Seoul, Korea: Conference “Innovation, social investment and basic income”

Seoul, Korea: Conference “Innovation, social investment and basic income”

On the 8th and 9th of November 2018, a Conference intitled “Innovation, social investment and basic income” will be hosted in the Institute for Welfare State Research, located in Seoul, South Korea. This two-day Conference will focus on welfare strategies, social investment politics and policies, as well as basic income. The Conference is International and will feature speakers such as Nick Pearce (IPR, University of Bath), Reijo Miettinen (University of Helsinki), Jurgen De Wispelaere (IPR, University of Bath) and Hansoo Choi (Korea Institute of Public Finance), among others.

 

Political economy and the role of basic income in the welfare state at the age of automation will be at the center of the discussion on the second day, with speakers like Young Jun Choi (Yonsei University) and Julian Garritzmann (University of Zurich). The (Korean) Institute of Governmental Studies (Korea University) will host a farewell lunch after the morning sessions.

 

The Conference program can be accessed here.

 

VIDEO: Phillipe Van Parijs in Seoul

VIDEO: Phillipe Van Parijs in Seoul

Phillipe Van Parijs was in Seoul, on the 19th of June 2018, presenting a keynote lecture, where Nobel prize economists Joseph Stiglitz and Augus Deaton where present, as well as Peter Hartz, whose name became attached to the Hartz IV reform in Germany. The lecture was entitled “Why Universal Basic Income”, and the event named “The KYUNGHYANG FORUM 2018” with this year’s theme “BEYOND $30000, Striving for a better tomorrow – Beyond inequality”.

There was also a panel discussion between these experts, under the title “A proposal and strategy for sustainable development”. Among the interventions, Augus Deaton made the pertinent point in which basic income experiments are establishing that basic income “doesn’t discourage people from working”, while one of the main arguments defended by Van Parijs (for basic income) is precisely to supply the real freedom of choice (and not work, if that’s the case). One might argue, however, that it is precisely that freedom which allows people to work, expectedly in something meaningful to them.

Van Parijs presentation and panel discussion can be watched through the following links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv3v0MgoeWs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiVUzn9V5Qo&t=11s

Canada: CEO’s for Basic Income

Canada: CEO’s for Basic Income

From left to right: Mike Garnett (Bay Street Labs), Paul Vallée (Pythian), Floyd Marinescu (InfoQ & QCon), Audrey Mascarenhas (Questor) and Chris Ford (Capco). Credit to: Moses Leal

 

A letter, signed by over a hundred Canadian business leaders, was delivered to Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Lisa MacLeod on Thursday the 18th of October 2018. The letter urges these political leaders in this large Canada region to reinstate the basic income pilot experiment, which had been setup by the previous government and held as a promise to be continued by the present one. These business leaders represent about 1,4 billion CAN$ in total revenue, and were presented by Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner at the event.

 

The CEOs constitute yet another group in society raising its voice for the preservation of the social experiment, joining communities, activists and academics. In a world where social inclusion and acceptance are becoming more relevant and urgent topics to address, it is very important that leaders stand up for what they believe in. While it can be understood that diversity in mastermind groups is important for each community’s voice to be heard equally, it is also important to consider the needs of the masses as opposed to the needs of a few. According to these leaders, universal basic income (UBI) can invigorate the economy, eradicate poverty and supply the opportunity for many people to start their own business.

Floyd Marinescu

Floyd Marinescu

In this presentation, an event held at Queen’s Park in Toronto, co-author, signatory and CEO of InfoQ and QCon Floyd Marinescu has said that “We are here today to urge the government to embrace a forward-thinking, business-friendly solution to the great economic challenges of our time”. Although the core philosophy of the letter is related to economic competitiveness, it does so in order to “empower all Ontarians to grow alongside the economy and partake in its prosperity. We see basic income as a way to embrace the future of work: it is not just a welfare solution, it is an economic necessity”, according to Marinescu.

 

Marinescu’s co-author in writing the letter, and CEO of Pythian Paul Vallée also believes that basic income makes perfect business sense, and so fully supports the reinstallment of the basic income experiment in Ontario. He has said “we firmly believe that basic income is essential to supercharge Ontario’s economy in the 21st century” and that the government should “listen to this growing chorus, respect the dignity of Ontario workers, and let the pilot run its course”. Among other signatories there can be found Chris Ford (Managing Partner, Capco Canada) and Audrey Mascarenhas (CEO, Questor).

 

The event has made the news in several posts. The full letter can be read online.

