Dr. Sarath Davala, Lee Seng Kiat, Prof. Geoffrey and John Michael, Asia-Pacific Hub Manager for BIEN, have joined a Radio show to discuss ‘Can Malaysia implement a UBI’ in the show called Beyond the Ballot Box by Journalist Dashran Yohan.
To listen to the podcast, click here.
To view an infographic on “Basic Income Malaysia: What for”, click here.
“Building on previous experience in Uganda, the Belgian organisation Eight World vzw started in October 2021, an Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) pilot project in a village in an artisanal mining zone in the territory of Pangi, in Maniema province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Eight World transfers cash directly to individual beneficiaries via a mobile money system. Each adult living in the UCT village received 20 USD per month via her/his phone, for two years, and each child in the village received monthly 10 USD during the same period. The beneficiaries were free to decide how to spend the money, not constrained by pre-specified requirements.”
To read the report, click here.
In the first first episode of Responsa Cast, the host, Paulo Sodré, is joined by Jurgen De Wispelaere, a Belgian political theorist turned public policy scholar, specializing in the political economy of UBI. He’s a Visiting Fellow at the University of Bath (UK) and the Research Coordinator of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN). Jurgen is deeply involved in UBI research, including initiatives in Brazil, and has published extensively on the subject. He also leads the UBIdata project. But most importantly, he brings a unique blend of insight and humor to the conversation, making complex topics not just understandable but truly fascinating – as you will soon find out!
In this episode, we dive into:
• What UBI really means and the debates around its impacts,
• Jurgen’s journey into the world of UBI and how his views have evolved over time,
• Real-world UBI initiatives, like the case of Maricá, in Brazil.
Listen to the podcast at Spotify & Apple Podcasts
The FRIBIS Annual Conference 2024 will take place from October 7 to 9. It will
explore partial basic income models and their integration into existing welfare state
systems. The goal is to identify practical approaches to advance the political
feasibility of an unconditional basic income. The conference will focus on topics such
as social security, sustainability and international perspectives. It will also consider
whether partial models can lead to a comprehensive basic income as well as the
insights that can be drawn from previous pilot projects.
Registration is now open. The event will be held both face-to-face in Freiburg and
online in a hybrid format. The preliminary program is available on the conference
website .
Detailed information about the keynotes by Prof. Alexander Spermann, Prof.
Bernhard Neumärker, Prof. Fabio Waltenberg and Prof. Jörg Althammer is provided
below.
More information can be found here.
Project DEEP, incorporated in 2023, is an organization in India implementing unconditional and direct cash transfers for poverty relief. DEEP’s mission is to transfer money directly to people, so that they can carve their own path towards prosperity.
Compelling global evidence demonstrates that this is an effective and scalable model of development. And the recent government movement towards cash transfer programs in India suggest that it is growing to be a preferred tool of social and economic policy.
DEEP aims to build a centre of excellence to spur innovation and build a strong narrative in the space of cash transfers. For this DEEP is building local evidence through program implementation, forming a community of practice to experiment new ideas with peers, and engaging with policy influencers to further strengthen welfare systems.
To read DEEP’s Annual Assessment of its work, click here.
The 24th BIEN CONGRESS in Maricá & Niterói – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 27-29 August 2025
Linkedin, Instagram, X – biencongress25 (at) gmail [dot] com
BIEN2024 was August 29–31 (Pictures and more coming soon)