Congress takes place at
McGill University in Montreal under the theme of ÒRe-democratizing the Economy.Ó
The registration has sold out with
about 250 attendees. Participants will be discussing all aspects of BIG from
the effects in terms of economics, philosophy, and sociology to the effort to
build a successful political movement for BIG.
The 15th International Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress will
take place on 27-29 June 2014 in Montreal. The Congress brings together
academics, activists, policy makers, political representatives, NGOs, and
interested members of the general public to discuss and debate how introducing
a universal and unconditional basic income relates.
Click here for more information on the BIEN and the NABIG Congresses.
See also the following article from the Montreal Gazette:
Peggy Curran, ÒIdea of flat income to be hot topic
at McGill on Friday,Ó The Gazette [Montreal, Quebec, Canada], June
26, 2014.
Dr Anna Reid, past president of the Canadian Medical Association, will
talk about health and basic income at BIEN Congress 2014 on June 26. This is a
free event, entitled ÒThe Health Case for a Basic Income Guarantee,Ó sponsored
by the Institute for Health and Social Policy. All welcome.
More info at http://biencanada.ca/congress/keynote-speakers
- reid.
[Craig Axford]
The author of this blog suggests the City of
Detroit should select around 1,000 individuals living within the same area,
offer them $400 a month without any strings attached, improve basic services
such as internet access, and then see what happens to their community.
Albert Wenger, ÒA Basic Income Experiment I would Like To See (Detroit)Ó,
Continuations, June 24, 2014
[Craig Axford]
SUMMARY: Using the Bitcoin protocol as a
model, citizens of Iceland are being offered Aurocoin as an alternative to the Krona. Citing a steady
decline in the Krona's value and the collapse of 2008 as the reasoning behind
this alternative, each Icelander became entitled to access their share of the
new "cryptocurrency" in March of 2014.
Baldur Friggjar Odinsson, A nation breaks the shackles of a fiat
currency, Auroracoin, March, 25, 2014
ABSTRACT: ÒThis article traces present-day policy debates on precarious
employment to the nineteenth century. Liberal and paternalist versions of state
authority emerged as responses to early capitalist development, and
precariousness was an issue that contributed to the differentiation between
them. The author argues that these connections with the bases of state power
help explain why radical alternative approaches [such as basic income] find it
so hard to get a hearing in mainstream political circles.Ó
Bill Jordan, ÒAuthoritarianism and the precariat.Ó Global
Discourse: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Current Affairs and Applied
Contemporary Thought, Volume 3, Issue 3-4, 2013, pages 388-403
Carl Gibson, ÒThe Case
for a Basic Guaranteed Income for AllÓ, Huffington
Post, 13th May 2014.
[Josh Martin]
In this opinion piece in the New York Times, Associate Professor of Political Science Christopher Blattman of Columbia University discusses the viability of directly giving cash with no conditions to homeless people. While the subject of handouts to the poor often raises concerns about funding substance abuse, Blattman highlights multiple studies that found no correlation between unconditional cash transfers like the basic income and expenses that would be categorized as wasteful. To Blattman, unconditional cash transfers must continued to be used.
Christopher Blattman, ÒLet Them Eat Cash.Ó The New York Times, 29 June 2014.
The BBC asked four writer to discuss what we
should do to renew the capitalist system. One of them, Clive Menzies, argued
that the system has become unequal because of priviledged ownership of natural
resources, which should be reversed by a Citizens Dividend (a basic income
financed by resource and rent taxes). Clive Menzies is a political economist
with a background in business and investment management. He founded the
Critical Thinking research project at the Free University and is a member of
the Occupy London Economics Working Group
Clive Menzies, ÒViewpoints: What
should capitalism do?Ó BBC News,
26 May 2014.
[Josh Martin]
In this post, Vognar jumps into a discussion
on government guarantees, claiming that a minimum income guarantee like a
universal basic income would be less heavy-handed than a job guarantee or other
types of guarantees. An income
floor would provide stability in the lives of those in poverty and would allow
low-income workers to break away from unfair labor agreements with their
employers. Vognar cites Martin
Luther King Jr. and Charles Murray as ideologically opposed thinkers who both
agree on supporting a minimum income; Vognar then goes on to claim that
implementing a guaranteed minimum income will unleash a new wave of innovation
and creativity in our individual passions that had been stifled by the current
nine-to-five labor market structure.
