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.
The Prehistory of Private Property: Chapter-by-Chapter Summary
The book, the Prehistory of Private Property by Grant S. McCall an me, examines the origin and development of the private property rights system from prehistory to the present day to debunk three widely accepted false beliefs about the private property system: that...
‘The Tyranny of Merit’ by Michael J. Sandel
Book Review by Dr. Jan Stroeken Michael j. Sandel has written a book about the deep causes of the inequality that is a key driving force behind the populist backlash of recent years. His analysis serves as a basis for justification of the introduction of a universal...
‘Forward to a better world!’ International Basic Income Week 2021 starts organizing
by Robin Ketelaars HistoryMatthias Dilthey called for a day of basic income in 2006, which unfortunately received little support at the time.* The first week of the basic income was held in 2008 and was designed as a sub-project of the EU-funded “Basic Income on the...
‘Could a basic income support a circular economy?’ summary of the discussion on Basic Income Network Scotland
With the increase in research on the circular economy system, the basic income and circular economy relationship has also started to be considered. For example, this relationship was examined in the article ‘‘How could a Basic Income support a Circular...
Korea’s youth dividend sparking discussion of basic income before Presidential election
With Gyeonggi province, BIKN and a member of the national assembly from the Basic Income party was elected in 2020. This demonstrates basic income is becoming a widely discussed issue in Korea.
European Basic Income: A post-COVID recovery strategy
A social policy analyst from Slovenia, suggested that the European Commission examine the idea of a European Universal Basic Income. The UBI would be paid directly from the ECB’s “helicopter money.” The suggestion was made within the debate of the European Social Pillar Action Plan. The proposal stems from the observed shortcomings of the current social security systems related to the COVID-19 crisis, the efforts of the United States, India and many other countries made in this direction and the research done by OECD, IMF, ILO, UNICEF, European and Slovenian experts. This proposal is not the same as the European Citizens’ Initiative ”Start Unconditional Basic Incomes (UBI) throughout the EU”, for which signatures were collected starting on 25 September 2020. However, this proposal does take a similar direction as the European Citizens’ Initiative. One day Europeans will receive a local, national, European and global basic income to safeguard and foster democracy and ecological-economic development.
National Assembly in France decides to explore ‘Socle Citoyen’
Editor’s note: The use of the term ‘basic income’ or 'universal income' here does not correspond to BIEN’s definition of basic income, since the payments each month will fluctuate with income. ‘Socle citoyen’ corresponds more closely to a Negative Income Tax, adjusted...
Cost of Living: An interview with basic income documentarians
A new film is hoping to answer the question of whether life itself should be subsidized. Directors Sean Blacknell and Wayne Walsh have produced a new documentary “The Cost of Living” which discusses the mental and physical burden placed on those with unstable incomes and whether basic income is the right remedy.
Universal Basic Income, an opportunity for rural Chile
A spanish version can be found here. A silent division between the rural and the urban has been rapidly deepening in recent decades in our country. The recovery of the rural world as a space for full and dignified life has been postponed for too long. Since the times...
Certain Conditions Apply: Canada’s Child Benefit is a ‘Basic Income’
The Canada Child Benefit is a bona fide Basic Income, even if certain conditions apply.
Possibilities and Pitfalls of Basic Income Experiments
This article briefly discusses the findings of my bookA Critical Analysis of Basic Income Experiments for Researchers, Policymakers, and CitizensPublished by Palgrave Macmillan 2018[1] If the public...
A new English translation of Adrienne Goehler’s recent book
Earlier this year we announced the publication of Adrienne Goehler's new book on Basic Income. The article appears below. An English translation is now available, which can be downloaded here. This new edition features additional material: an interview with Sarath...