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.
Scott Santens’ basic income log: the importance of security
If you're new to my writing, you may not yet know that I have a crowdfunded basic income through Patreon. Beginning my campaign for $1,000 per month in late 2014, I reached that goal at the end of 2015, and so this year, at the beginning of every month, I will start...
Towards a Universal Basic Income in France: elements for a debate
What would it take to implement basic income in France?
Review of the RSA report on Universal Basic Income
Anthony Painter and Chris Thoung, Creative Citizen, Creative State – The principled and pragmatic case for a Universal Basic Income. Report published by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), December 2015. This report from the RSA is a most welcome addition to the recent...
Review of “101 Reasons for a Citizen’s Income” by Malcolm Torry
Malcolm Torry’s new book makes a concise and elegant case for basic income.
Will liberals be our allies in the struggle for basic income?
Before beginning this essay, let me describe the people about whom I am speaking when I use the term "liberal". In the American 21st century context, I am essentially describing the people you would likely find in the leadership of the Democratic party. Despite the...
There is no human future without a basic income
What does the future look like? No one knows and it is folly to argue one does. But we can think, we can even try to make predictions, depending on how much risk we are willing to take. To say, as Jeremy Rifkin suggests, that the future will look like a collaborative...
Interview with Enno Schmidt: “Swiss parliament’s opposition to basic income is not binding”
Key promoter of the Swiss referendum on basic income tells us what he thinks about the recent developments in the Swiss parliament.
The Basic Income Guarantee: what stands in its way?
By Tom Streithorst The Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) is back in the news. The Finns are considering implementing it, as are the Swiss, replacing all means tested benefits with a simple grant to every citizen, giving everyone enough money to survive. Unlike most current...
An American basic income: how do we get there?
A three-step plan of action to make basic income in the United States a reality.
French MP wants basic income to replace all welfare: is he right?
In the past few months, basic income has been widely debated in the French public arena and mainstream media are starting to pay attention to it. This trend has been influenced by the announcement of pilot projects in the Netherlands and Finland, and the upcoming...
Lessons from Finland: think BIG but act with pragmatism
By Otto Lehto People have different ideas on what society should look like, but they can still agree that a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) is a good idea. The struggle for BIG should be the struggle for a specific policy measure, not for a utopian ideal. We are trying...
Swiss politicians reject basic income because they are scared of humans
By Che Wagner Originally published in German in the Swiss online newspaper Tages Woche. Translated by Matthias Lindemer for Basic Income News. (Photo shows activists of the Swiss Basic Income Initiative with a banner inside a vault. Credit: Stefan Bohrer) On...