David Vognar, ÒThe Case
for a Guaranteed Minimum IncomeÓ, Huffington
Post, 8 July 2014.
[Craig Axford]
A study looking into Mexico's Programa de
Apoyo Alimentario food aid program finds that giving those in need food is more
costly and no more effective than simply giving people direct financial aid and
allowing them to buy food on their own. In addition to using the money to
buy food as intended, direct assistance reduces the cost of the program by
nearly 20% compared to the traditional food distribution system. This finding
adds to the growing body of research showing people spend unconditional
assistance responsibly, contrary to what many BIG opponents claim.
Dylan Matthews, "Mexico
tried giving poor people cash instead of food. It worked.", Vox, June 26, 2014
[Josh Martin]
SUMMARY: This post examines the common
objection to the basic income that people will spend the cash on alcohol and
cigarettes. The article discusses a
new paper from the World Bank that found that transfers are not consistently
used for alcohol or tobacco.
Dylan Matthews, ÒMore evidence that giving
poor people money is a great cure for povertyÓ, Vox, 7 June 2014.
This article shows that an Indian TribeÕs
introduction of a policy along the lines of a Basic Income Guarantee reduced
the incidence of mental illness in children.
E. Jane Costello, Scott N. Compton, Gordon
Keeler, and Adrian Angold, ÒRelationships
Between Poverty and Psychopathology: A Natural Experiment.Ó JAMA: Journal of the American Medical
Association. 2003: Volume 290, No. 15, pages 2023-2029.
[Josh Martin]
In this post, Sperber discusses the issues in
democracy in the US and how the US does not fully constitute a democracy. After a discussion of the issues
regarding democracy in the US, Sperber proposes a basic income law as a pathway
to a more democratic society.
Elliot Sperber, ÒPreconditions
for an Actually Democratic SocietyÓ, Counterpunch,
4 July 2014.
Enno Schmidt, ÒHow a
Ôstupid painter from SwitzerlandÕ is revolutionizing workÓ, PBS Newshour, 9th April 2014.
[Josh Martin]
Coppola dissects issues in the tax credits
system in the UK, claiming that it fails to reflect the flexibility of the
labor market, especially for self-employed individuals. Coppola then goes
on to say that the Universal Credit will not make things any better and that
the ideal solution would be a universal basic income.
Frances Coppola, "Hounding
the Poor", Pieria, 30 May 2014.
PUBLISHERÕS SUMMARY: You are about to become
obsolete. You think you are special, unique, and that whatever it is that you
are doing is impossible to replace. You are wrong. As we speak, millions of
algorithms created by computer scientists are frantically running on servers all
over the world, with one sole purpose: do whatever humans can do, but better. That
is the argument for a phenomenon called technological unemployment, one that is
pervading modern society. But is that really the case? Or is it just a
futuristic fantasy? What will become of us in the coming years, and what can we
do to prevent a catastrophic collapse of society? Robots Will Steal Your Job,
But That's OK: How to Survive the Economic Collapse and Be Happy explores the
impact of technological advances on our lives, what it means to be happy, and
provides suggestions on how to avoid a systemic collapse.
One of the solutions discussed in this book is
an unconditional basic income (a federal stipend guarantee).
Federico Pistono, Robots Will Steal Your Job, But That's OK: How to Survive the Economic
Collapse and Be Happy, Second Edition. CreateSpace,
January 14, 2014.
SUMMARY: This article argues that robots are
replace a significant amount of human labor and concludes that government need
to introduce new policies in response. ÒThese can include tax reforms to
provide a safety net for those who become unemployed, smaller government,
programs to stimulate start-up innovation, sharing and open source and
providing citizens with an unconditional basic income (a federal stipend
guarantee).Ó
Federico Pistono, founder and CEO of the
online learning start-up Esplori, is a computer scientist, activist and social
entrepreneur. He is also the author of the book Robots Will Steal Your Job, But That's OK: How to Survive the Economic
Collapse and Be Happy.
Federico Pistono, ÒGet ready, robots are going to steal your job.Ó CNBC, 9 Jun 2014
[Josh Martin]
Rader calls upon the readerÕs imagination in
his introduction, to imagine a world where children are not forced into work,
where there is no poverty. He believes
this world is attainable if a basic income is established, and he calls the
reader to action in supporting such a policy.
