by Yannick Vanderborght | Apr 1, 2013 | News
[Robin Ketelaars – Vereniging Basisinkomen (the Netherlands) – April 2013]
At the start of this year the European Union (EU) registered the European Citizens’ Initiative for an Unconditional Basic Income. Fifteen EU member states are participating in this initiative. Before January 14th 2014 one million statements of support have to be collected for the initiative to pass. When the organizers of the citizens’ initiative reach this number, the European Commission will have to examine the initiative and arrange a public hearing for the Unconditional Basic Income by the European Parliament.
The initiative can be found at https://basicincome2013.eu and can only be signed by citizens of the European Union.
A YouTube Video explaining the initiative is online at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqXXO0GGNRI
by Yannick Vanderborght | Mar 11, 2013 | News
Following an interdisciplinary perspective (law, history, philosophy and sociology), this international symposium aims to clarify the relationships between activation policies, right to work and freedom of work. One prospective session will discuss two alternatives to the current “activation model”: the basic income guarantee and the employment guarantee (with Yannick Vanderborght from Louvain University, and Phil Harvey from Rutgers University respectively).
Further details and registration at: https://www.uclouvain.be/431261
by Yannick Vanderborght | Mar 11, 2013 | Opinion
On 21 and 22 February, 2013 in the building of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, a conference took place entitled Poverty and Inequality in Human Society. Proposals for an inclusive society. [1]
The Conference was opened by Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe. In his talk, he seemed somewhat in favor of a basic income, although his posture indicated that he did not wholeheartedly come forward for the idea.
However, the Head of the Unit “Social Cohesion, Research and Early Warning Division” [2] Ms. Gilda Farrell was more positive. She and her team prepared this conference. In her team were two members of BIEN (Basic Income Earth Network), Yannick Vanderborght and Louise Haagh. The team took 3 years of thorough preparation in advance of the conference. Farrell appeared later, when we interviewed her on Saturday with the film crew of the ECI-UBI, to be a strong supporter of the Unconditional Basic Income. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jnDUILaGPY) However, on the question of whether she wanted to be an ambassador for the UBI, she said she rather would not do this, because of the political implications that would bring. This is often the case with political leaders we have noticed.
We of the Association Basic Income [3] (Ad Planken, Leon Segers, Robin Ketelaars, and Christine Lambrecht from Belgium[4]) were highly surprised by the high “basic income level” of the conference. This was peppered with the term basic income. From the most unexpected corners of concern speakers referred to it. It looks like the “Early Warnings Division” discovered Basic Income at the right time. Europe is ready for a basic income, at least the Council of Europe is.
It is too much to report here what has been said, but the highlight was definitely Guy Standing as a spokesman for the precariat and a fan of Basic Income. Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN [5] emphasized that the struggle for minimum income and the fight for basic income can reinforce each other to fight poverty and exclusion. Anna Coote of the New Economics Foundation gave some tips for a new economy, including a workweek of 21 hours maximum.
The conference was organized by the Social Cohesion Research and Early Warning Division [2]
SUMARY OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE:
- Analyze the current situation and poor problems / obstacles in the fight against poverty and inequality (limits of legal and democratic mechanisms to ensure that it takes into account the voices of people living in poverty, changes in redistributive policies, etc.);
- Formulate concrete proposals to make progress in the fight against poverty, taking into account the need for the voice of any person, to better utilize and share resources to avoid waste and ensure a more equal access to them, in a perspective of well-being for all;
- Exchange and share experiences, knowledge and practices to innovative measures to combat poverty and inequality, based on the concepts of common property, shared responsibility and avoiding the waste of resources to implement.
The conference was recorded on video and can be viewed via https://www.youtube.com/user/SocCohesionCoE
[1] “Poverty and Inequality in Societies of Human Rights: the paradox of democracies – Proposals for an Inclusive Society” https://rights-poverty.eu/conference/
More about social inclusion: https://books.google.nl/books/about/The_Inclusive_Society.html?id=TaRzQgAACAAJ
[2] https://www.coe.int/t/dg3/socialpolicies/socialcohesiondev/default_en.asp
[3] Vereniging Basisinkomen https://basisinkomen.nl
[4] Netwerk Basisinkomen Belgie https://basicincome.be
[5] https://www.eapn.eu/en/news-and-publications/news/eapn-news/participation-the-key-mechanism-for-social-inclusion-by-fintan-farrell-and-douhoumir-minev
by Yannick Vanderborght | Mar 3, 2013 | News
[BIEN – March 2013]
Goodman, David, “Push is on for CHF2,500 ‘basic income’ (audio interview)” World Radio Switzerland, Monday, 21 January, 2013
A federal initiative was launched in Switzerland last April asking for an unconditional basic income guaranteed of 2,500 Francs a month for every resident, regardless of their nationality. Campaigners already have half the signatures for a ballot with 10 months of campaigning still left. And last week, a another citizen’s initiative was launched in the European Union, asking the European Commission to consider the a similar idea. Dave Goodman, of World Radio Switzerland, talks to Gabriel Barta, a member of the committee behind the Swiss Basic Income initiative.
The interview can be found at this link:
https://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/switzerland/push-is-on-for-chf2500-basic-income.shtml?34207
by Yannick Vanderborght | Mar 2, 2013 | Research
This article argues that the United Kingdom’s proposed “Universal Credit” fails largely because it fails to be universal enough. If it was structured more like the UK’s child benefit system, it could be more effective and more of a step toward a Citizen’s (or Basic) Income.
Citizen’s Income Trust, “Editorial,” Citizen’s Income Newsletter, Issue 1 2013.
https://www.citizensincome.org/resources/Newsletter20131.htm
