UBI-Europe fundraises to send youth to Strasbourg

Unconditional Basic Income Europe (UBIE), an alliance of organisations and individuals across 27 countries, is fundraising to send 20 young basic income advocates aged 16-30 to the European Parliment in Strasbourg October 8-9th, for the European Youth Event (EYE) 2021. The group this year is twice as large as the one that went on behalf of UBIE in 2018 and include many from underrepresented communities. Among other things they will be leading a workshop on ‘Policies for a fairer economy’ which will include basic income. It is also a good opportunity, they say, to advocate for UBI policies at the European Parliment and exchange their views with experts, activists, influencers and decision-makers on a high level.

Although expenses are refunded by the EU Parliament, attendees have to pay travel, etc. up front. You can make a donation here.

Bristol Festival of Ideas: 6 October conference on Basic Income

On Wednesday 6 October 2021, the Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, and Bristol Ideas are running their second virtual conference, ‘Is it time for UBI?’. The conference is free to attend.

Leading thinkers, politicians and policymakers will come together to debate and explore new approaches to macro-economic policymaking, the prospects for Universal Basic Income, and the political economy of social and economic change.

Speakers include: Kate Bell (TUC), Young Jun Choi (Yonsei University), Anna Coote (New Economics Foundation), Diane Coyle (University of Cambridge), Geoff Crocker (author of Basic Income and Sovereign Money), Sarath Davala (Indian Network for Basic Income), Anna Dent (policy and research consultant), S Mahendra Dev (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research), Martin Ford (author of Rule of the Robots), Cleo Goodman (Basic Income Conversation), Paul Mason, Jane Millar (University of Bath), Bernhard Neumärker (University of Freiburg), Thomas Palley, Nick Pearce (Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath), James Plunkett (author of End State), Sumbul Siddiqui (Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts), Kate Soper (London Metropolitan University / University of Brighton) and Paola Subacchi (Queen Mary University of London).

The programme, biographies of speakers and registration can be found on this web page.

The long march to Basic Income begins with a single step – The unusual story of Kowiti-A


Villagers gathered to celebrate their basic income in the local church building

By: Billy Juma Munda, Evans Ododa, Lena Stark

Kowiti-A is a small village in Kisumu County in Kenya. It is twenty-three kilometres away from Kisumu town and has a population of 782 people of which 415 are adults and 367 are children below 18 years. Most of the people are engaged in farm-related livelihood activities. The village population is distributed among six clans. The nearest town Ahero is about 3 kilometres from the village.

About a year ago, two teachers from this village made a chance acquaintance, through social media, with members of an organisation called Mission Possible 2030 (MP2030). The context was basic income. They had heard about the idea of basic income from a local politician and began exploring it on the internet, only to realise that a global movement for it exists. MP2030 believes that without waiting for nation states to implement a basic income policy, we should start implementing a basic income by mobilising both individual donors and communities. This conversation led to MP2030 launching a project in Kowiti called Equalize in a humble way. From September 2020, the project gave a basic income of about 1100 Kenyan Shillings(KES) (10 US Dollars) per month to 10 people randomly selected through a raffle.

To facilitate money transfers, the teachers formed a local community-based organisation called Rural Action CBO (RACBO) so that it is a community initiative and money transfers happen in a transparent way. MP2030 transferred money to RACBO which in turn transferred to individuals via M-PESA, which is the popular mobile money transfer platform in Kenya.

These ten people received money for about eleven months, when another chance acquaintance gave a big boost to the project. This time the acquaintance took place between MP2030 and impact Market. impactMarket is a decentralized poverty alleviation protocol built by impactLabs, a company based in Portugal. It uses blockchain technology to enable any vulnerable community to implement poverty alleviation mechanisms, such as for instance, an Unconditional Basic Income. The protocol uses Celo Dollars, or cUSD, a stable-coin whose value is pegged to the US Dollar.

Ordinarily, you need an app for it and therefore a smartphone. As most of the villagers have no smartphone in Kowiti-A, collaboration with Fintech partners Refugee Integration Organisation and Kotanipay were needed to make sure the villagers would receive a currency they can actually use for buying goods and services: Kenyan Shillings – KES.

M-pesa outlet in Kowiti-A

Money transfers in Kenya are relatively easy, because of the widespread use of m-pesa, a mobile payment system. After the so-called USSD integration (where the CELO dollars are exchanged for KES in the background), someone with a sim card can receive KES, and withdraw cash at an m-pesa shop in the village. One phone can have two sim cards, so two people can receive per phone line. it is not entirely without intermediaries yet, but less than 6% is lost in the transfer from CELO dollar to cash-KES.

Because of the collaboration with Impact Market and its Fintech partners, the process accelerated very quickly and by mid-August about 240 adults began getting a basic income of 7 USD a week. By end September 2021, all the 415 adults will get the basic income for a period of one year. The total amount allocated to Kowiti project is 166,000 US Dollars, i.e., KES 18.28 million. Each individual will get a total amount of KES 44,000 (USD 400). If this sounds unbelievable, the results that will flow from this initiative will be more so, several times over.