Gaura Rader, ÒImagine a
World Without PovertyÓ, The Socratic Diablogs, 6 July 2014.
Other recent articles about BIG by Gaura Rader
are:
Gaura Rader, "The
Democracy Argument for Basic Income", The Socratic Diablogs, June 25, 2014.
Gaura Rader, "Democracy
and Basic Income Part II", The
Socratic Diablogs, June 26, 2014
Gaura Rader, Ò11
Arguments for a Universal Basic IncomeÓ, The Socratic Diablogs, 19th
June 2014.
PUBLISHERÕS SUMMARY: Rising inequality is one of the most salient issues
in global and European politics. Guy Standing writes that what we have
witnessed in recent decades is not simply an increase in inequality, but also
the emergence of a new globalised class structure. A key component of this
structure is what he terms ÔThe PrecariatÕ: a new class comprising those who
lack economic security and stable occupational identities, which has
systematically been deprived of some of the fundamental rights afforded to
citizens. He argues that a new ÔPrecariat CharterÕ is required to combat these
insecurities, including provision for a basic income as a right of citizenship.
Guy Standing, ÒHow To Combat Inequalities Produced
By Global CapitalismÓ, Social Europe Journal, 12th
May 2014.
The Basic Income Community on Reddit has more
than 12,000 thousand members. This online community amounts to a continuous
discussion in which people post articles, ask questions, make comments, and
debate basic income. One of Reddit's tools is the AMA (Ask Me Anything), in
which a well-known figure promises to be available to answer questions for a
given amount of time. On DATE, Guy Standing became the first major author to
host an AMA on the topic of Basic Income. Guy Standing is a Professor of X at
Y, the author of more than a dozen books, many on basic income including The
Precariat: A New and Dangerous Class.
The questions, answers, and follow-up comments
from Guy Standing's AMA are online.
Guy Standing, ÒI am Guy
Standing, co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network and author of The
Precariat, ask me anythingÓ, Reddit,
5th May 2014.
[Josh Martin]
In this opinion piece, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences James Hansen of Columbia University discusses climate action in the United States. In his post he throws his support behind the Citizens Climate LobbyÕs (CCL) recent proposal for a carbon fee-and-dividend proposal with 100% of the revenue going towards a dividend equally distributed to each citizen, culminating in a variant of an unconditional basic income.
For more information on the CCLÕs proposal, click here.
James Hansen, ÒToo Little, Too Late? Oops?Ó Available on James HansenÕs university page, 19 June 2014.
[Craig Axford]
Jessica Flanigan challenges some fundamental objections to a basic income
guarantee found within Brink Lindsey's book Human
Capitalism. Brink Lindsey responds in a second post that followed on
June 27, 2014. Links to both the initial challenge and the follow-up
response are provided below.
Jessica Flanigan, "Is Living on the Dole Bad For You?", Bleeding Heart Libertarians, June 19, 2014
Response: Brink Lindsey, "Why Living on the Dole Is Bad for You", Bleeding Heart Libertarians, June 27, 2014
SUMMARY: This article is a communist criticism
of basic income, concluding, ÒBasic income will be designed and implemented by
the other class — your enemy — to meet its interests, not yours.Ó
Jehu ÒBasic
Income: Which class will be writing the legislation?Ó The Real Movement: Communism is free time
and nothing else, May 19, 2014
[Josh Martin]
SUMMARY: In this post Jehu discusses the basic
incomeÕs effect on real and nominal wages as a product of the combination of
Keynesian system and the Speenhamland System. Jehu then argues that this basic income
could be funded by a consumption tax.
Jehu, ÒHow the basic income scheme could
become the LeftÕs worst nightmareÓ, The
Real Movement, 27 April 2014
SUMMARY: This article is a continuation of the
Basic Income article from a previous
post on Common Progress, this time discussing two specific programs the
Negative Income Tax and the Fair Tax. The author endorses Basic Income in name,
but actually supports a policy with a work requirement.
Jeremiah Luttrell, ÒFair Tax
and Negative Income Tax.Ó Common
Progress. 27 May 2014
Jeremiah Luttrell writes the Common Progress
blog which is dedicated Òto politically balance progressivism with
right-libertarianism in the United States.Ó In this article, he endorses the
name Òbasic incomeÓ but not the policy, opting instead for a work-conditional
program, writing ÒEven though by definition the Basic Income is given
unconditionally, we believe itÕs strategically wise to include a work
requirement or professional development requirement so thereÕs no disincentive
to work.Ó
Jeremiah Luttrell, ÒBasic
Income in America: Welfare Aid in Direct Cash.Ó Common Progress, May 20, 2014.
