Italy: Urgent petition in time of Corona Virus: “Citizen income for all! If not now, When?”

by | Mar 23, 2020 | News

The Basic Income Network (BIN) Italia has published a petition pleading for the Italian governement and Parliament to immediately install an emergency basic income. There, it can be read:

To the Italian government and Parliament

EXPANDING THE CITIZEN’S INCOME SCHEME! IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Right at a time when it is recognised that individuals must act as active and responsible members of their communities, it is necessary to prove we all truly adhere to the idea of a society that fulfils its members’ real needs. In short, it is time to guarantee the right to existence for all human beings.

Now that we are all facing sudden and unexpected changes, appropriate political and social structures are needed in order to both respond to the current (corona virus) emergency and introduce an universal social protection measure. It is time to simplify the social protection schemes so as to include the whole population, thus guaranteeing each individual access to these protections regardless of whether they are employed or not.

In 2019, Italy introduced a citizen’s income scheme which, if properly reformed in terms of universal access and less binding criteria, can be an important tool to support people and ensure them the right to access the resources they need to survive.

Therefore, we believe it is urgently necessary to:

  • Expand access to the Citizen’s Income Scheme for all those who are excluded from social safety nets;
  • Simplify procedures and access criteria, and make immediate benefit payments to new applicants;
  • Deliver the benefit payment on an individual basis;
  • Remove the existing constraints in terms of active labour market policies or other binding criteria, which now more than ever prove to be expensive and ineffective;
  • Use all forms of financing, including European funds, to support a broader number of citizens’ income beneficiaries;
  • Provide that changes made in terms of universal access do not end after the “quarantine” or “emergency” period, but rather become structural, thus eventually forming the basis for a new highly inclusive social welfare system.

Social Welfare is not a cost, but an investment!

The petition has been undersigned and supported by dozens of organizations operating in the Italian territory.

The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress has been cancelled because of Covid-19

by | Mar 12, 2020 | News

The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress has been cancelled because of the Covid-19 virus. The organizers have released the following announcement:

With great dismay, we must announce that the NABIG 2020 Congress in Hamilton, Ontario in May will no longer be possible, due to public health concerns related to COVID-19.

Within the last few days, developments in the United States, Canada, the greater Toronto and Hamilton region, and announcements from the World Health Organization have made this decision the only responsible course of action.

I want to sincerely thank all those people in several countries who have contributed to the Congress, from organizers and speakers, to everyone who submitted workshop proposals, local organizations and interested individuals everywhere who were hoping to attend. It is extremely disappointing to make this decision as we have put so much work into NABIG 2020 but it would be far worse to continue when there is no possibility of holding the kind of successful event we wanted this to be and when we could be putting people at risk by doing so.

We at BICN and USBIG are considering this a postponement but are not yet able to tell you what will happen in the future because we cannot know the extent of the health and economic impact COVID-19 will have and for how long. Please be assured, however, that we and our partners are already thinking about other dates, alternative kinds of events or formats and the potential for other initiatives to keep the basic income movement strong.

Please take good care and be well,

Sheila Regehr, on behalf of the NABIG 2020 Planning Committee

To get in touch with BICN please contact our General Manager, Ben Earle by email at info@basicincomecanada.org.

