by Yannick Vanderborght | May 18, 2011 | News
In October 2010, the Parliament of the European Union has adopted a non-legislative resolution on the role of minimum income in combating poverty and promoting an inclusive society in Europe, partly thanks to the lobbying by several European Basic Income groups and networks, as well as by the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN). The resolution was adopted by 437 votes to 162, with 33 abstentions. The EU Parliament now urges Member States to establish a threshold for minimum income, based on relevant indicators that will guarantee social-economic cohesion, reduce the risk of uneven levels of remuneration for the same activities and lower the risk of having poor populations throughout the EU. Stressing the multifaceted nature of poverty, EU-Parliament considers that minimum income schemes should be embedded in a strategic approach towards social integration, involving both general policies and targeted measures – in terms of housing, health care, education and training, social services – helping people to recover from poverty and themselves to take action towards social inclusion and access to the labor market. Parliament points out that some member States do not have minimum income systems and called on those that do not to provide them. The resolution underlines that introducing minimum income schemes – consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services – is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration. According to Parliament, adequate minimum income schemes must set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least “60% of average income in the Member State concerned” (average, not median income, whereas the EU official poverty line is at 60% of the median).
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/file.jsp?id=5845352
by Yannick Vanderborght | May 18, 2011 | Research
AAPS & REDAIC (2010), Asignación Universal por Hijo para Protección Social Ciclo de Conferencias 2010, Buenos Aires: AAPS-Redaic, October 2010.
This book is a collection of papers and debates presented during the five sessions of the Conference organized during 2010 by the Red Argentina de Ingreso Ciudadano (BIEN’s National Affiliate) and the Asociación Argentina de Políticas Sociales, with the support of UNICEF Argentina. The main issue of the Conference was the evaluation of the Asignación Universal por Hijo para la protección social” [Universal Assignment for children] as a first step towards a Basic Income for all children in the country.
An electronic version can be downloaded in: www.ingresociudadano.org
by Yannick Vanderborght | May 18, 2011 | Research
ESTEVEZ, María Fernanda & GARCÉS, Laura (2010), El derecho a un Ingreso Ciudadano. Debates y experiencias en el mundo y la Argentina, San Juan: Editorial Fundación Universidad Nacional de San Juan, August 2010, 255 pp.
This book offers a review of recent discussions on Basic Income, and gives an overview of the debate in Argentina. The book examines the main rationales of the proposal and analyses different possible strategies in order to implement it. The book pays special attention to the debate about the proposal of a universal and unconditional Basic Income for Children in Argentina. More information: www.ingresociudadano.org
by Yannick Vanderborght | May 18, 2011 | Research
CHOI, Gwang-Eun (2011), Basic Income for Everyone: An Aspiring Project Shaking the Earth of the 21st Century, Seoul: Jong-Cheol Park Publishing Co., January 2011, 256 pages, ISBN: 978-89-85022-56-9 94330.
This book is the first introductory work on a basic income in Korea. Guy Standing, honorary co-president of BIEN and Nam-Hoon Kang, president of BIKN wrote their foreword especially for it.
It contains five chapters. The 1st chapter covers diverse experiences concerning a basic income such as the BI Law in Brazil, the BIG pilot project in Namibia, the PFD in Alaska, and the various ongoing disputes in Germany. The 2nd chapter introduces the theoretical and historical backgrounds of a basic income. The 3rd chapter discusses the Korean situation and is trying to find the way to implement a basic income in Korea. The 4th chapter argues that the new Korean disability pension be converted and integrated into a basic income. The 5th chapter consists of the two interviews with Guy Standing and Ozawa Shuji, president of BIJN, and author’s report on the 13th BIEN congress.
Gwang-Eun Choi is a committee member of BIKN and a former representative of the Socialist Party.
by Yannick Vanderborght | May 18, 2011 | Research
ITO, Makoto (2011), ‘Verifying the Basic Income Concept: Its Potency and Extent’ (‘Basic Income-ron wo kensho-suru: sono kanosei to genkai’), in Sekai [The World], Vol. 814, March 2011, published by Iwanami Shoten.
Due to growing financial deterioration of the government and weakened family ties and company welfarism, “new poverty” (such as an increasing number of “working poor”, single mothers and the elderly with low or no pension, etc., unable to respond to with existing social security schemes) is spreading in Japan. Against this situation, the Basic Income (BI) vision is drawing increasing attention. The interest in it, as for now, stays mainly in the academic circles specializing in social security studies. Though, tomes and answer books on BI have been published one after another. Basic Income Japan Network (BIJN) was launched in April 2010.
The definition of BI by Van Parijs is commonly referred to in Japan, and BI variants including proposals of ones at the supranational level have been brought to the knowledge. The background of the rise of the BI vision in the West consists of the blank wall of social welfare schemes developed during the high economic growth after the World-War 2 and employment policies based on the Keynesianism as well as the disappointment and antipathy to socialism of the Soviet-type. Meanwhile, neo-liberalism aspiring revitalization of individual liberty in free market has swept through the society. Under the circumstance, BI with individual payment, no means test and no work condition aspiring liberation of individuals from bureaucratic control attracts even libertarians. On the other hand, thinkers aiming at revitalization of socialism, feminists, ecologists, and so on support BI combining their own ideal with BI. In Japan, however, being introduced to BI about two decades later from the West, it is conceived as only an alternative to existing social security schemes, and few people discuss it in the aspect of social reformation thinking. Marxists have little contribution to the BI discussions.
As for the feasibility of BI in Japan, Shuji Ozawa first estimated in 2002. He conceived of a BI scheme at the level of 80, 000 JPY per person a month taking the levels of existing money grant schemes into account relying on a new revenue from raised income tax rate at the level of 50 % (maximum rate at that time was 37 %). When it is applied to a standard household with two parents and two children, their net income will decrease by 940 thousand JPY per year. But if the household has one more child, the loss will be almost cancelled. He later redesigned his BI scheme (at the level of 50,000 JPY per person a month) maintaining ongoing tax rate and integrating pension schemes with the BI. In the days ahead, design and discussions of BI schemes are expected. In any case, they may be gradual introduction of partial BI schemes. The newly born administration of the Democratic Party of Japan introduced a child benefit scheme without income test alternating the similar scheme at a far lower level with income test in 2010. The monthly amount per child is 13,000 JPY, a half of the amount the party promised in their manifesto for the lower-house election the party won. In the continuing budgetary distress, however, the administration is now giving up doubling the amount for over four-year-old children and is even bringing back income test. Thus, the partial BI scheme at entry level is still halfway in Japan.
BI can be conveniently used by neo-liberalists to further increase irregular employment, restrain wage and alternate company welfarrism with government expenditures. Therefore, one should not be in an autotelic approach toward BI but in unity with worker/citizen campaigns demanding upraise of wage level, employment security and improvement of public care services, and one should emphasize that BI is to complement public functions of a social-democratic welfare state and promote BI pursuance as part of social movement to realize such state.
Ito Makoto is Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo, and a Member of the Japan Academy. The above summary was written by Takeshi Suzuki.