 

More information at:

Kate McFarland, “ONTARIO, CANADA: New Government Declares Early End of Guaranteed Income Experiment“, Basic Income News, August 2nd 2018

Why 100 CEOs are asking Doug Ford to bring back basic income“, CBC radio, October 18th 2018 (podcast)

Laurie Monsebraaten, “100 Canadian CEOs urge Doug Ford to rescue Ontario’s basic income project“, The Star, October 18th 2018

CEOs Bring Case for Basic Income to Queen’s Park“, NetNewsLeadger, October 18th 2018

Tulane University Public Lecture: Karl Widerquist, “Why We Need a Universal Basic Income,” October 23, 2018

Tulane University Public Lecture: Karl Widerquist, “Why We Need a Universal Basic Income,” October 23, 2018

Tulane University
Jones Hall, Room 108

Basic Income is an audacious idea—a regular, unconditional cash grant for everyone as a right of citizenship. Yet, growing numbers of people have come to support it, believing not only that welfare systems around the world are too stingy but also that they’re based on an entirely wrong approach. Karl Widerquist, whom the Atlantic Monthly calls “a leader of the worldwide basic income movement,” will discuss how Basic Income removes the judgment and paternalism that pervade the world’s existing social welfare systems and why doing so is so important not only for people at the bottom but also for the average worker. He will discuss how to craft a realistic Basic Income proposal, how much it costs, options for paying for it, and the evidence for what it can do.
About the speaker

Karl Widerquist is an Associate Professor at SFS-Qatar, Georgetown University. He has published seven books, including Prehistoric Myths in Modern Political Philosophy (coauthored) and Independence, Propertylessness, and Basic Income: A Theory of Freedom as the Power to Say No. He is a cofounder of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network. He served as co-chair of the Basic Income Earth Network for 7 years, and is cofounder of its news website, Basic Income News. He is a cofounder of the journal, Basic Income Studies, the only academic journal devoted to research on Basic Income. He has appeared on or been quoted by many major media outlets, including the New York TimesForbesthe Financial TimesNPR’s On Point, NPR’s MarketplacePRI’s the WorldCNBCAl-Jazeera538ViceDissent, and others. Much of his writing is available on his “Selected Works” website. More information about him is available at his BIEN profile.

Organized by the Tulane University Philosophy Club

Tickets are Not required
For more information on this event, please visit https://www.facebook.com/TulanePhilosophyClub

New York, United States: Universal Basic Income: Is now the time?

New York, United States: Universal Basic Income: Is now the time?

During a lunch served at the Roosevelt House (Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, New York), on the 24th October 2018, basic income will be presented and discussed, by speakers Michael A. Lewis (Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College), Eri Nogushi (Association to Benfit Children & adjunct Professor, Roosevelt House) and Almaz Zelleke (Department of Social Science, New York University in Shanghai), in a session moderated by Sanford Schram (Department of Political Science, Hunter College).

 

The event’s press release reads as follows:

 

“Recent research shows that, contrary to longstanding American beliefs, having a job does not guarantee a path out of poverty. With the rise of automation and stagnant wages, discussions on anti-poverty measures are more relevant now than ever. One such proposed measure is the idea of universal basic income, which would ensure that no one’s income would fall below a certain level, whether or not they were employed. Roosevelt House’s online Faculty Journal recently published commentaries on this issue, and to continue the conversation three of the authors will explore the economic, sociological, political, and philosophical dimensions underpinning this approach. This moderated discussion will include an assessment of the far-reaching implications of this important policy proposal to combat poverty and recommendations to address the entrenched structures of inequality in the United States today”

 

Registrations can be made here.

Book Snapshot: Undoing Work, Rethinking Community

Book Snapshot: Undoing Work, Rethinking Community

Dr. James Chamberlain, of Mississippi State University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration, published Undoing Work, Rethinking Community in February 2018. This new work examines the contemporary overvaluation of work, highlighting political rhetoric that puts employment at the centre of society without addressing the socio-economic factors that limit access to employment and a living wage. Its underlying argument mirrors its title, that community must be separated from the idea of paid labour as inequity grows. Chamberlain’s book includes a chapter on basic income (UBI), emphasizing that while UBI is an important part of social restructuring, it must be paired with conscious attention to deconstructing the importance of paid work.

The book was listed as an exciting contribution to the literature on unpaid work and basic income by JoAnne Swanson of The Anticareerist. It has also gathered several reviews. Hull University’s Patrick Reedy comments that “Chamberlain’s book provides a useful resource for questioning our own assumptions regarding the close coupling of work and organization and the centrality of work to our understanding of citizenship and community.”

Blogger and author John Budd comments further on the connections between Undoing Work and UBI, noting that “A popular proposal these days is for a universal basic income, the (simplified) theory being that reducing people’s dependency on work for subsistence will allow them to choose from a broader set of life activities. An interesting contribution of Undoing Work is showing how the thinking that lies behind many of the proposals for universal basic income do not break with traditional views of work and society to the extent needed to really bring about a large-scale change in the centrality of work.”

 

For more information:

John Budd, “Undoing Work, or Doing it up? How Central Should Work Be to Society?” Whither Work? Blog, June 13th 2018

Patrick Reedy, “Book Review: Undoing Work, Rethinking Community” Organization Studies,, August 6th 2018

“Interview: James Chamberlain on “Undoing Work, Rethinking Community” – Epistemic Unruliness 23”, Always Already Podcast, July 9th 2018 (Podcast)

Kate McFarland, “Interview: UBI and ‘Job Culture’”, Basic Income News, April 30th 2018