SUMMARY: According to this article, ÒWe are at the beginning of a tidal
wave of new economic innovation and growth that will change the way we think
about the economy forever.Ó The author concludes, ÒBut on a rising tide of
growth, it will be possible to redistribute wealth from richer to poorer, if
the political will to do so exists. In fact, high levels of job displacement
will probably make it necessary to do so, perhaps through the implementation of
a universal income program, where the government taxes the owners of the
robots, and pays each citizen a guaranteed basic income.Ó John Aziz is the
economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com.
He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk, and his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.
John Aziz, ÒPrepare yourselves for the robot
economy revolution.Ó TheWeek.com, June 2, 2014.
SUMMARY: This article discusses technological
unemployment and concludes optimistically, ÒIf the economy is disemboweled by a
lack of consumer spending, corporations fat off the self-perpetuating riches of
automation and plentiful, cheap energy will likely be all too happy to support
generous redistributive programs to support the spending of the hordes of
out-of-work people, like a universal basic income.Ó
The author, John Aziz, is the economics and
business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at
Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge,
and Noahpinion.
John Aziz, ÒCould a
robot do my job? Probably, but I'm still optimistic.Ó TheWeek, May 20, 2014.
EXCERPT: ÔBy way of addressing security
beyond the workplace, [StandingÕs] most compelling suggestion is a basic
citizen's income, payable to all, which would increase the bargaining power of
people at the low end, and by cutting across the orthodox benefit systems'
serial poverty traps, actually increase the incentive to work. This idea has
been circulating for at least 40 years, and may take just as long to arrive in
mainstream debate. But if it seems outlandish by contemporary standards, that
actually only heightens its appeal: the same, after all, was once said of the
most basic aspects of the welfare state; and even the weekend.Õ
John Harris, ÒA
Precariat Charter: From Denizens to Citizens – reviewÓ, The Guardian, 9th April 2014.
[Craig Axford]
Technology is increasingly replacing more jobs
than it is creating. This trend favors extreme jobs that a few superstars
get paid extremely well to do, leaving everyone else either unemployed or
underemployed. Jon Evans concludes that a basic income guarantee is the only
kind of strong social safety net that can catch everyone and enable people to
do the kind of fulfilling things they want to at the same time.
Jon Evans, ÒWelcome to Extremistan! Please Check Your Career At The
DoorÓ, Tech Crunch,
June 21, 2014
This article discusses the current movement of
basic income in context of technology replacing employment.
Jon Evans, ÒAfter
Technology Destroys Capitalism.Ó TechCrunch,
May 3, 2014.
Abstract: ÒThis article explores the impact of
both technological unemployment and a basic income on the provision of services
of general interest. A basic income may promote the restructuring of production
into postcapitalist forms and projects involving peer production. This change,
as well as technological unemployment, will result in lower state and market
capacities to provide services. Instead, people will create various forms of
self-organization to meet their needs. The paper presents examples of such
models. Some ideas about the new forms of inequalities in this system will be
presented to inspire a further study of this scenario.Ó
Katarzyna Gajewska, ÒTechnological Unemployment but Still a Lot of
Work: Towards Prosumerist Services of General InterestÓ, Journal of Evolution and Technology, 24(1),
February 2014, 104-112.
Benjamin Shingler, ÒAre Canadians worth $20K a
year, guaranteed?Ó
[Craig Axford]
The Basic Income Earth Network's 15th annual
conference in Montreal raises the profile of the basic income guarantee in
Canada. A CTV News reports on discussions at the BIEN conference points
out that press coverage for BIG has been steadily increasing across North
America recently. In addition, there has been recent positive movement on the
issue within two of Canada's opposition parties.
Benjamin Shingler, "Are Canadians
worth $20k a year, guaranteed?", CTV
News, June 29, 2014
[Josh Martin]
SUMMARY: In this post McCarthy analyzes the
choice of the After Party to support a basic income, claiming that the basic
income movement is, "at best a waste of time, and at worst a trap that
will feed our rights to Wall Street." He attacks Charles Murray's
basic income proposal and urges his readers to see through this novel economic
theorem.
