by Yannick Vanderborght | May 15, 2012 | Research
In its latest issue (105/2012), Notizie di Politeia, one of the most important journal of political philosophy and public affairs in Italy, hosts a Forum about the Right to an inconditional basic income. It includes five contributions. Four of them, by Corrado del Bò, Nicola Riva, Maurizio Ferrara (all from University of Milan) and Andrea Fumagalli (University of Pavia) were presented at the Seminar “Subjects, Rights, Conflicts” on May 9, 2011 at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Milan. These articles focus on the normative justifications of basic income, on the social impact of an unconditional right to a basic income, and its feasibility and role in the economical transformations of the last decades. A fifth article, by Emanuele Murra (University of Salento), discusses the possible role that basic income could play in Sen’s capabilities approach.
Full references: Forum “Diritto al Reddito”, Notizie di Politeia, issue 105, year 2012, pp. 40-72 ISSN 1128-2401
Website: https://www.politeia-centrostudi.org/rivista.html
See also the summary of Murra’s paper: https://binews.org/2012/05/murra-emanuele-2012-il-basic-income-nella-prospettiva-delle-capabilities/
by Yannick Vanderborght | May 14, 2012 | Research
For the advocates of basic income as an instrument to guarantee real freedom, the capabilities approach constitutes an important challenge. It seems that a universal in-cash benefit, such as basic income, would not play any role in a theory so aware of the diversity of people and so skeptic of the idea that real freedom would be achieved only thanks to higher income. But this assumption, which appears correct at first sight, is not confirmed after a careful evaluation of Sen’s proposal. In the article, the author shows how basic income would be a good instrument to fulfil what Sen calls “protective security”. The article tackles the question regarding how basic income could take some diversity in people’s capabilities into account, thanks to the concept of undominated diversity.
Full references: MURRA, Emanuele (2012), “Il Basic Income nella prospettiva delle Capabilities. Sicurezza protettiva e diversità non dominate’, Notizie di Politeia, 105, 2012.
Website: https://www.politeia-centrostudi.org/rivista.html
by Yannick Vanderborght | Apr 30, 2012 | Research
In this book, Frank Lovett (Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, USA) argues that “societies are just to the extent that their basic structure is organized so as to minimize the expected sum total domination experienced by their (present and future) members, counting the domination of each member equally” (p.190). Chapter 7 of the book explores the implications of such a conception of justice. Among them, the idea of an unconditional basic income is carefully discussed by the author. In particular, Lovett tackles the issue of the optimal level of the grant, “a more difficult problem than one might expect” (p.200).
Full references: LOVETT, Frank (2010), A General Theory of Domination and Justice, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Publisher’s page: https://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199579419.do
by Yannick Vanderborght | Apr 16, 2012 | Research
This article by Jurgen De Wispelaere (Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada) and Lindsay Stirton (University of Sheffield, United Kingdom) considers the implementation of a universal basic income, a neglected area in basic income research. The authors identify and examine three important practical bottlenecks that may prevent a basic income scheme from attaining the universal reach desired and proclaimed by its advocates: i) maintaining a population-wide cadaster of eligible claimants ensuring full takeup; ii) instituting robust modalities of payment that reach all intended beneficiaries; and iii) designing an effective oversight mechanism in a policy context that actively opposes client monitoring. De Wispelaere and Stirton argue that the implementation of universal basic income faces unique challenges that its proponents must consider carefully.
Full references: De Wispelaere, J. and Stirton, L. (2012), ‘A disarmingly simple idea? Practical bottlenecks in the implementation of a universal basic income’, International Social Security Review, 65: 103–121.
Online: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-246X.2012.01430.x/abstract
by Yannick Vanderborght | Apr 12, 2012 | Research
In its latest Socio-Economic Review (2012) entitled Shaping Ireland’s Future: Securing Economic Development, Social Equity and Sustainability, the NGO Social Justice Ireland shows that over 700,000 people (among them, 200,00 children) are living in poverty in Ireland. The report was released on April 10, 2012, and one of its co-authors, Sean Healy, was interviewed by the daily The Irish Times. The newspaper briefly focuses on the fact that this new report recommends that Irish policy makers “introduce a basic income system to replace social welfare and income tax credits”.
According to the report, a basic income system “would guarantee an income above the poverty line for everyone. It would not be means tested. There would be no “signing on” and no restrictions or conditions. In practice a basic income recognises the right of every person to a share of the resources of society.” (p.93).
The full report is available in PDF at: https://www.socialjustice.ie/content/shaping-irelands-future-socio-economic-review-2012-full-text
The Irish Times article: https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0410/breaking18.html
by Yannick Vanderborght | Apr 5, 2012 | Research
In order to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Red Renta Básica (Spain’s basic income national network, officially recognized by BIEN) has coedited (with the publishing house Montesinos) a volume with chapters written by some of its members and friends:
Jordi Arcarons (“Financing Basic Income”), Borja Barragué (“Basic Income and the Bank of Justice”), Sara Berbel (“An Income for Gender Equality”), David Casassas and Jurgen De Wispelaere (“Basic Income and Social Emancipation: Principles, Designs, and Coalitions”), Mònica Clua-Losada (“Basic Income on the Political Agenda: The Catalan Experience”), Rubén Lo Vuolo, Pablo Yanes, and Daniel Raventós (“Economic Crisis, Targeted Schemes, and Basic Income”), Gorka Moreno (“What Does Basic Income Contribute to the Debate on Citizenship? A Synthesis Proposal”), Francisco Ramos (“Active Employment Policies and Basic Income: Substitutive or Complementary Solutions?”), Daniel Raventós (“What Do We Mean When We Say That Basic Income Is (or Is Not) Just? On Liberalisms and Republicanisms”), Sergi Raventós (“Crisis, Mental Health and Basic Income”), José Luis Rey (“Basic Income and 21st Century Democracy”), Luis Sanzo (“Basic Income and Social Protection in Spain”), and Camila Vollenweider (“Employee Domestic Labor and Gender Equity: An Inescapable Problem for the Feminist Discussion on Basic Income”).
Full references: CASASSAS, D. and RAVENTÓS, D. (eds.) (2011), La renta básica en la era de las grandes desigualdades [Basic income in the age of great inequalities], Barcelona: Montesinos, 343 pp, ISBN: 978-84-15216-27-8.
For further information: https://www.editorial-montesinos.com/detalleLibro.php?idLibro=284.
