by Karl Widerquist | Feb 28, 2014 | Research
SUMMARY: Rob Rainer is the founder and director of The BIG Push campaign of Basic Income Canada Network. Kelly Ernst is the Chair of the Board of Basic Income Canada Network. In this article they argue that what is most needed now in Canada is a basic income guarantee for working-age adults.
Rob Rainer and Kelly Ernst, “How can we not afford a ‘basic annual income’?” the Toronto Star, Feb 27 2014
"Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau votes during the party's biennial convention in Montreal on Feb. 23, 2014. Delegates endorsed the principle of a basic annual income." -Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS via the Toronto Star
by Karl Widerquist | Feb 27, 2014 | News
UBI: Emancipating European Welfare
After one year of campaigning for the European Citizens’ Initiative for Unconditional Basic Income, we are still actively continuing on the path towards finding an intelligent approach to European citizens’ real needs, particularly those generated by poverty. The Initiative won the support of over 300,000 people in less than a year. Since then, a network involving people and organisations from 25 countries has come together to carry on the Initiative’s aims.
At this conference we would like to consolidate this network by reflecting both on what has happened in the past year and on our future aspirations. Our main aim is for unconditional basic income to be implemented throughout the EU. There are also moves underway to get UBI recognised as a human right under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 1: Human Dignity).
We hope that you will be able to attend our conference on 10 April 2014, and actively participate in the discussion of ideas which will be presented there. We would be grateful if we could receive your confirmation by 25 March. Please RSVP by e-mail: conference@ubie.org.
=== AGENDA ===
9:30 – 9:40 am: Welcome from European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
9.40 – 9.50: Welcome from Barb Jacobson, Chair, Unconditional Basic Income Europe (UBIE)
9:50 – 10:05: Jones Sian, European Anti Poverty Network: Situation with income poverty and hidden poverty in Europe
10:05 – 10:15: Questions & Answers
10.15 – 10.30: Ronald Blaschke, Co-Founder and Member of the Board of Netzwerk Grundeinkommen Germany: Unconditional Basic Income – Consistently against (hidden) poverty and for real freedom for everyone
10:30 – 10:40: Q&A
10:40 – 11:00: Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:15: Elena Dalibot: European Alternatives, Project Coordinator: Citizens Manifesto for European Democracy, Solidarity and Equality – Different Needs and Solutions
11:15 – 11:25: Q&A
11:25 – 11:40: Gerald Häfner, MEP, Greens: Development of ECI and EU-Referendum – tools for more democracy in the EU
11:40 – 11:50 Q&A
11:50 – 12:05 David Casassas, Member of BIEN, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: Democracy and Unconditional Basic Income
12:05 – 12:15 Q&A
12:15 – 12:30: Werner Rätz, Attac Germany, Working Group Enough for all and Working Group Beyond the Growth: Degrowth, Health and Unconditional Basic Income
12:30 – 1:00 pm Q&A (ten minutes) and General Discussion
1.00 – 2:00 pm: Lunch Break
2:00 – 2:15 – Philippe Van Parijs, Chair of Advisory Board of BIEN: Euro- Dividend – An example for an partial basic income in Europe
2:15 – 2:25: Q&A
2:25 – 2:40: Guy Standing, Honorary Co-President of BIEN: What can we learn from Namibian and Indian experiments with unconditional cash transfers?
2:40- 2:50: Q&A
2:50 – 3:20: BREAK
3:20 – 5:20: Building the European Movement for an UBI – Panel
• Stanislas Jourdan, French Movement for UBI: How the ECI woke up the European movement
• Valerija Korosec, UBI Slovenia: Running in the EU elections for UBI
• Vahur Luhtsalu, UBI Estonia: Learning-by-doing: How we jumped on the ECI-UBI train (and what are the lessons learned)
• Plamen Dimitrov (Bulgarian Trade Union president – CITUB) (tbc)
• Spanish speaker on the National Popular Initiative (tbc)
• Speaker from Scandinavia (tbc): UBI in the context of advanced welfare countries
• Klaus Sambor, Runder Tisch Grundeinkommen Austria: The movement for UBI as part of wider social movements in Europe
5:20 – 5.30: – Closing address
For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1445383579030636/
by Karl Widerquist | Feb 25, 2014 | News
Social Cohesion in times of recession © Trista Weibell
Yannick Vanderborght (Saint Louis University Brussels, and Basic Income Earth Network) briefly presents the idea of an Unconditional Basic Income at a conference on social cohesion, held at the EU Parliament on February 19, 2014. The audio is dubbed into English. The video includes some PowerPoint slides in French.
The video is also available in French, and in Greek.
Yannick Vanderborght, “Universal basic income and the tensions in social protection,” Basic Income Europe. YouTube. Video From “Social Cohesion in Times of Recession” Conference at the European Parliament, 19 February 2014.
by Karl Widerquist | Feb 24, 2014 | Research
This Blog reacts enthusiastically to remarks by Adrienne Goehler, who called for a basic income grant as a universal right in her concluding keynote for Staging Sustainability 2014.
Arlene Goldbard, “Deceleration & Sustainability,” Arlene’s Blog. February 21, 2014.