What kind of basic income is it?

It is very interesting and also surprising that this humble project almost fulfils all the five main characteristics of the BIEN’s definition of basic income.

Universal: Basic income is given to the entire adult population. Children are not included more for technical reasons – in the smart contract adopted by ImpactMarket only those who have a mobile phone line can be provided money.

Cash: The recipient encashes the transfer into the national currency at any m-pesa store in the village

Individual: Money is transferred to individuals and not households.

Periodic: Money is transferred once a week.

Unconditional: There are no conditions whatsoever that the recipients need to fulfil after having received the money.

What does this money mean for these villages?

Based on a 2015 household budget survey, Kenya defines its overall poverty line in rural areas as an individual per capita monthly consumption expenditure of less than 3252 KES (USD 30), and extreme poverty as per capita consumption expenditure less than 1954 KES (USD 18).

In this project, the recipients receive a monthly top up of 3000 KES (USD 28) which is a substantial boost to their income levels. In this first month of receiving the money, it was observed that many people who never used to eat a breakfast, have begun to eat breakfast. Food seems to be where the money is visibly going. In the coming months, this project is certainly going to have a big impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people of Kowiti-A. These narratives will be published on the website of Mission Possible 2030 in the coming months.

Billi Juma Munda and Evans Ododa are teachers living in Kowiti-A. Lena Stark is the Chair of Mission Possible 2030. For more information about the project, write to Lena at lena@missionpossible2030.com

Why UBI should go global

Why UBI should go global

 

New research from World Basic Income finds that more than half of the world’s people live in countries where UBI could reach only $5 to $18 per person per month on average, as a result of global inequality and national income constraints. To support UBI activism in lower income countries and ensure that people everywhere can receive a sufficient UBI, the group proposes topping up this amount with a worldwide basic income of $30. 

The briefing uses World Bank data to uncover how much money flows through each country every year, and how much of it could be taxed and redistributed as UBI. 

The analysis shows that UBI could reach a maximum of $12 per person per month in India, $3 in Afghanistan and just over $1 in Burundi, if governments tax and redistribute cash at the average rates for each continent. Even if these countries managed to spend as much as France (the highest-spending country) on cash benefits, UBI could reach only $36, $10 and $5 respectively. 

Laura Bannister, World Basic Income’s campaign director, explained, “Global inequality is deeply unjust and much more severe than many people think. Gross national income is just $811 per person per year in an average low income country, and in Burundi it is $270. Governments of these countries should still be pushed to implement UBI, but there just isn’t enough money flowing through these economies to enable payments at the level people need and deserve.”

Frank Kamanga, Director of Universal Basic Income Malawi and a member of World Basic Income’s International Advisory Board said, “I was motivated to join the universal basic income global movement because of the inequality that I observed in the world, especially between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Currently with our resources it isn’t possible to have a universal basic income in Malawi, but with support from development partners we could manage to have such a policy.”

The briefing proposes a new mechanism for such support – a worldwide basic income of $30 per person per month, which would underpin national UBI efforts. It would be funded at the global level through taxes and charges on transnational corporations, and would be paid directly to every person worldwide that registered with the scheme. 

“An extra $30 a month for every adult and child would be hugely significant for at least half of the world’s people,” said Laura Bannister. “These people deserve better from the world economy. Today’s extreme inequality between North and South is the result of a shameful history that the UBI movement should be aiming to help redress. UBI has incredible potential to reduce inequality and it’s time to apply that between countries as well as within them.”

Frank Kamanga concluded, “Poverty by its nature is inhumane, it steals away dignity and it denies people opportunities. A radical approach to do away with poverty at the global scale is implementing universal basic income.”

World Basic Income is co-ordinating a growing movement to take UBI to the global level. You can read their paper ‘A UBI for Half the World’, join their webinar on 21st September ‘Should UBI be provided by the UN?’ or donate here to support their crowdfunding campaign.

为何基本收入在非洲很重要?

全民基本收入(UBI)旨在提供     家計保障及解决失业问题,它在非洲是     不可或缺的,     隨著新冠疫情的爆發让许多人丢     了工作,而UBI或許本可以     防止他们陷入贫困之中。

全民基本收入是指由政府担保的,无条件的现金转移。接受人无论是否有收入都有权获得这笔钱。全民基本收入无需缴税,接受者可以用来     花在他们任何需要上。政府没有义务跟进这笔款项的使用情况。

目前暂没有非洲国家正式实行全民基本收入     ,但有相关的方案可以     向该政策     过渡。一些非洲国家,例如肯尼亚,乌干达和纳米比亚都有进行过试验。且试验结果向好,那么非洲的人     们能从     全民基本收入實施     中得到什么好处呢?

