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.
Finland’s basic income never failed, our ‘jobs’ did
Basic income skeptics should consider which system failed when confronted with the current avalanche of suicide, descent into addiction, and hungry mouth these twin crises have created.
The Prehistory of Private Property: A video introduction to the new book by Karl Widerquist and Grant McCall
This short video introduces the new book, The Prehistory of Private Property, by Grant McCall and me. The book examines the origin and development of the private property rights system and the experiences of peoples who have lived in other systems to debunk three...
In Solidarity with Black and Brown Americans: How UBI Offers a Path Forward
With more climate and pandemic crises on the horizon, how long will it take elites to realize that this economic system threatens the rise of violent populism?
Recent news from Russia
Alexander Solovev, Social movement “Basic income Russia Tomorrow”, has written several articles about what is happening in ex-USSR countries now on what measures governments are taking to protect the citizens of their countries during the coronavirus pandemic. These...
Launch of the BIEN Conversations – why critical debate is more important than ever
In April BIEN’s Executive Committee agreed plans to respond to the growing public attention to basic income during the Covid crisis.
A corona is the halo of light during a solar eclipse
The coronavirus crisis can ensure a more balanced economy. Care and solidarity must support our economy and society.
Cash-for-Corona in Spain
Cash-for-corona: why the current policy proposal being discussed in Spain has nothing to do with a universal basic income This article was updated on the 19th April 2020 Since the outbreak of coronavirus and the subsequent social and economic lockdown, there have been...
Challenges facing the implementation of an emergency Basic Income in the United Kingdom
As in countries all over the world, a significant effect of the social distancing and other measures that the UK Government has put in place to slow the coronavirus’s spread is that individuals’ incomes are experiencing significant damage. This is particularly true of...
What did Pope Francis mean on Easter Day 2020?
On Easter Day, the 12th April 2020, Pope Francis sent a message to 'our brothers and sisters in social movements and organizations', during which he said this: … I know that you have been excluded from the benefits of globalization. You do not enjoy the...
Emergency Basic Income during the Coronavirus crisis
There is a translation of this article into French. A basic income is a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement (BIEN's definition of Basic Income) The coronavirus pandemic is causing huge...
Guy Standing and Philippe Van Parijs interviewed for an article in El Pais
The Spanish newspaper El Pais has published an article, 'La renta básica deja de ser una utopía' ('Basic income is no longer a utopia'): La pandemia lleva a diversos países a ensayar planes de transferencias directas no universales para compensar la reducción en los...
Spain may issue ‘permanent’ basic income to fight COVID-19
Reports are emerging that Spain is hoping to deploy a “permanent” basic income type program in the near future. Spain aims to respond to the economic crisis from the global coronavirus pandemic.