Kyle McCarthy, "The 'Basic
Income' Trap", Against Austerity, 2 June 2014.
SUMMARY: Guy StandingÕs book, The
Precariat: A New and Dangerous Class, addresses labor market insecurity and
argues for basic income as a solution. The journal, Global Discourse, devotes an entire issue to the Precariat.
According Matthew Johnson, who was the guest editor of the special issue, ÒThis
issue of Global Discourse seeks to explore the nature, shape and context of
precariat, evaluating the internal consistency and application of the concept,
particularly with regard to: changes in the sociology of class; democracy,
participation and representation; the relationship between precariat and
multitude; the means by which precariat might become a Ôclass-for-itselfÕ;
place, migration and globalization; poverty and precarity; the subjective
experience of precarity, and forms of resistance. The articles published
reflect the extent, both with regard to paradigmatic engagement and site of
study, to which the concept has permeated the consciousness of academics and
those subject to precariousness (indeed, the former appear increasingly to be
included in the latter).Ó
Matthew Johnson (editor), ÒSpecial Issue: The Precariat.Ó Global
Discourse: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Current Affairs and Applied
Contemporary Thought, Volume 3, Issue 3-4, 2013
SUMMARY: ÒGiving taxpayers $250 per month,
reducing carbon emissions and boosting the economy. This is what the future
could hold if the United States imposed a revenue-neutral carbon tax on fossil
fuel production.Ó
Mike Ludwig, ÒReport: A
Carbon Tax That Would Create Jobs, Cut Emissions and Put Money in Your Pocket.Ó Truthout, 12 June 2014.
SUMMARY: According to this article, ÒOn Friday, more than 100 academics,
economists and activists for social change from around the world will gather at
McGill UniversityÕs Law Faculty for the 15th International Congress of the
Basic Income Earth Network. Over three days of talks and workshops, they will
weigh the pros and cons of replacing existing programs with a flat income that
would not be contingent on a means test or a work requirement.Ó The article
discusses the conference in context of recent developments on basic income in
Canada.
Peggy Curran, ÒIdea of flat income to be hot topic
at McGill on Friday.Ó The Gazette [Montreal, Quebec, Canada], June
26, 2014.
[Josh Martin]
YouGov and the Huffington Post conducted a
survey of 1000 US adults in early January of this year. Here is the question they asked about a
basic income:
Would you favor or oppose expanding Social
Security to every American, regardless of age, to guarantee a basic income to
every American?
Strongly favor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.18%
Somewhat favor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17%
Somewhat oppose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.16%
Strongly oppose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.38%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 11%
Peter Moore, ÒPoll
Results: Guaranteed Jobs and IncomeÓ, YouGov,
9 January 2014.
[Josh Martin]
SUMMARY: PilkingtonÕs article covers many of
his objections to the basic income guarantee (BIG). While he appreciates the buzz the BIG is
generating right now, he sees many potential issues including labor shortages
and immigration policy dilemmas.
Instead, he recommends a Jobs Guarantee program as a replacement for the
BIG.
Philip Pilkington, ÒMoney for nothingÓ, Al Jazeera, 6 June 2014.
PUBLISHERÕS SUMMARY: ÔPhilippe Van
Parijs argues for a basic income
for all legal residents of the European Union to be financed by Value Added
Tax. Unlike the US, the EU lacks automatic inter-state transfers and migration
between states is much less common. A universal basic income would serve
as a buffering mechanism and enable a stronger recovery from economic
downturns. It would also help the Union overcome the pressures of
competitiveness, while the EU may also be seen as more legitimate and less of a
heartless bureaucracy in the eyes of its residents.Õ
Philippe Van Parijs, ÒThe
Eurodividend: Why the EU should introduce a basic income for allÓ, LSE EUROPP Blog, 24th July
2013
SUMMARY: The article addresses the following
common arguments against UBI:
1) Isn't that Communism?
2) You can't make up new rights!
3) If people get a basic income nobody would want to work anymore!
4) Employment is a voluntary exchange between consenting parties
5) Basic Income sounds great, but we can't afford it.
The Pieces Fit, ÒDebunking
the Top 5 Myths About the Universal Basic IncomeÓ, The Pieces Fit, 12th June
2014.
