Ramaphosa promises Basic Income Grant for South Africa is coming

Ramaphosa promises Basic Income Grant for South Africa is coming

Editor’s note: What is discussed here does not meet the BIEN definition of basic income since it is targeted

The ANC has again promised to introduce a permanent Basic Income Grant (BIG); however, the party has not committed to any timeline.

The proposal was again put forward by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the party’s manifesto launch on 24 February.

Ramaphosa echoed his State of the Nation Address (SONA) earlier in the month by again laying out that the ruling party would “progressively implement a basic income support grant by extending and improving the value and coverage of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant for the unemployed.”

To read the full article click here.

Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net

Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net

by Jennifer Ludden Photo by Frugal Flyer on Unsplash

Christopher Santiago recalls being skeptical the first time he heard about basic income — giving people cash with no conditions on how to spend it. It was 2020, when presidential candidate Andrew Yang pitched it for all American adults, and Santiago thought, “That doesn’t make much sense.”

But for a year now, Santiago has been getting $500 a month through one of the largest cash aid pilots in the U.S., and he’s come around.

The single dad of three lives in Alsip, Ill., and was one of a whopping 233,000 people who applied for the program in Cook County, which includes Chicago. (There was a lottery to pick the 3,250 participants.) As a public employee, his income is toward the upper end of the program cutoff, but he says it hardly feels like enough for a family of four.

To read the full article, click here.

BIEN 2024 Congress: Call for Papers

BIEN 2024 Congress: Call for Papers

“BIEN 2024 is focused on basic income’s potential as a tool for social transformation towards an economically just, politically inclusive and ecologically sustainable world. The Congress theme is thus about constructing a transformative vision of society – built on the principles of universal sufficiency, social and distributive justice, inclusion, care, and ecological sustainability – and exploring the role of basic income in that vision, and the best strategies to achieve it. See full description of the theme of the Congress here.

How to submit?
To propose a paper or presentation, please fill in the form here. The deadline for submissions is the 15th of April 2024. In case of any queries, write to biencongress2024@gmail.com. “
New book on UBI by Karl Widerquist

New book on UBI by Karl Widerquist

The growing movement for universal basic income (UBI) has been gaining attention from politics and the media with the audacious idea of a regular, unconditional cash grant for everyone as a right of citizenship. This volume in the Essential Knowledge series from MIT Press presents the first short, solid UBI introduction that is neither academic nor polemic. It takes a position in favor of UBI, but its primary goal remains the provision of essential knowledge by answering the fundamental questions about it: What is UBI? How does it work? What are the arguments for and against it? What is the evidence?

To read more about the book and or purchase it, click here.

Convocatoria abierta: 1er Congreso Latinoamericano de Renta Básica Universal Incondicional

Convocatoria abierta: 1er Congreso Latinoamericano de Renta Básica Universal Incondicional

Entre los días 17 y 19 de julio, en San José de Costa Rica, se llevará a cabo el primer Congreso Latinoamericano de Renta Básica Universal Incondicional. Se recibirán ponencias hasta el 12 de abril. El formato será híbrido, con modalidad presencial y también online.

Este primer encuentro regional es un hito en el avance del estudio y la promoción de la renta básica universal e incondicional en la región. Las discusiones del congreso estarán orientadas en torno al “Pensar la renta básica en un contexto de crisis y transformación en América Latina“.

Más información y envío de ponencias en www.rbucr.org.

Correo de contacto: congreso@rbucr.org

La participación no contempla gastos de inscripción.

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Open call: 1st Latin American Congress on Unconditional Universal Basic Income

The first Latin American Congress on Unconditional Universal Basic Income will be held in San José, Costa Rica, from 17 to 19 July. Papers will be accepted until 12 April. The format will be hybrid, with both face-to-face and online modalities.

This first regional meeting is a milestone in the advancement of the study and promotion of unconditional universal basic income in the region. Discussions at the congress will focus on “Thinking about basic income in a context of crisis and transformation in Latin America”.

More information and submission of papers at www.rbucr.org.

Contact email: congreso@rbucr.org 

Participation does not include registration fees.


Bath UBI Beacon and India Basic Income Network Session, 21st March 4-6pm (Paris)

Bath UBI Beacon and India Basic Income Network Session, 21st March 4-6pm (Paris)

“For this session, we will be in discussion with Vibhor Mathur. Vibhor is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Bath and is a UK and Research Associate at University of Cardiff, UK.

Vibhor studies the transformative potential of basic income through pilots and advocacy in South Asia and Europe. His doctoral research on the the WorkFREE project in Hyderabad, India, focuses on the role basic income can play in the fight for dignity, freedom and decent work.”

To read more and/or register to participate, click here.