The deadline for the call for proposals for the 2012 NA-BIG conference has been extended to January 31, 2012. The conference will take place in Toronto on May 3-5, 2012.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
The 11th North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress
May 3-5, 2012 at the University of Toronto, on the theme of:
Putting Equality Back on the Agenda:
Basic Income and Other Approaches to Economic Security for All

While Canada, the United States, and many other OECD countries have grown increasingly unequal in recent years, equality has not been on the political agenda. Yet evidence shows that income inequality is accompanied by a range of significant negative consequences. Putting Equality Back on the Agenda will examine this growing trend of inequality and consider the option of a basic income to reduce economic disparity.

Featured speakers will include:

  • Erik Olin Wright, Professor of Sociology, University of Wisconsin (Madison), author of 11 books from The Politics of Punishment: A Critical Analysis of Prisons in America (1973) to American Society: how it really works  (2010).
  • Richard Wilkinson, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham Medical School and co-author of The Spirit
    Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better
  • Charles Karelis, Research Professor of Philosophy at The George Washington University and Author of The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-Off Can’t Help the Poor
  • Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
  • John Rook, Chair of the National Council of Welfare and CEO of Potential Place Society
  • Evelyn Forget, Professor, University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine; and
  • Trish Hennessey, Director of Strategic Issues for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress is a joint Conference of the U.S. and Canadian Basic Income Guarantee Networks. It takes place in Canada and the United States on alternating years. Please consider submitting a proposal – activists, academics and interested citizens welcome!

Scholars, activists, and others are invited to propose papers or presentations, organize panel discussions, or submit posters. Proposals are welcome on the following topics:

  • What are the costs of economic disparity (economic, social and political)?
  • What are the implications for pursuing (or not pursuing) basic income options?
  • What are possible models for generating revenue to sustain a basic income and what are their implications for economic disparity?
  • What are the practical issues for implementing a basic income policy and what are their implications for economic disparity?
  • What communication and engagement strategies are necessary to raise awareness about economic disparity and basic income in the public sphere?

All points of view are welcome. Anyone interested in presenting, organizing a panel, or displaying a poster should submit an abstract of their proposal to the chair of the organizing committee at:  basicincome2012@gmail.com

Please include the following information with your proposal:
1. Name(s)
2. Affiliation(s)
3. Address
4. City, Province/State, Postal/Zip Code, and Country
5. Telephone
6. Email Address(es)
7. Paper/Presentation/Panel/Poster Title
8. Abstract of 50-150 words

(REVISED) DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: January 31st, 2012

Proposals for panel discussions should include a title, topic, and description of the panel and the information above for each participant. If the participants are not presenting formal papers, the title of the paper and abstract may be omitted. Panels should be limited to four presentations.