SUMMARY: The author argues, ÒI think that
no-strings-attached money is a dangerously bad idea and that it would do far
more to undermine poverty-fighting efforts than it would to strengthen them. I
also think that meddlesome caseworkers are the unsung heroes of the fight
against poverty. É New York City is on the cusp of a grand experiment to
increase the flow of no-strings-attached money to its poor citizens. This will
end badly. É There is far more to say about how we can fix America's social
welfare programs. But before we can expand them or shrink them or modernize
them, we must first ensure that they rest on a solid moral foundation. And
that, ultimately, is what work requirements are all about.Ó
Reihan Salam, writes for Slate and the
National Review. He is the co-author, with Ross Douthat, of Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the
Working Class and Save the American Dream.
Reihan Salam, ÒUnconditional
basic income? You're kidding: Slate opinion,Ó The Oregonian, June 5, 2014.
SUMMARY: This paper looks at the issue of
reparations for group injustice, mainly in the USA, and suggests a basic
income guarantee as a possible means of addressing that issue. The need for and
legitimacy of such reparations are first established. The author details some
personal experience with the issue, which includes encountering frequent
resistance to the idea. A basic income guarantee as a means of getting past
much of that resistance is then discussed. That is followed by a brief
discussion of benefits and limitations. The paper concludes that implementation
of a basic income guarantee is the single best way to right the injustices
suffered by people due to their inclusion in certain cultural/ethnic groups.
Richa, "A Basic
Income Guarantee as Reparations for Group Injustice", USBIG,
December 2009.
SUMMARY: The author argues, unconditional
basic income is being heralded as the solution to all of EuropeÕs financial
problems, but the salary for everyone is not all itÕs cracked up to be, because
UBI
fails most financial feasibility tests. She concludes, ÒAn unconditional basic
income discourages career progression and innovation, could potentially have
detrimental economic effects and relies on a non-binding social contract. This
leaves many questions unanswered on the possible effects of UBI, suggesting a
basic income is not so much a solution to all our problems, but a utopian
nightmare weÕd do best to wake up from soon.Ó
Sandra Kilhof, ÒWhy
unconditional basic income is no more than a socialist fairytale.Ó The New Economy, June 11th, 2014.
SUMMARY: This article argues, ÒCapitalism can
be improved, and basic income is how it can be accomplished.Ó It has received
over 40,000 views so far on the publisherÕs website, Medium. It has been tweeted by Medium
on Twitter to their 600,000 followers. And it has received more retweets than
any other tweets of theirs this month.
Scott Santens, ÒWhy Should We Support the Idea of an Unconditional Basic
Income? - An answer to a growing question of the 21st centuryÓ, Medium,
2nd June 2014
[Josh Martin]
Santens provides a thorough timeline of basic
income ideas dating from 1776 to now, including details on major thinkers and
publications related to the basic income.
Scott Santens, "A Brief
History of Basic Income Ideas", 2noame on Tumblr, 1 May
2014.
SUMMARY: This article address the question of how
difficult it is for most people to pursue entrepreneurial activities. It
concludes by arguing for a Universal Basic Income, ÒIf everyone had access to a
guaranteed income which would be sufficient to ensure food and rent, then you
would empower innumerable people to take the risks necessary to chase their
startup dreams, and push forward on them relentlessly until they succeeded, or
at least exhausted their own confidence. You would empower the exploration of
ideas which may seem crazy, but also might just change the world. É No human
has ever made it all on their own. We are a social species, and we depend on
each other for everything. LetÕs accept that fact and empower as many people as
possible, and make the world a better place for everyone.Ó
Shane Greenup, ÒSurviving
as an entrepreneur.Ó ShaneÕs
Soapbox, Jun 11, 2014
Stanislas Jourdan, ÒA Way to
Get Healthy: Basic Income Experiments in CanadaÓ, Basic Income UK: Towards an emancipatory
welfare, 7th August 2013.
SUMMARY: The author draws on evidence from
pilot projects and other sources to argue, ÒThere are all sorts of arguments
against an unconditional, universal basic income — that is, the idea of
giving everyone a minimum income regardless of whether they work, whether
theyÕre disabled, or whether theyÕre poor. The problem with these arguments is
that the only one that actually stands up to reality is, ÔI donÕt like it.ÕÓ
Zacqary is an activist in the New York Pirate
Party, where his official title is "Cat Herder." He is an open source
game developer, and the Chief Executive Plankhead of Plankhead, a free culture
arts collective. Despite believing that money is a superfluous social
construct, he has a Gittip profile.
