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.
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.
Basic income is an ‘investment’ in the future
In the current turbulent times, there is a fierce debate emerging how cities should adjust to rapidly changing economic and technological trends. Smart City Education Inside invited two experts to discuss the prospect of cash transfers to enhance sustainability and provide equitable educational opportunities for students.
Why I March for Basic Income
Below is the a copyedited version of the speech I delivered at the Basic Income March, New York, October 26, 2019 in the Bronx, New York, October 26, 2019. Pierre Madden ranscribed and copyedited it, in Montreal, Quebec, September 2020. Then I copyedited it again, at...
Basic income march goes ‘virtual’
Basic Income March organizers are partnering with an application to allow activists to march for basic income around the world and possibly set a record in the process.
David Graeber’s death: I am shocked – what more can I say?
I can't claim to be a friend of David Graeber. I can say I am his fan and that his work has influenced the way I see the world. I met him twice though. I met him first two years ago for dinner at Barb Jacobson's place where he arrived in a long coat accompanied by a...
For David Graeber
Since I heard from a mutual friend at lunchtime today: ‘David is gone’, the shock I felt then seems to have reverberated around the world. One of the most curious of minds, finest of writers, kindest of hearts, most courageous and consistent callers of bull shit ever....