https://www.basicincomecanada.org/

Canada: The Ontario Basic Income (cancelled) experiment, revealed

Canada: The Ontario Basic Income (cancelled) experiment, revealed

by | Mar 12, 2020 | News

The findings of the McMaster University Basic Income Project (MUBIP) were released on the 4th of March 2020. The study looked into the impact of the Ontario Basic Income on over 200 recipients in one of the pilot sites, namely Hamilton-Brantford, where 1000 recipients were initially enrolled into the program. Even though the previously hired research team’s contract to evaluate the program was cancelled (by the present government), a new analysis was made possible through funding from the Hamilton Community Foundation, McMaster University and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
The findings were publicized at a lauch event on the referred day, organized by the McMaster Institute for Health Equity taking place at the L.R. Wilson Concert Hall, and having Hugh Segal as a guest. From the new study conclusions, it can be read:
  • Everyone who received basic income reported benefitting in some way.
  • Many recipients reported improvements in their physical and mental health, labour market participation, food security, housing stability, financial status and social relationships.
  • Basic income also had a noticeable impact on the use of health services, with many of the survey respondents indicating less frequent visits to health practitioners and hospital emergency rooms.
  • For a significant number of participants, basic income purportedly proved to be transformational, fundamentally reshaping their living standards as well as their sense of self-worth and hope for a better future.
  • The majority of those employed before the pilot reported working while they were receiving basic income. Many reported moving to higher paying and more secure jobs.
  • Those working before the pilot reported even greater improvements on some measures of well-being than those who were not working before.

More information at:

Laurie Monsebraaten, “Did basic income drive people to quit work? Not according to a Mac study of recipients“, The Hamilton Spectator, March 4th 2020

Income Movement Endorses Three UBI-Supporting Candidates in Primary Elections on Super Tuesday

Income Movement Endorses Three UBI-Supporting Candidates in Primary Elections on Super Tuesday

by | Mar 3, 2020 | Opinion, The Indepentarian

Blogger’s note: this post is by a guest contributor, Stacey Rutland. The opinions expressed are hers alone. They are not necessarily shared by me or by the Basic Income Earth Network. -Karl Widerquist

Super Tuesday is extra super this year!

Three incredible congressional candidates are running on UBI and taking on the establishment in California (LA, SF, and Southeast CA). Income Movement is proud to endorse David Kim, James Ellars, and Agatha Bacelar.

Follow them, donate to them, vote for them. Or reach out to your friends and family who are in these districts and make sure they know there is a candidate on their ballot worth supporting. First and second place move onto the general in California which means all three of these candidates are super competitive.

Real change happens at the ballot box. It starts now. #incomemovement #ubi #basicincome

UBI Candidate Highlight: Super Tuesday

There are three UBI candidates running for Congress with primaries tomorrow! 24 hours is more than enough time to make a difference. Tweet, share, and bother your friends in California to vote for these basic income advocates. We’ll be highlighting more candidates across the country soon.

Agatha Bacelar: Congress, CA-12 (San Francisco)
Primary Election: March 3, 2020
Running against Nancy Pelosi is a 28-year-old Brazilian immigrant and San Franciscan. She’s running for Congress because we must act on climate, must reduce systemic inequalities, and must make our representatives reflective of and responsive to the people. San Francisco has a powerful legacy. Agatha believes it’s time to reclaim its roots and elect a Congresswoman who will represent the 100%.

Follow Agatha on Twitter | Donate to Agatha

James Ellars: Congress, CA-08 (Southeast CA)
Primary Election: March 3, 2020

James is the fourth of six children, and grew up in a working class family in southern California. James supports policies like Democracy Dollars and the Freedom Dividend paired with a VAT. Income Movement is proud to support James Ellars for Congress.

Follow James on Twitter | Donate to James

David Kim: Congress, CA-34 (Los Angeles)
Primary Election: March 3, 2020
David is an attorney, author, and community activist running against an establishment Democrat. David’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Korea. David is running to pass basic income and medicare for all, relieve student debt, and eradicate poverty for all. Income Movement is proud to support David Kim for Congress.

Follow David on Twitter | Donate to David

This is only the beginning. And we can only do something great with your help. Join us!

Guest Contributor:
Stacey Rutland

Blogger’s note: this post is by a guest contributor, Stacey Rutland. The opinions expressed are hers alone. They are not necessarily shared by me or by the Basic Income Earth Network. -Karl Widerquist

Stacey Rutland

Stacey Rutland
Stacey Rutland is one of the cofounders of Income Movement, an organization looking to build create a sustained national movement for basic income.