Zacqary Adam Xeper, ÒYou Can
Only Be Against Basic Income Based On Morals, Not Evidence.Ó Falkvinge & Co.
on Infopolicy, July 11, 2014.
In this interview political
philosopher John Baker reacts to French economist Thomas PikettyÕs book Capital
in the Twenty-First Century, which has fuelled fierce debate about inequality.
Baker makes the case for Ôequality of conditionÕ and a basic income. The
interview is available both in text and in audio.
Joe Humphres, ÒHow equal should we strive to become? (Interview with John Baker).Ó The Irish Times, Fri, May 16, 2014.
David Jenkins, ÒHet Goeie Leven (The Good Life)Ó, Basic Income UK: Towards an emancipatory
welfare, 7th May 2014.
According to Eoin Rooney of the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary
Action (NICVA), NICVA's first ÒMasterclassÓ of 2014 examined the idea of a Basic Income.
This would replace the current system of social security with a standard,
regular payment for all citizens - as of right. Two slideshows from the Masterclass are online. In the first,
Miche‡l Collins, Senior Research Officer with the Nevin Economic Research
Institute, discussed the practicalities of a Basic Income, including what level
it could be set at and how it could be funded. In the second, Maureen O'Reilly,
an economic consultant, explored the potential wider implications of a Basic
Income on the labour market and public finances.
Miche‡l Collins, ÒPracticalities of a Basic Income: Levels,
Costs, Funding, & Some questions,Ó NICVA: 16 May 2014.
Maureen O'Reilly, ÒImplications of a Basic Income: Cutting out the
MiddlemanÓ NICVA: 16
May 2014.
[Josh Martin]
In this slide show the blogger kaneix
discusses low maintenance lifestyles and the necessity for a citizen's
entitlement grant, also known as a basic income grant.
kaneix, "Low
Maintenance Lifestyles", emaze.
[Josh Martin]
This slide show by the blogger kaneix covers
the arguments for a universal basic income.
kaneix, "An
Unconditional, Universal Basic Income", emaze.
[Craig Axford]
Juhi Bhatt, ÒBasic Income Works!Ó, Youtube, June 22, 2014
Thom Hartmann, ÒThe Big Picture: Basic
Income...Hartmann vs. Selig.Ó The RT Network, June 10, 2014.
PUBLISHERÕS SUMMARY: ÒAll around Europe, people are fighting for
unconditional basic income: a system which many believe will instill
equilibrium where there is financial inequality. World Finance invites Green
Party Leader Natalie Bennett and writer and mathematician David Orrell to
discuss whether unconditional basic income will live up to the revolutionariesÕ
expectations.Ó
VIDEO: ÒUnconditional basic income: Green
PartyÕs Natalie Bennett debates its merits with David Orrell.Ó World
Finance, May 19th, 2014
Ten years ago, Brazil introduced a radical plan to fight poverty -- give
cash, every month, directly to mothers. It was self-consciously introduced as a
first step toward phasing in an unconditional basic income. In audio segment, Jian
Ghomeshi Òspeaks with Olga Khazan, associate editor for The Atlantic, about the program's successes and shortcomings, and
what it has meant in a country with a checkered history with women's issues.Ó
Jian Ghomeshi, ÒGiving money directly to poor
mothers: lessons from Brazil.Ó Q Blog: CBC Radio, June 10,
2014.
The CtitizenÕs Income Trusts 2014 Conference, ÒCitizen's Income: a solid
foundation for tomorrow's society,Ó held on Friday 6th June 2014 at the British
Library, has been captured on video and posted on the Occupy London website. A
report will be will follow later.
The main speakers included: Natalie Bennett (Leader of the Green Party),
Dr. Tony Fitzpatrick (Nottingham University), John McDonnell MP, and Professor
Guy Standing (SOAS); the panel members: Neal Lawson (Compass), Bert
Schouwenberg (GMB), Kat Wall (New Economics Foundation), Natalie Bennett (Green
Party), and Chris Goulden (Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Eight videos from the conference are available at:
Citizens Income Trust, ÒCitizenÕs Income Trust Conference
2014: Livestream,Ó Occupy London. recorded June 6, 2013,
posted June 8, 2014
PUBLISHERÕS SUMMARY: Here we round up World
FinanceÕs pursuit of todayÕs ascendant economic star: unconditional basic
income. We take a look at just what unconditional basic income might mean for
economies on both a micro and macro level.
