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.
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...
Why Universal Basic Income is Important in Africa
Africa is one continent where basic income is critical. During the COVID-19 outbreak that has rendered many people jobless, it could have been used to prevent them from sliding into poverty.
BRAZIL: UBI Makes Progress
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is making significant progress in Brazil, according to the following letter former Senator Eduardo Suplicy sent to leaders of BIEN. (See also: Maricá one step from Universal Basic Income): my dear friends of BIEN: Let me inform you...
Video, Photos, and Speeches From 2020’s Rain-Soaked UBI March in New Orleans
On September 19, 2020, people marched for UBI all over the world even in New Orleans where a steady rain came down all day. This blog post has videos and pictures from the march. It was an honor for me to be asked to speak to this group of people who came out on the...
Basic income trial shows ‘poignant’ stories
A three-year-long project documenting the impact of a small basic income trial in the United States is entering its final stages before release. The goal of the project was to “explore what people do with extra unconditional cash.”
Locally Universal: Universal Basic Income Policies in the Post-Pandemic World-Order
Rampant disparities within the capital/labor share, increased pressure on climatically vulnerable communities and mass international migration due to economic hardship or violence.
McKinsey publishes an article about the Finland experiment
McKinsey, the consultancy company, has published an article about the Finland Basic Income experiment. The final results from Finland’s experiment are nowin, and the findings are intriguing: the basic incomein Finland led to a small increase in...
What kind of Citizen’s Dividend from Goa mining would promote intergenerational justice?
Wealth distribution can liberate from the incentives that poverty produces. You have the chance of posing and giving space to these important questions.
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)