This article reports on Karl Widerquist’s lecture on BIG at the Bank of Namibia conference and on Social Safety Nets on September 26, 2013. The article also reports on the debate over BIG in Namibia. According to Widerquist, the quotes in the article are inaccurate, but they capture the overall message of his talk.
Elvis Muraranganda, “US academic wants Namibia to go BIG,” The Namibian Sun, Wednesday September 25, 2013.
This article (authored by Andrew and Elliot from Thames Valley Plan C) outlines the revolutionary potential offered by a universal basic income. Beyond the boons of added security and large-scale reductions in poverty lie the seeds of a more profound societal transformation that can unite currently disparate progressive movements.
Thames Valley Plan C, “UBI: A Necessary Part of Progress,” Basic Income UK, September 13, 2013
Photo Christopher Andrews
Photo: Daniela Marquardt / Swedish Radio
[by Karsten Lieberkind]
In this interview (in Swedish), Daniela Marquardt speaks with Daniel Häni who runs a very successful café in Basel, Switzerland, in what was previously a major bank. He is also one of the founders of the Swiss Basic Income movement. This movement has now managed to collect more than 116,000 validated signatures asking for a referendum on Unconditional Basic Income. The signatures will be handed over to the Federal Chancellery in Bern on October 4. This is made possible by the fact that Switzerland has a direct democracy.
Daniel Häni’s message is freedom. He wants us to break the traditional strong link between job and income and ask ourselves what we really want in our lives. An Unconditional Basic Income will secure the kind of freedom that makes is possible to realize whatever goal we may have. We will be able to live a decent life without a paid job or demand reasonable conditions if we do have one.
The proposal asks for a UBI of 2500 SFr a month to be financed through a sales tax and possibly other revenue sources.
Daniela Marquardt, “Är medborgarlön en ekonomisk lösning för Schweiz? [Is Basic Income a solution for Switzerland?],” Swedish Radio P1 ‘Studio Ett’ August 20, 2013
To hear this interview (in Swedish) go to: https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=1637&artikel=5621803
