by Karl Widerquist | May 29, 2016 | News
The World’s largest Poster, which was first unveiled on May 14th in Geneva, Switzerland by Generation Grundeinkommen [Generation Basic Income], is now on tour. Today, on May 29th, it has come to Berlin: The Brandenburg Gate, Straße des 17. Juni, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
The biggest poster in the world reads with what Generation Basic Income calls, “the Biggest Question in the World:”
The World’s Largest poster -Guinness World Records
“What would you do if your income were taken care of?”
This question was certified as a Guinness World Record on May 29th. It was displayed as part of the campaign for the Basic Income referrendum in Switzerland, which on June 5th will become the first country ever to hold a popular referendum on the implementation of an unconditional basic income. Here is the live stream.
A newsfeed with film images of the events (helicopter shots made in Geneva and Berlin), along with statements by the initiators, are available today from 4:30 PM on request (Wetransfer; alternatively via SNG. Contact information for direct orders: toni@leguan.ch, tel.: 0041 79 448 91 00).
Media representatives will have the opportunity to observe the action today on-sight in Berlin from a lifting platform. For more information see teh following links:
Crowdfunding: startnext.com/groesstefrage
Campaign for Basic Income: basicincome2016.org
Basic income photos: Flickr
The book about the popular referendum: Voting for Freedom
by Karl Widerquist | May 22, 2016 | Research
This article, originally published in 2007, has been re-released on the author’s website because of the increasing likelihood that basic income implementation trials are on their way.
Abstract: A basic income (BI) experiment (or a pilot project or an implementation trial) is worth doing if it focuses on the right question. Some of the problems with the U.S. negative income tax (NIT) experiments of the 1970s stemmed from a focus on the wrong question—focusing on the side effects rather the effects of the policy in question. A European BI experiment should focus on the question of policy effectiveness. The question of policy effectiveness should be formulated follows: What policy (basic income, the current system, or any other alternatives to be tested) produces the greatest increase in welfare for the poor (or the greatest decrease in poverty) per Euro of cost (both in terms of tax cost and efficiency loss)? Effectiveness is not the only important concern, but it is perhaps the most important question that an implementation trail can enlighten.
by Karl Widerquist | May 21, 2016 | News
Medium, the popular blog site, has published an increasing amount of articles on basic income in the last few years. It’s hard to search the site by date and to capture all articles that might focus on basic income by one of its many synonyms, but at least seven articles on Basic Income have appeared on it in May 2016:
Martin Farley, “Don’t Get Angry. Don’t Get Even. Get Paid!” Medium, May 17, 2016. Farley argues, “A basic income paid to all citizens and funded by a land value tax would create the foundations for a fair and prosperous society and avoid ugly social and political tensions.”
Matt Orfalea, “Something for Nothing (6 Examples)” Medium, May 6, 2016. The six examples are food, land, money, your mom, all the work of the past, and the universe.
Rutger Bregman, “Why We Should Give Free Money to Everyone,” Medium, May 19, 2016
Nicole Sallak, “Universal Basic Income — The Foundation of a Technically Advanced Society, PART TWO,” Medium May 19, 2016
Nicole Sallak, “Universal Basic Income — The Foundation of a Technically Advanced Society [Part One],” Medium May 13, 2016
Anna Oman, “What I Want for All Moms on Mother’s Day: A Universal Basic Income,” Medium, May 8, 2016
Scott Santens, “Last Month in Basic Income… A Summary of April 2016,” Medium, May 6
Medium
by Karl Widerquist | May 19, 2016 | News
Only days ahead of the Swiss referendum on basic income we take on the very same topic. A guaranteed basic income for every citizen: The idea sounds alluring, especially if it would replace the hotchpotch social security systems around Europe. Basic income is currently reliving somewhat of a renaissance in Europe, with the Finnish government implementing its first experimental basic income scheme and crowdfunders testing the concept in Berlin.
Would a basic income increase the number of citizens relying on government support, will it spur or lessen creativity and entrepreneurship? Will it make us more or less productive? Can the welfare state take it? It is all in the basic income model you choose and that is why we are gathering an exciting panel to talk about whether we should consider basic income a feature of paradise or of purgatory.
Date and time: 2 June 2016, 12:00-14:00
Venue: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Avenue de Cortenbergh
71, 1000 Brussels
SPEAKERS:
MICHAEL BOHMEYER
Head of Crowdfunding, “Mein Grundeinkommen”
FABIAN DISSELBECK
Researcher, Liberal Institute, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
ROLAND DUCHÂTELET
Businessman und Verfechter des Grundeinkommens
ANTERO KIVINIEMI
Senior Specialist, Finnish Permanent Representation to the EU
MODERATION:
Niklaus Nusplinger
NZZ Correspondent, Brussels
Registration by 1 June 2016: click here.
Registrants will be forwarded to a Google Drive sheet. Should
anyone wish to register with the organizers directly send an email to
register.brussels@fnst.org. Photographs will be taken at the event for
use on the FNF website, social media, in the press, FNF marketing
materials, and other publications. By entering this event, attendees consent
to FNF photographing and using their image and likeness.
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
European and Transatlantic Dialogue
Avenue de Cortenbergh 71
B – 1000 Brussels
T: +32 2 282 09 42
F: +32 2 282 09 31
assist@fnst.org
by Karl Widerquist | May 17, 2016 | News
This op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times proposes “a Data Mining Royalties Fund.” According to the author, ” In short, I’m proposing that companies pay a royalty to a permanent federal fund when they mine and sell personal data. From those proceeds would flow a yearly check, similar to Alaska’s permanent fund… Or, said another way, basic guaranteed income.”
Bryan Dean Wright, “Robots are coming for your job,” Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2016
Robot-staffed store in Tokyo
