Christo Aivalis, “Basic income: libertarian wedge or a plank towards a socialist future?”

Christo Aivalis, “Basic income: libertarian wedge or a plank towards a socialist future?”

Christo Aivalis, Adjunct Professor of Canadian Political and Labour History at Queen’s University (in Kingston, Ontario), provides a socialist perspective on basic income in an article for Canadian Dimension.

Aivalis presents an overview of the reasons for which various Canadian political parties have supported a basic income, noting that, for those on the right, interest in the policy is largely driven by interest in bureaucratic efficiency. In contrast, the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) has historically differed from right-of-center parties in seeing basic income as a matter of providing an adequate standard of living as a universal human right.

Aivalis argues that contemporary progressive thought about basic income should follow the NDP in renewing the focus on human rights — as well as additionally addressing the “broader questions of who owns societal means of production and distribution.” He worries that, taken alone, basic income would “fail to engender economic democracy in Canada, and may even weaken it.” At the same time, he believes that, if conceived as part of a “general drive to democratize the economy,” a basic income could pave the way to a “post-capitalist Canadian future.”

Canadian Dimension is Canada’s longest-running periodical to specialize in left-wing political discussion. Notably, its summer 2016 edition was devoted to the topic of basic income.

 

National Context:

Basic income has recently generated serious consideration throughout much of Canada. The provincial government of Ontario, currently governed by the Liberal Party, is currently preparing a pilot of a basic income guarantee, with an anticipated launch date of April 2017. Prince Edward Island has also decided to pursue a partnership with the federal government in running a pilot. Other provinces have also shown active interest. For example, the Liberal Party of Quebec (Parti libéral du Québec) has been actively promoting discussion of basic income, as has the Green Party of British Columbia, and the policy has seen interest among officials in Alberta.

Some provincial sections of the NDP have recently advocated for a basic income, such as those of Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. Overall, though, most of interest throughout Canada is not driven by the NDP, as Aivalis would seem to prefer.

 

Read More:

Christo Aivalis, “Basic income: libertarian wedge or a plank towards a socialist future?,” Canadian Dimension, November 7, 2016.


Photo (taken in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) CC BY-NC 2.0 Kat Northern Lights Man

GOA, INDIA: Citizen’s Dividend promoters find support in Archbishop’s address

GOA, INDIA: Citizen’s Dividend promoters find support in Archbishop’s address

Archbishop Filippe Neri Ferrao, delivered a Christmas address in which he stressed that the Earth’s natural resources rightfully belong to all of the Earth’s children, including future generations, shared equally.

The Goenchi Mati Movement (GMM) advocates for the reform of mining practices in the Indian state of Goa. At part of these reforms, the group endorses a type of basic income: a citizen’s dividend financed by returns on money made from the sale of iron ore and other minerals (similar to the model of the Alaska Permanent Fund and Dividend, from which GMM draws inspiration). According to GMM, the minerals of Goa are rightfully owned in common by all of the state’s residents and their progeny; thus, any monetary gain from these minerals should be invested for the sake of future generations, and earnings on these investments should be distributed equally among all Goans.   

In December, GMM was delighted to hear the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev. Filippe Neri Ferrao, express similar sentiments in his annual Christmas address, while explicitly discussing Goa’s controversial mining practices. In the latter half of the address, while speaking about the duties of civil government, Rev. Ferrao stated:  

Our beloved Pope Francis says: “The earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone.” He further says: “Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for the coming generations.” The Pope is referring to the principle of inter-generational equity, which the Supreme Court of India has made into a law to be followed in the Goa mining case that it heard in 2012-14.

We are trustees of our land holdings. It is our solemn duty to ensure that the value of the land is passed on to our children and future generations. Only then may we enjoy the fruits, shared equally. All generations and all within a generation would benefit equally. This would truly embody the central message of most religions, “treat others as you would want to be treated yourself.”

But what we see is an extensive environmental and social damage to Goa, which has generated rampant corruption and even weakened governance. It has been an assault on our community and on our natural wealth. More distressingly, it has been a loss to our children and to our future generations. Are we not answerable to them? Or are they going to remember us as an irresponsible generation that has squandered natural wealth for the benefit of a few?

