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.
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.
SPAIN: New book published: “Renta Básica contra la incertidumbre”
The new Spanish book “Basic Income against Uncertainty” updates the most important developments in basic income and discusses recent writings.
Upcoming cryptocurrency integrates basic income
Phoenix Digital Currency is a new cryptocurrency that wants to make basic income feasible.
Poverty-traps and pay-gaps: why (single) mothers need basic income
Universal Basic Income is a radically different concept—nobody has to apply, prove their worth, or fill out complicated forms.
Interview with Topher Brennan, progressive candidate for US Senate in California
Topher Brennan is a progressive candidate from the state of California, currently running for US Senate. A self-professed “policy geek”, Brennan holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of...
Comparing a Universal Basic Income to Cash Transfers
This article will explain the definitions of cash transfers and universal basic income, as well as institutional frameworks under which the programmes are implemented.
