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 Fall and Rise of the Basic Income Movement: My personal reflections after following it for 40 years
Forty years ago today—February 7, 1980—was a small milestone for the Universal Basic Income (UBI) movement: Milton and Rose Friedman dedicated an episode of their television show to a form of basic income guarantee called the Negative Income Tax. This episode might...
Three big misconceptions about Yang’s Freedom Dividend
As US presidential candidate Andrew Yang continues to outperform expectations, his signature policy proposal, the Freedom Dividend or UBI, is receiving increased scrutiny. Some of the criticisms are well warranted, while others are misconceptions based on a flawed understanding of how basic income would operate.
Housing prices are an obstacle to universal income
There is a fear that a disproportionate part of Universal Basic Income would be paid to housing. Under current circumstances, a large portion of the income is paid to rent. A person UK in 2019, if receiving benefits only, in many cases is paying over fifty percent of their income for housing. If UBI was to come into effect, it is possible the same problem would occur.
Was Thomas Paine a Proponent of Universal Basic Income? Short answer: yes.
I was recently asked whether the statement "Thomas Paine was a proponent of Universal Basic Income" is true. Although that statement is slightly controversial, it is true. Let me explain: Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a contested concept. Different people within the...
Thoughts on the British elections and the rise of nationalism
I wasn't planning to write about the British elections until a friend asked. I'm not confident that I'm right about my conclusions, but here are some disjointed thoughts in no particular order. 1. I hate the parallels between US & UK politics: You get...
Could basic income play a role in the fight against unfree labour?
Credit Picture CC(Paul Domenick) A series of articles concerning the role which basic income (BI) could play in the fight against unfree labour in now on openDemocracy. The introduction by Neil Howard sets the tone for the debate: even though many thinks that coercion...
Ireland 2029: Should Ireland introduce a universal basic income?
In this 30 minute podcast, the possibility of introducing an Universal Basic Income (UBI) in Ireland is analyzed, if it were introduced in a ten-year timespan. Lúí Smyth, representing the activist group Basic Income Ireland, talks about reasons to implement basic...
“A Critical Analysis of Basic Income Experiments:” an early version of this book is available for free download
An early version of the book, A Critical Analysis of Basic Income Experiments, is available for free download on my selected works website. The devil’s in the details is a common saying about policy proposals. Perhaps we need a similar saying for policy research,...
UBI Calculator answers basic income’s big question
Conrad Shaw wants America to know about Universal Basic Income, and he has two big projects to help make it happen.
Groups calling for basic income experiments spread across the UK
Groups across the UK are calling for pilots of a radical alternative to the current welfare system.
My failure to change Canada’s basic income narrative
A journey to convince the Liberal Party of Canada to include a promise to implement basic income as a commitment to the electorate should they win re-election.
End the threat of economic destitution now
Karl Widerquist (This article was originally published by Open Democracy, 17 September 2019) UBI is the opposite of something for nothing. It is the just compensation for all the one-sided rules of property and property regulations that society imposes on individuals....
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)