A Basic Income is a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement.
The Royal Society of Arts Explains: [2 minutes]
Recent News, Opinion, and Research
Basic Income in Malaysia
The Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) has collaborated with Prof Geoffrey Williams, a Malaysian-based economist and Basic Income advocate, to share their collective vision of a Basic Income in the Malaysian context. Involved with the collaboration from BIEN were our...
Unconditional: The film
Unconditional is a film created at the University of Bath that is focused on the prosperity of communities that sprouted from pilots basic income projects in India and Bangladesh. The strategy of basic income plus — not only providing direct cash but also community...
Doing Bitcoin the Basic Income Way
Photo by Traxer on Unsplash "...there are on the horizon two radical ideas that have the potential to create synergy which can revolutionize the way we are currently addressing the income vulnerability and different forms of deprivation in the world today. The two...
Guaranteed Income Works in Tacoma, Washington
"This month, researchers released independent data for Tacoma, WA. A partnership with the City of Tacoma, the United Way of Pierce County, and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, the Growing Resilience In Tacoma (GRIT) pilot focused on families that are considered...
Homeless people to be given cash in first major UK trial to reduce poverty
"Researchers are conducting the UK’s first major scientific trials to establish whether giving homeless people cash is a more effective way of reducing poverty than traditional forms of help. Poverty campaigners have long believed that cash transfers are the...
USAID signals major strategy shift: championing direct unconditional cash transfers
"USAID’s support of direct monetary transfers is significant as it is the largest provider of official development assistance at an estimated US$66B in 2023 and has the potential to influence a greater number of actors in the sector to adopt this approach." To read...
Canada’s National Advisory Council on Poverty has recommended basic income
Photo by Jason Hafso via Unsplash In chapter 5 of its annual report, Canada’s National Advisory Council on Poverty recommended that Canada implement a basic income. Quote: “The Council proposes that the federal government should work across governments to introduce a...
New publication on Iran’s UBI
Photo by Sina Drakshani via Unsplash "Despite growing interest in Universal Basic Income (UBI), evidence of its impact remains limited. To address this gap, a new paper examines household behavior three years after Iran’s 2010 reform, which replaced energy subsidies...
First paper from Brazil’s Maricá Basic Income Evaluation published
Note: Marica's RBC does not meet the BIEN definition of basic income "The Maricá Basic Income Evaluation is an assessment of a basic income program in the city of Maricá, Brazil. The program, the Renda Básica de Cidadania (RBC, or Citizens’ Basic Income), is one of...
Oregon Rebate UBI ballot measure fails
Oregon's universal basic income measure failed, with 78.8% of voters opposing the policy. The measure proposed giving $1,600 annually to state residents, funded by a corporate tax increase. Basic income programs have been tried across the US as an approach to poverty...
Denver Basic Income Project Impact Report published
Note: This project does not meet BIEN's definition of basic income. The 2024 Denver Basic Income Project Impact Report is a comprehensive look at how the project has transformed lives and empowered over 800 individuals experiencing homelessness. To date, DBIP has...
PRIORITIES FOR THE SECOND WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2025
As more countries are facing a secular stagnation and as it is becoming clear that it is unrealistic to hope to increase total economic output (measured as the gross domestic product GDP)) without further worsening the environmental crisis, a new question emerges: how...