by Yannick Vanderborght | Mar 31, 2011 | News
This conference on basic income (“allocation universelle”, or universal grant, in French) was organized by the Walloon federation of social assistance services (CPAS) and the Union of Walloon cities (UVCW). A panel of four speakers discussed the idea. Two proponents of basic income, Philippe Defeyt (Green Party and head of a social assistance service) and Yannick Vanderborght (Hoover Chair, UCLouvain), gave some of the main arguments in favour of a universal and unconditional basic income. Two reprensentatives of Belgium’s main trade unions, Anne Demelenne (FGTB) and Felipe Van Keirsbilck (CSC), explained why they were rather skeptical of the idea. For further information: www.uvcw.be
by Yannick Vanderborght | Jan 22, 2011 | News
In Delhi, India, on January 22 Guy Standing, co-president of BIEN, gave an invited lecture on why developing countries should move towards a basic income via unconditional cash transfers at the headquarters of UNICEF, telecast to seven State capitals around India. A week earlier, at the Indian International Centre in Delhi he presented with his co-authors a new book, Social Income and Insecurity: A Study of Gujarat (Routledge), at a public launch chaired by a leading member of the Indian Planning Commission. A major conclusion of that book is the need to move towards simple unconditional cash transfers instead of the complex array of means-tested selective schemes that are rife with corruption and inefficiency. For furhter information: https://www.guystanding.com/
by Yannick Vanderborght | Dec 10, 2010 | News
On 28 Dec 2010 the 2nd general meeting of BIKN was held in Seoul. The 1st general meeting was the inaugural one on 25 June 2009. Firstly, the opening addresses were given by Min Geum, chairperson of the BIKN steering committee, and No-Wan Kwack, chairperson of the BIKN studies committee, both of whom were newly appointed at the previous committee meeting. Secondly, about 30 committee members were introduced. Thirdly, vigorous activities of BIKN in 2009 and 2010 were reported briefly. Fourthly, it was notified that the life member system like BIEN’s one was adopted by the committee. All those present were actively encouraged to become a life member of BIKN. By the way, as of December 2010, the number of BIKN members is 548. Lastly, the basic outline of the BIKN’s plan for 2011, which is mainly focused on studies, courses, and organized activities, was simply explained. And this meeting ended with a year-end party.
BIKN website : https://cafe.daum.net/basicincome
by Yannick Vanderborght | Nov 20, 2010 | Research
HOFFMAN, Michael (2010), ‘Utopia means free money for everyone’, The Japan Times, October 17, 2010, available at https://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20101017bj.html
According to the author of this column, the idea of a basic income is startling, but not really new — only its slowly growing respectability is. “Cranks and visionaries have been playing with it for centuries. The name by which it’s lately known is not calculated to grab your attention. It almost seems calculated not to. “Basic income”: Who would see a potential revolution in that? And yet it’s there, scarcely a centimeter beneath the surface.”
