BIEN | Opinion
Opinion Posts
Here you will find articles expressing opinions about current issues in the Basic Income debate. Opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of BIEN.
Is Basic Income the next big population health intervention?
Thanks in part to the health sciences, there is widespread public acceptance that being poor is bad for your health.
Basic income and the ‘job ethic’
Both progressives and conservatives can be counted on to agree that having a job is important. But perhaps it is not humanity’s most important activity.
Germany: Interview with German Parliamentary Candidate Felix Coeln
By Jason Burke Murphy US Basic Income Guarantee Network Coming up on September 24th, Germany will be holding national parliamentary elections. A new “single-issue-party” will be on the ballot in every state, the “Alliance for Basic Income” (Bundnis Grundeinkommen). If...
Some thoughts on basic income ‘experiments’
Not all basic income studies are true social science experiments.
China’s unconditional cash program: Implications for basic income
China’s program is important to understand for basic income researchers because it demonstrates how basic income operates when it is not universal.
Medical doctor: Basic income is a health issue
Basic income has the potential to improve health outcomes, as income and health are closely linked.
Now out on audio: My Own Private Basic Income
My recent article, "My Own Private Basic Income" (Open Democracy, June 2017) just came out on audio (September 2017). Karl Miller, an actor and professional voice-over artist, reads the piece. The publisher summarizes it as follows, "One person’s experience becoming a...
Podcast: Scholars research UBI to address ecological, economic crises
Sufficiency4Sustainability is a network of researchers analyzing how UBI and other policies may address this generation’s challenges.
Cure health inequality by reducing income inequality
As health outcomes liaise to income inequality, policy should aim to address this phenomenon. A widening income gap is threatening overall health.
Book Review: Basic Income as a ‘realistic revolution of the welfare state’
Basic Income stabilizes the overall domestic consumption and provides a kind of regulation for the ratio between expenditures and savings.
The OECD and the problems of basic income
According to the OECD, basic income (BI) is not an effective tool for reducing poverty. However, the outcome would depend on the model chosen for implementing a BI system, as well as the changes made in other parts of social protection.
How Many Couch Potatoes Can You Live With?
Most people with a basic income will live a lot like they do now. They will have a more stable income. They will worry less about many of their friends and family. This cuts into the number of people who would choose the couch.
BIEN Congresses
The 24th BIEN CONGRESS in Maricá & Niterói – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 27-29 August 2025
Linkedin, Instagram, X – biencongress25 (at) gmail [dot] com
BIEN2024 was August 29–31 (Pictures and more coming soon)