World
Finance, ÒUnconditional
basic income roundup.Ó World
Finance, May 15th, 2014.
Zoom hicham, "Recivitas, a Basic
Income Experiment Project in Brazil", YouTube, 25 April 2014.
Guy Standing, Liam Halligan and Frances
Coppola, ÒÔWrong-headed economicsÕ: for and
against unconditional basic incomeÓ, World Finance, 14th
May 2014.
There are now at least 32 established Facebook pages on Basic income. They are listed below with international pages first, continent-wide pages second, and national or regional pages three (group in alphabetical order):
1. International: https://www.facebook.com/Basic.Income.Earth.Network
2. International: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Basic-Income-News/146808728715113
3. International: https://www.facebook.com/basic.income
4. Europe: https://www.facebook.com/ECI.BasicIncome
5. Germany/Switzerland: https://www.facebook.com/bedingungsloses.grundeinkommen
6. Belgium: https://facebook.com/BelgianNetworkForBasicIncome
7. Bulgaria: https://www.facebook.com/EGIBBD
8. Croatia: https://www.facebook.com/temeljnidohodakhrvatska
9. Czech Republic: https://www.facebook.com/EOI.ZakladniPrijem
10. Denmark: https://www.facebook.com/UbetingetBasisindkomst
11. Estonia: https://www.facebook.com/KodanikupalkEuroopasse
12. Finland: https://facebook.com/perustulo
13. France: https://facebook.com/RevenudeBase
14. Germany: https://www.facebook.com/NetzwerkGrundeinkommen
15. Greece: https://www.facebook.com/basicincomegr
16. Hungary: https://www.facebook.com/FNA.hu
17. Ireland: https://www.facebook.com/BasicIncomeIreland
18. Italia: https://www.facebook.com/RedditoBaseIncondizionato
19. Latvia: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eiropas-iniciat%C4%ABva-par-pamatien%C4%81kumiem/1438566166359282
20. Lithuania: https://www.facebook.com/BasicIncomeLithuania
21. Luxembourg: https://www.facebook.com/Grondakommes
22. Netherlands: https://facebook.com/pages/Vereniging-Basisinkomen/165488696805185
23. Norway: https://facebook.com/BorgerlonnBienNorge
24. Poland: https://www.facebook.com/bezwarunkowydochodpodstawowy
25. Portugal: https://www.facebook.com/RendimentoBasicoPortugal
26. Romania: https://www.facebook.com/UBI.Romania
27. Slovenia: https://facebook.com/pages/Univerzalni-temeljni-dohodek/493981737287209
28. Spain: https://www.facebook.com/RentaBasicaUniversal
29. Sweden: https://facebook.com/BasinkomstMedborgarlon
30. Switzerland (FR): https://facebook.com/Pour.1Revenu.inconditionnel.de.base
31. United Kingdom: https://facebook.com/BasicIncomeUK
32. United States of America: https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Basic-Income-Guarantee-Network/206792926015200
[Craig Axford]
P.A.P Blog, ÒUniversal Basic Income as the Foundation of FreedomÓ,
June 24, 2014
The website, ÒNetokratia - a brand new political platformÓ is attempting to create a community of knowledgeable people who like discussing politics. It provides a platform with the tools to create voting and discussion threads, add new records to the database, and so on. We also encourage people to post more ambitious content. Their page on basic income is entitled, ÒDo you support the implementation of a Basic Income?Ó
ItÕs online at: http://netokratia.com/discuss/179953/Do_you_support_the_implementation_of_a_Basic_Income
This website advocates creating a Global Resource Bank (GRB), which would own all of the EarthÕs resources. Everyone would own one share in the back and would receive a credit (essentially an unconditional basic income) from the bankÕs income. The creators of the website ask readers to consider the GRB as a solution to poverty and pollution.
The Global Resource Bank is online at: http://www.grb.net/.
For
up-to-the-day news on BIG, see Basic Income News at www.BInews.org. 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 NewsFlash
Editor: Karl Widerquist
Thanks to everyone who helped this issue.
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. More news about BIG is online
at BInews.org.
You may copy and circulate articles from this NewsFlash, 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 NewsFlash and the USBIG website are gladly
welcomed.
Thank you,
-Karl Widerquist, editor
Karl@Widerquist.com