by Peter Knight | Oct 5, 2022 | Events, News
Leading thinkers, politicians and policymakers come together to debate and explore basic income pilots, macro-economic models, the prospects for basic income in developing economies, and political economy of social and economic change.
Join Bristol Ideas for ‘Back to Basics: Income for Everyone?’ – the third conference from the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and Bristol Ideas, supported by the Basic Income Forum.
In recent years, interest in basic income has grown around the world. Basic income is an unconditional income paid to every individual. It is a payment that is not means-tested or made conditional on work-status. Advocates of basic income argue that it represents a fair, simple and efficient way of supporting individuals, in contrast to the complexity and intrusiveness of existing welfare states. Many also argue that automation and the rise of precarious work makes a basic income necessary to replace or supplement wage labour.
The Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis has thrown these issues into sharp relief, as governments around the world have scrambled to close gaps in social safety nets and prevent people falling into poverty. At the same time, treasuries and central banks have mobilized the full range of fiscal and monetary policies to prevent today’s crises tipping economies into deep recessions. State intervention in the economy has expanded, while ideological support for austerity has sharply receded. Arguments about whether a basic income is affordable are being made in a dramatically changed intellectual and political context.
Read more here.
by Peter Knight | Oct 4, 2022 | Events, News
Basic income has become the subject of a lively and controversial debate in politics, civil society and academia. By questioning the fundamental assumptions of our social interaction, it challenges us to redefine the way we want to live together. At Basic Income and Development, this year’s FRIBIS’ annual conference, we will be taking a closer look at the relationship between basic income and development ideas and the potential they hold for the challenges of both the present and the future.
For decades globalization and neoliberal economic policies have driven social and ecological crises worldwide. The ongoing climate change has not only lead to environmental disasters, but is also causing social crises. The increasing social and economic inequality is resulting in social polarization and increasing support for populist parties. And, as more and more public goods and services have been privatized in favour of economic growth, the risks in the wake of the various global crises have become collective problems. At the same time standards for the management of natural resources and the natural living environment are lacking, as are norms and values for labour markets, health policy and crisis prevention. We also lack sustainable means and mechanisms to establish social, ecological and economic justice.
Given these challenges, we want to explore the extent to which basic income can help to overcome crises and create new perspectives. Could a basic income help us to use environmental resources more sustainably, preserve biodiverse habitats and make social communities more resilient? Would it help people in (post-)conflict regions to build or secure social peace? Or would it rather have the opposite effect, as some critics suggest? What are the potentials and risks of a basic income for development practices in the Global South, and how does this/do they relate to concepts of redistribution and justice? These and other questions will be addressed at this year’s FRIBIS annual conference.
Visit the conference website here.
by Peter Knight | Sep 24, 2022 | News
The Stanford Basic Income Lab, National League of Cities and Guaranteed Income Community of Practice have just released Basic Income and Local Government; A Guide to Municipal Pilots.
This guide consolidates learning and spotlights principles, insights, and emerging practices to guide municipal leaders and public-private partnerships interested in designing basic income programs that are ethical, equitable, rigorous, informative, and consequential for local, state and national policymaking.
by Peter Knight | Sep 21, 2022 | News
At a press conference on September 14th, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle publicly announced the landmark Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot. This is the largest publicly funded guaranteed income program in the US. The County will provide $500 monthly unrestricted cash payments to 3,250 households for two years, beginning in December 2022. The application window will be open October 6th – October 21st and recipients will be selected by lottery.
More than one-third of all Cook County households are eligible to apply. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, a resident of Cook County, and meet income eligibility requirements. Households that are already receiving a guaranteed income from another pilot (such as Chicago’s Resilient Communities Pilot or Evanston’s Guaranteed Income Program) are not eligible to apply.
Read the details here
by Peter Knight | Sep 21, 2022 | News
For one year, Denver will provide 140 people experiencing homelessness $12,000 with no strings attached as part of a program testing universal basic income. Read the details here,
