by BIEN Ireland | Sep 5, 2013 | Research
This article Irish Examiner argues in favour of basic income. Summary: Paid work is a scarce resource. Basic income is one way to support people to share the paid work available and still have a decent income. It’s also a way to show we value all the unpaid work that people do in communities and households. Victoria White comes at this subject from an unusual angle and advocates basic income as part of the response.
Victoria White, “We need to stop tax system incentivising dual-income families,” Irish Examiner, Thursday, August 22, 2013
by BIEN Ireland | Sep 19, 2012 | Research
This new book by Danny Dorling (University of Sheffield) includes a 8 pages discussion of basic income in the British context. Dorling seems to be very supportive of the idea, including at EU-level: “Imagine how much money would be saved”, he writes, “if a basic income one day replaced all the numerous different benefit and taxation systems existing accross the whole of the European Union. How else could Europe ever have a unified system of social security to go with its free movement of labor?” (p.160).
Full references: DORLING, Danny (2012), The no-nonsense guide to equality, Oxford: New Internationalist.
For further information on the book, see:
https://www.dannydorling.org/books/equality/Homepage.html
by BIEN Ireland | Jun 27, 2012 | News
Social Justice Ireland’s annual Public Policy Conference will be held in Croke Park Conference Centre on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 from 9.30am to 4.45pm and will address the issue of the future of the European Social Model. One of the main papers at this conference will be presented by one of the world’s best known advocates of Basic Income, Philippe Van Parijs. Philippe is a Belgian philosopher and political economist who has written extensively over the past quarter century on the need for a Basic Income system. At this conference he will address the topic: Basic Income in a Globalised Economy and will pay special attention to the Eurozone.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of the Beveridge Report on which much of the European Social model was developed following World War II. The value and viability of this model has been questioned in recent years. Its viability has been under much scrutiny in the context of the current economic and social crisis. Many questions have been raised concerning how it can be financed with the current focus on fiscal tightening.
A range of speakers from Ireland and abroad, including Philippe, will address these questions at this conference and identify viable responses. The day will also include a ’round-table’ of leading politicians representing Government and Opposition who will set out their positions on these issues. There will be ample time for those attending to engage with the speakers.
Economic Challenges: Dr Ide Kearney, ESRI
Social Challenges: Professor Tony Fahey, UCD
Addressing Challenges on Income: Professor Philippe van Parijs, University of Louvain
Addressing Challenges on Services: Anna Coote, New Economics Foundation
Pathways for Ireland: Seán Healy, Brigid Reynolds, Michelle Murphy, Social Justice Ireland
Roundtable Discussion: The final part of the conference will be a roundtable discussion involving Government and Opposition T.D.’s.
Date: Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
Venue: Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin 1, Ireland
Conference: 9.30am – 4.45pm (Registration from 9.15am)
Conference Fee*: Members of Social Justice Ireland– €50; Non-members – €75
(Conference fee includes lunch, teas/coffees and a copy of the book containing the conference papers which will be published on day of conference.)
*Discounted rates available for students, those who are unemployed and OAPs – please contact us by email secretary@socialjustice.ie or by phone 01-2130724 for details.
Advance booking is essential. To book online please go to https://socialjustice.ie/content/social-policy-conference-2012-address-european-social-model
To book via post please complete and return the application form with fee to: Social Justice Ireland, Arena House, Arena Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18.
by BIEN Ireland | Jun 10, 2012 | Research
In this essay, Richard Swift – a former co-editor of The New Internationalist – answers the question, “In some Western countries, right-wing populism has been able to channel much of the anger caused by the financial crisis and its effect. Why has the Left been marginalized? How can this be overcome?”
“It might help”, Swift writes, “to offer some simple programmatic ideas that have some chance of gaining popular traction. What is particularly needed is a way to address people’s sense of insecurity in a meaningful way. One of these, simple and easy to understand, is the notion of a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) to provide for the basic needs of every person in the world”. Swift mentions several arguments in favour of basic income, and refers to basic income supporters Andrew Glyn and André Gorz.
The essay won the Daniel Singer Millennium Prize Foundation, which annually recognizes an original essay that helps further socialist ideas in the tradition of Daniel Singer.
Full references: SWIFT, Richard (2012), ‘Preparing the ground: Left strategy beyond the apocalypse’, New Internationalist, June 2012, pp.29-35. See: https://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/386/1287
Daniel Singer Millennium Prize Foundation: https://www.danielsinger.org/
