by Peter Knight | Nov 21, 2024 | News
Photo by Amber Weir via Unsplash
Workshop Program: Designing a Basic Income Pilot for Australia – Ethics, Implementation & Evaluation Challenges
Location: Online (Zoom)
Date: Friday, December 6
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:15 PM
Overview:
Pilots, trials, and experiments have played a central role in establishing an evidence base for the potential benefits of basic income and similar concepts. While proponents of basic income often highlight the positive outcomes of these trials, critics question their effectiveness. The relationship between basic income and policy experimentation has been viewed as crucial for building public and political support for the reform, though some argue that it has been a distraction that has failed to deliver policy implementation.
In Australia, the debate around basic income pilots is still in its early stages compared to international efforts. Aside from a small-scale trial in the 1970s, there has never been a comprehensive basic income pilot, and very few detailed proposals have gained significant traction. The Third Annual Australian Basic Income Fellows Workshop seeks to move the conversation forward by focusing on the ethical, practical, and evaluation challenges involved in designing a basic income pilot for Australia.
To learn more and register, click here.
by Peter Knight | Oct 18, 2024 | News
“Building on previous experience in Uganda, the Belgian organisation Eight World vzw started in October 2021, an Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) pilot project in a village in an artisanal mining zone in the territory of Pangi, in Maniema province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Eight World transfers cash directly to individual beneficiaries via a mobile money system. Each adult living in the UCT village received 20 USD per month via her/his phone, for two years, and each child in the village received monthly 10 USD during the same period. The beneficiaries were free to decide how to spend the money, not constrained by pre-specified requirements.”
To read the report, click here.
by Neil Howard | Oct 18, 2024 | Events, News
Increasing calls for reform to welfare provision have seen growing support for basic income (BI) – the unconditional provision of cash transfers to all. As a result, recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of pilot experiments of BI, across all parts of the world. However, to date, there has been little discussion of the ethical considerations of such experiments. This paper is the outcome of a workshop whereby BI piloters came together to discuss such ethical considerations, share case studies, and begin to formulate general principles to guide ethical BI experiments. The paper discusses the ethical considerations relevant to the various stages of a pilot experiment and concludes with some general principles: to do-no-harm, maintain respect, dignity, and agency; mitigate power inequalities, promote trust and transparency, and ensure substantive unconditionality. The authors of the paper hope to stimulate discussions towards an ethical protocol for better practice in BI experiments and provide a useful resource to those working on, or interested in, BI research.
To read the report click here.
by Peter Knight | Aug 9, 2024 | News
Scott Santens has recorded a video version of his article.
To view it on YouTube, click here.
by Peter Knight | Jul 31, 2024 | News
“In October 2021, former Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot (BIG:LEAP) program. Benefitting just over 3,200 households, the program provided $1,000 per month in unconditional cash payments for 12 months to households living in deep poverty within the city of Los Angeles. To qualify, Angelenos were required to be at least 18 years old, have at least one dependent child within the household or be expecting a child, be negatively impacted by COVID-19, and fall below the federal poverty threshold. The program was implemented by the city’s Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD), and supported by the general fund as well as investments from local council district leaders. Administrative costs were supported by he Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.”
To read the full report, click here.
