by Claire Bott | Aug 8, 2017 | News
(left, front) Tamara Nair. Credit to: Rajaratnam School of International Studies
A form of basic income could be used to empower women in Southeast Asia, according to a recent article by Dr Tamara Nair. Writing for The Conversation, a news and feature-based website with approximately 5 million monthly users, Dr Nair explores the possibility of a basic income project that could be targeted exclusively towards women.
Dr Nair is a Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), which is part of the globally respected Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The NTU has been described as one of the world’s top universities by a number of major ranking systems, and has a focus upon original research.
In this article, Nair sets out a modified form of basic income that she believes could be used to lift women in Southeast Asia out of poverty, as well as reducing malnutrition in the area.
Dr Tamara Nair, “Universal basic income could work in Southeast Asia – but only if it goes to women”, The Conversation, 11 July 2017
by Claire Bott | Aug 1, 2017 | News
A new research report from the Northern Policy Institute (NPI), a Canadian think-tank based in Ontario, has put forward an argument that Canada would benefit from a basic income guarantee.
The report is authored by Professor Evelyn Forget of the University of Manitoba, who also holds the post of Director at the Manitoba Research Data Centre. She details a potential system for implementing basic income, as well as examining ways in which it could improve current social provisions, and looking at some potential pitfalls and issues around putting a basic income programme into place.
Forget begins by giving an overview of an experiment which took place in Canada in the 70s, called the Mincome project, which she has researched extensively. This experiment involved providing a guaranteed income for three years to all inhabitants of a small Manitoban town called Dauphin. Results included a significant decrease in both hospitalizations and mental health complaints.
Forget goes on to argue that a guaranteed basic income (called a Basic Income Guarantee, or B.I.G., in the report) is eminently affordable for Canada, once it is taken into account that existing income support programmes could be scaled back or done away with altogether. The system which she describes is one of a means-tested B.I.G., reduced significantly for those in regular, reasonably-paid work, and provided only to those between 18 and 65 (this differs from BIEN’s own definition of basic income).
While she acknowledges a number of issues in implementing this (for example, would houses or cars be taken into account as assets when considering who should receive the B.I.G. payments?), Forget also draws her readers’ attention to potential benefits; for example, children from low income families may do better in school due to reduced family stress, and therefore have less need for special, governmentally funded support. She further states that such secondary benefits, while desirable, should not be considered the primary test of whether a B.I.G. has been effective. Forget argues that “It is sufficient to show that the depth and breadth of poverty are reduced, because that is the fundamental purpose of a B.I.G.”
The report concludes: “Now is the time to address, head-on, the challenges and trade-offs that are necessary to create a universal B.I.G. that can meet the needs of Canadians in the 21st century. The challenges are real, but so too are the costs of doing nothing.”
This is one of a series of research reports which have been put out by the NPI on basic income in recent months, in the context of a three-year B.I.G. pilot project which is already being actioned in a number of areas in Ontario. The pilot project is based on a paper put together by Hugh Segal, a former Canadian Chief of Staff, and currently Master of Massey College, Toronto. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said of the pilot project, “For months, we have been doing the background work to explore the idea of a basic income.”
Evelyn Forget, “Do We Still Need a Basic Income Guarantee in Canada?”, Northern Policy Institute, May 2017
by Claire Bott | Jul 20, 2017 | News
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a major international economic body, has issued a policy brief paper questioning the value of basic income. In a blog post for Kela, the Finnish government agency in charge of benefits and the nation’s basic income experiment, Johanna Perkio considers whether the OECD’s analysis of the issue is comprehensive.
Perkio is a doctoral student of social policy at the University of Tampere, which is regarded as having very high research standards and is described on the Top Universities website as “a culturally-committed higher education institution with the social mission of educating visionaries who understand the world and change it”. She has authored a number of articles on basic income.
In this blog post, Perkio takes an in-depth look at the recent policy brief paper from the OECD, and argues that it has failed to take into account the need for taxation reform.
More information at:
Johanna Perkio, “The OECD and the problems of basic income”, Kela, 30th June 2017
by Claire Bott | Jul 14, 2017 | News
Basic income is an issue which raises strong feelings on both sides of the debate; but can we really rely on untested assumptions? This is the question addressed by Michael Faye in an article published on LinkedIn.
Faye is the CEO and co-founder of Segovia, a technology company which works to make charitable payments safer and more effective. He is also chief executive and co-founder of the charity GiveDirectly, which is presenting conducting research into the effects of basic income in developing nations.
In this article, Faye argues that we must wait for genuine scientific evidence before making any sweeping statements about the pros or cons of basic income, and gives a brief overview of a 12-year study on basic income which is shortly to be launched by GiveDirectly.
Michael Faye, et al, “Basic income could transform society. But first, it needs to be tested,” LinkedIn, 27 May 2017.
Photo via Good Free Photos