通过增加收入来消除贫困

通过在非洲实行全民基本收入,受惠者的财務     状况可以得到改善,他们會从低收入者成了中等收入者,     也将有更多的可支配所得     来满足他们的需要。

正值许多人因新冠疫情而失去工作之际,这无疑是雪中送炭的。基本收入将给家庭提供经济支持     ,防止他们陷入贫窮的困境     。

使儿童受教育之路更加平坦

有了基本收入的保障,孩子们可以接受教育,不必同時为了支援家計     而工作。贫穷导致了不断攀升的辍学率也     進而提高早婚率。为了替家中赚取额外的收入,孩子们不得不辍学去做一些散工。当他们失去这些工作时,他们只能通过早早结婚,从另外一半那里获得慰藉和经济支持。全民基本收入的实行能让孩子们不用再为了养家糊口而辍学,从而消除早婚现象。孩子们可以接受教育,过上体面的生活。

鼓励创业及增加就业岗位

通过全民基本收入,人们将获得更多的可支配所得     ,这样他们就比較有能力     承擔     创业風險。

在创收之前,创业需要一些资本和足够的资金。基本收入可以直接用于初创企业,因为政府不會     跟进其使用情况。

基本收入的好處     是讓人们可以勇於     创业,从而创造就业机会。公司还将會通过公司税和所得税来促進     经济發展。

增进身心健康

基本收入能让人们过上更好的生活,增进人的身心健康。缺少可支配所得          來满足基本需要     会导致压力和抑郁,     陷入令人悲觀的生活條件之中,人们     更有可能买不起医疗保险。

跟政府提供的免费医疗和教育一样,非洲各國政府投资     全民基本收入將能保障他們     公民的家庭生計     。有了這份可支配所得     ,受惠人就能获得医疗保险,过上体面的生活。

「     直接给予     」组织 (GiveDirectly Organization)在肯尼亚的63个村庄开展了一项研究,为每个成年人每天提供0.75美元。研究结果显示,受助者在日常消费和幸福感方面均有所改善。他们也增加了     用于飼養牲畜和     家居改善的费用。

財務金融和社会的包容性

非洲的社会性包容问题十分严重。缺乏基本收入會导致了很多问题,像社会边缘化,妨碍人们获得诸如保险、银行服务和科技產品     ,例如手机等现代服务。

全民基本收入将通过协助人们获得现代服务来     缓解社会边缘化問題。

例如,政府可以通过银行或移动转账来汇出基本收入。这样,人们就会开银行账户和买手机。如此一来,社會边缘     的人們就可以獲得     现代服务。

缩小贫富鸿沟

全民基本收入的集资路径之一就是税收。通过对高收入者征所得税     ,     可以实现对财富的公平分配和缩小贫困鸿沟的目标。非洲在各大陆中     贫富鸿沟问题是非常突出的。一些技术含量低的工人几乎没有涨工资的可能,这使得他们在通膨之下陷入了停滞的贫困当中。政府可以利用全民     基本收入这一政策去对高收入者征税,将     收益重新分配给低收入者。

家庭凝聚力和稳定性

由于     煩惱家計和     抑郁的氛围,许多非洲国家的家庭暴力非常普遍。由於缺乏稳定的收入,遭受家庭暴力的     人們无法能离开他们的配偶     。如果这些人能够获得基本收入,他们才有選擇離開的自主權     。

另外,如果收入得到保障,抑郁     和压力     可以被消除,家庭暴力也     隨之减少     。 

在肯尼亚等许多非洲国家,父母为了廉价劳动力和晚年的保障而生下许多孩子。如果有固定收入的保证,父母就不需要生     很多孩子以求這些小孩在他們老年时抚养他们。 

如何为非洲的全民收入基本收入提供     財源

通过税收和一些巧思     ,非洲政府有很多     方式可以为全民基本收入提供     財源。下列提供幾種可能性:

削减政府开支

削减政府开支可以为支付基本收入留住     一些钱。

非洲各国政府可以减少对创收国有企业的投资,它们产生的部分收益可以直接用于基本收入计划。此外     政府机构的大部分经常性支出皆可以暫緩。

累進稅制    

政府可以通过对高收入者征收更多的税来支持基本收入计划。该举措也     将缩小贫富差距,比如,政府可以在固定资产净值之上增收奢侈品税和财富税。

提高公司税及减少领导人财务收益

非洲各政府可以提高百分之三     的公司税用于全民基本收入。另外,政府可以削减政客们的福利,这些都能重新分配到基本收入中,使接受者受惠。

結語     非洲各政府应当为     其公民投资基本收入计划。基本收入就像對医疗和教育等社會福利     一样重要,都是为了共同的福祉,社会凝聚力和生产力。另外,     提供基本的必需品,像食物,容身处和衣物,公民才     能过上体面的生活。最后,基本收入会促进心理健康发展。贫困和社会不公的環境     有害於心理健康,     進而造成相关的疾病。


Translation into Chinese by Xianwen Huang.

The original article in English can be found here.