by Karl Widerquist | Apr 16, 2016 | News
Could a guaranteed-income program eliminate the hardship low income families face, or would inflation render the poor people just as poor as before? (photo: Joe Wolf via Freakanomics)
The internet radio series, Freakonomics Radio, which uses economic theory to examine everyday life, released an episode on April 13 focusing basic income. The episode is called, “Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?”
According to Feakanomic, the gist of the story is, “a lot of full-time jobs in the modern economy simply don’t pay a living wage. And even those jobs may be obliterated by new technologies. What’s to be done so that financially vulnerable people aren’t just crushed? It may finally be time for an idea that economists have promoted for decades: a guaranteed basic income.” The audio is 36 minutes. The website includes a transcript of the episode.
Stephen J. Dubner, “Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?” Feakanomics Radio, April 13, 2016
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 16, 2016 | News
The Fifteenth North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress is rapidly approaching. It will take place in Winnipeg, Canada at the University of Manitoba on May 12 – 15. Early bird registration rates are available only until April 20. The detailed program is now available on the Basic Income Canada Network’s website.
From the Basic Income Canada Network
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 15, 2016 | News, The Indepentarian
GiveDirectly, a charity which has used direct cash distribution in one-time, lump-sum payments to fight poverty in Africa, announced it will launch a full basic income trial. The project will involved at least 30 million dollars and academic support from leading researchers at the MIT. The charity is relying on donations from all around the world. The trail will fully adopt the basic income model by making regular cash payments to every resident in several villages in Kenya.
GiveDirectly’s appeal for support it below:
Dear friends,
We’re announcing something new. Something that’s never been done before.
GiveDirectly is launching a universal basic income trial — this year, we’ll begin paying everyone in multiple Kenyan villages a regular income that’s enough to meet their most basic needs, and keep doing so for more than ten years.
People have long debated whether we should provide a guaranteed minimum floor for everyone (a “basic income”), and what would happen if we did. Would it spur risk-taking and creativity, or would people just stop working? Would it drive growth or reduce it? Would people spend more time on entrepreneurship, or on education and parenting? With the idea being hotly debated around the world, it’s time we found out.
We’re teaming up with leading researcher Abhijit Banerjee from MIT and have calculated that we can run and study a real trial for $30 million, and we’re willing to match the first $10 million donated.
To make this happen, join us and contribute a small amount to help the world find out if a guaranteed basic income could be the tool that ends poverty.
Together, in the last five years, we’ve raised $100 million, helped shift a worldwide policy discussion, and served over 150,000 individuals based on the proven principle that giving poor people cash works. Now it’s time for us to take the next step. It’s because of you that we’ve made it this far, so we hope you’ll join us for this newest project.
Visit our website to learn more or to contribute to the project.
If you do decide to give to this trial, at a minimum your money will help shift the life trajectories of thousands of low-income households. At best, it will change how the world thinks about ending poverty.
All the best,
Ian Bassin
Chief Operating Officer – Domestic
You can read more about GiveDirectly’s new basic income project at the following links:
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 9, 2016 | News
Former Brazilian Senator and long-time campaigner for basic income, Eduardo Suplicy received an honorary degrees from the Catholic University of Louvain earlier this year. The degree came for work as an “utopiste pour le temps présent” (utopian for the present). Also receiving degrees were Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales and architect Paola Vigano.
Suplicy’s acceptance speech is on line, including his famous rendition of “Blowin’ in the wind” by Bob Dylan. According to Philippe Van Parijs, who attended the event, “The rector’s speech made it sound as it the whole university was endorsing basic income, and basic income was the first item in the evening news, with Yannick Vanderborght and Suplicy briefly speaking in favour, and the bosses of the trade unions and the employers against.”
Video from this event is online at: https://www.uclouvain.be/633608.html (select the second of the four components in the top left corner).
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 8, 2016 | News
The automation argument for basic income has reached the New York Times as an article by Farhad Manjoo argues that automation will replace millions of jobs and the best solution might be basic income. This is one of many recent articles around the world making the connection between technological displacement of workers and basic income.
Toby Deller has a slightly different take on automation in an article in Rhinegold Publishing, which has published content aimed at people in the music and performing arts industries since 1976. This article worries that the current state of automation has led increasingly to an insecure gig economy even if it has not decreased the number of available jobs.
Deller writes, “For musicians the benefits are clear. Peripatetic teachers, freelance players, composers, conductors are all among those with quiet periods of the year to negotiate (one of the worst coming at exactly the time that self-assessment tax payments are due). A guaranteed few quid would be a welcome security net. But the UBI would do more than address that. … The truth is that for musicians, for any artist, having to work is not the chief obstacle: it’s not being able to work. The universal basic income promises to lower that obstacle in the most socially responsible way – just one reason why the classical music industry should be joining the debate, lobbying for its introduction.”
Articles mentioned:
Toby Deller, “The arts world should look outside itself and campaign for universal basic income
Farhad Manjoo, “A Plan in Case Robots Take the Jobs: Give Everyone a Paycheck.” New York Times, March 2, 2016
Stuart Goldenberg via the New York Times