In a subsequent press release, GMM announced, “The Goenchi Mati Movement welcomes the statement of the Archbishop at the recent Annual Civic Reception endorsing the idea of intergenerational equity in mining. As was rightly pointed out, minerals are a shared inheritance. And the existing system is leading to enormous corruption and mis-governance.”

With state elections to take place on February 4, 2017, GMM is encouraging Goans to only vote for candidates who support its call for a permanent fund and citizen’s dividend, as well as the rest of its Manifesto.

 

Read more:

Archbishop Filippe Neri Ferrao’s Civil Reception Speech.

Shweta Kamat, “Goenchi Mati movement gets boost after Archbishop’s ‘down to earth’ speech,” Goa Herald, December 30, 2016.

Kate McFarland, “GOA, INDIA: Mining reform group releases Manifesto, calls for citizen’s dividend,” Basic Income News, November 24, 2016.


Reviewed by Genevieve Shanahan 

Cover photo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Eustaquio Santimano

ALASKA, US: Permanent Fund Defenders protest dividend cuts

ALASKA, US: Permanent Fund Defenders protest dividend cuts

A newly launched grassroots campaign is using social media and video to protest recent cuts to the state’s annual dividend.

As reported in previous Basic Income News stories, Alaska Governor Bill Walker vetoed half of the Legislature’s allocations to the 2016 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). Often regarded as one of the best examples of “real-world basic income,” the annual PFD provides all Alaskan adults and children with checks of an equal amount, funded by earnings on a permanent fund in which a portion of the state’s oil revenues are invested.

The amount of the PFD reached its peak of $2,072 in 2015. In 2016, it dropped to $1,022 — though it would have been $2,052 absent Walker’s veto.

Although intended to help preserve the PFD during a significant budget crisis, Walker’s action unsurprisingly generated much controversy. State senator Bill Wielechowski filed a lawsuit charging that Walker’s veto was unconstitutional. The suit was dismissed by a superior court judge in November, but Wielechowski has appealed the decision to the Alaska Supreme Court.  

With the Supreme Court hearing likely not to take place until April or May, a group of 12 lawmakers and activists have launched the nonpartisan grassroots group Permanent Fund Defenders, which advocates for the restoration of the full amount of the PFD. The group currently operates primarily through social media, and has created animated videos describing the history of the PFD (see below).

On its Facebook page, the Permanent Fund Defenders demonstrate solidarity with the Goenchi Mati Movement in the Indian state of Goa (previously profiled in Basic Income News), which promotes the establishment of a permanent fund and citizen’s dividend based on money from the sale of minerals.

More information:

Liz Raines, “Former lawmakers, political activists launch group to block PFD restructure,” KTVA, January 3, 2017.

 

YouTube player

 

YouTube player

Previous Basic Income News reports on the recent PFD controversy:

Kate McFarland (September 22, 2016) “ALASKA, US: Senator files suit against Governor’s veto of half of Permanent Fund Dividend

Kate McFarland (September 29, 2016) “ALASKA, US: Amount of 2016 Permanent Fund Dividend to be $1022

Kate McFarland (December 3, 2016) “ALASKA, US: Judge Upholds Governor’s Veto of Part of State’s Social Dividend


Reviewed by Genevieve Shanahan 

Photo: Shell Oil drilling rig, CC BY 2.0 Day Donaldson

Jumping the gun in India! Response to media reports of alleged UBI endorsement

Jumping the gun in India! Response to media reports of alleged UBI endorsement

A major news outlet in India has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi intends to introduce a universal basic income, inaccurately attributing the claim to an interview with BIEN cofounder Guy Standing (SOAS, University of London). In a statement to Basic Income News, Standing clarifies that he never made such an assertion.

On January 3, Business Insider published an article (“The Indian government is about to endorse giving all its citizens free money”) in which the journalist claims that the government of India is “set to endorse universal basic income”. The journalist based this assertion on portions of an interview with Guy Standing about India’s Economic Survey, quoting Standing as saying, “the Indian government is coming out with a big report in January. As you can imagine that makes me very excited. It will basically say this is the way forward.” (Adding later: “I don’t expect them to go the full way, because it’s such a dramatic conversion.”)

Other media outlets picked up on this report, including The Independent in the UK, fueling rumors that the Modi government plans to introduce a universal basic income. Significantly, on January 6, the popular Indian newspaper MoneyBhaskar.com published an embellished version of the story (in Hindi) asserting that the government would roll out a UBI. The article, which went viral, claimed its source as Business Insider‘s interview with Standing.  

In comments to Basic Income News, Standing makes clear that these radical claims about the plans of the Indian government are false embellishments of his actual remarks:  

I never said Modi is going to introduce a basic income, and never said that I knew that. What I said to the Business Insider journalist who interviewed me for about half an hour on the phone, mainly on other matters, was that the pilots taking place in Finland and elsewhere were helping to legitimise basic income, that our pilots in India had helped legitimise the topic in India, that the Indian Government was contemplating introducing basic income and was issuing a chapter in its forthcoming Economic Report to be tabled in Parliament at the time of the budget. I am hopeful, I told him, but we will have to wait to see.”


Narendra Modi photo CC BY-SA 4.0 Jasveer10 

Post reviewed and edited by Guy Standing 

HELSINKI, FINLAND: Socially Innovative Finland – livestreamed event

HELSINKI, FINLAND: Socially Innovative Finland – livestreamed event

Kela (the Finnish Social Insurance Institution), the government body running the nation’s newly launched basic income experiment, is hosting a live-streamed discussion of the basic income trial as well as the country’s long-standing maternity package.

On January 12, Kela will hold an event called “Socially Innovative Finland”, which will provide information about the country’s basic income experiment–launched on January 1, 2017, to much international publicity.

Maternity package, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Visa Kopu

The event will also include discussion of one of Finland’s existing social welfare initiatives: its internationally renowned maternity package, initiated in 1938, which provides all mothers-to-be with a package of child necessities, such as clothing and bedding (the box itself can be used as a crib).

Three members of Kela will speak:

• Olli Kangas (Director of Government and Community Relations): “Basic income – Part of tomorrow’s social security?”

• Marjukka Turunen (Head of Legal Affairs Unit): “How the basic income experiment works in practice”

• Olga Tarsalainen (Communications Specialist): “Finnish Maternity package – The best known brand of Finnish social security”

The event will take place on Thursday, January 12, 9:00-10:30 Finnish time (UTC/GMT +2), at Kela’s head office in Helsinki. It will also be broadcast live at the following page: https://videonet.fi/web/kela/20170112/.

Questions for the speakers can be submitted on Twitter during the event, using the hashtag #basicincome2017 or #maternitypackage2017. Questions may also be emailed in advance to Eeva-Kaisa Kivistö (firstname.lastname@kela.fi).

Complete details about the event are available from Kela: https://www.kela.fi/socially-innovative-finland.

 


Background: Finland’s Basic Income Experiment

On January 1, 2017, Finland launched an experiment in which 2,000 individuals will receive unconditional cash payments of €560 (about 590 USD) per month for two years. Test subjects were randomly selected from a pool of about 175,000 individuals between ages 25 and 58 and already receiving unemployment benefits from Kela, and those selected were required to participate. The main goal of the experiment, at present, is to determine whether unconditional cash transfers are superior to means-tested unemployment benefits with respect to promoting job-seeking and employment. However, Olli Kangas, leader of the research team behind the experiment, has recommended expanding the experiment to other target populations (including “other persons with small incomes” and individuals under age 25).   

News of the experiment’s launch has been widely disseminated through international media, although some reports seem misleadingly to suggest that the Finnish government has actually decided to implement a basic income (or a basic income for the unemployed), despite the fact that the Finnish government is merely testing the policy, with any decision to implement a basic income for its citizens awaiting the conclusion and analysis of the experiment.

The latest information about the study can be found on Kela’s “Basic Income Experiment 2017-2018” webpage: https://www.kela.fi/web/en/basic-income-experiment-2017-2018.


For additional background on Finland’s basic income experiment, see these previous reports in Basic Income News:

Kate McFarland “Basic Income experiment authorized by Parliament” (December 18, 2016)

Kate McFarland “Kela’s report on Basic Income experiments released in English” (October 15, 2016)

Kate McFarland “Legislation for Basic Income Experiment Underway” (August 25, 2016)


Article reviewed by Danny Pearlberg 

Cover Photo: Sunset in Helsinki, CC BY-NC 2.0 Giuseppe Milo