by Karl Widerquist | Jun 25, 2012 | Opinion, The Indepentarian
The Eleventh North American Basic Income Guarantee (NA-BIG) Congress took place at the University of Toronto on May 3-5, 2012. I had the privilege of attending this conference. It provided an unusual opportunity for me to go to a NA-BIG Congress purely as a participant, because I had almost nothing to do with the organization of it this year.
The theme of the Congress was “Putting Equality Back on The Agenda: Basic Income and Other Approaches to Economic Security for All.” It began—unusually for a conference primarily dedicated to examining basic income—with two skeptics explaining what was wrong with the basic income as a solution to current problems in the United States and Canada. I applaud these participants for speaking their mind in an auditorium full of basic income supporters. It was kind of strange to begin with the skeptics—rebutting an idea that hadn’t yet been presented at the conference—but it worked very well to keep the basic income supporters on their toes throughout the conference.
The organizers invited two speakers to focus on the problems of poverty and inequality rather than specifically on basic income as a proposed solution: Charles Karelis (Research Professor of Philosophy at The George Washington University and author of The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-Off Can’t Help the Poor) and Richard Wilkinson (Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham Medical School and co-author of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better). Even though these speakers’ remarks were not directly about basic income, they were valuable to the conference, because they show the need to do something about poverty and inequality in the world today. It’s the work of a conference like this to see if basic income can help solve the problems researchers like these have identified.
One featured speaker, Erik Olin Wright (of the Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, author of Envisioning Real Utopias, and American Society: How it Actually Works), brought the congress back to focus on basic income, but he did not support the common version of the basic income proposal—a basically unregulated economy with basic income as its one central progressive reform. He argued that basic income would only succeed if it were part of a major reform of the economic system.
One of the most pertinent presentations was given by Evelyn Forget (Professor, University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, author of a major forthcoming study on Mincome: the Manitoba minimum income experiment). She has been working for several years to recover and analyze data from the Canadian Negative Income Tax experiment, known as Mincome. The experiment was conducted by the Canadian Federal government in the late 1970s, but it was cancelled before the data was analyzed. Only now, thanks mostly to Evelyn Forget, are the findings of the experiment becoming fully available. She finds that the experiment had many benefits for recipients including, for example, improved school attainment among children and improved health outcomes for all family members.
Senator Art Eggleton, former mayor of Toronto, concluded the conference with a practical discussion of how to put BIG on the political agenda in North America.
The parallel sessions provided a wide range of discussion about BIG. These sessions were especially valuable for me because I was able to attend two sessions and a dinner dedicated to providing feedback to me on chapters of the book that I am currently polishing for publication. The book makes a freedom-based argument for an unconditional income from the perspective that the imposition of rules, including the rules of property, make the poor unfree in very important ways. Basic income is both compensation for the imposition of these rules and a necessary institution (in modern industrial society) to maintain each individual’s status as a free person with the power to accept or reject active cooperation with other willing individuals. The sessions I participated in helped me formulate this argument and to present the book as a work of political philosophy.
For me, the Congress was also an opportunity to reconnect with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. I have now been to six BIEN Congresses and all eleven NA-BIG Congresses. I believe there are only three of us who have been to all eleven Congresses (the other two being Jeff Smith and Al Sheahen). Every Congress is a little different. Some themes recur every time, but I’m always confronted with new ideas.
One welcome addition to this Congress was the presence of a significant number of people who are on disability or other forms of public assistance. This group brought the discussion back to practical issues every time, providing a skeptical view of nearly all the ideas presented. I hope we can get someone from this group to be a featured speaker at an upcoming NA-BIG or BIEN Congress.
The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress is a joint project of the USBIG Network and the Canadian Basic Income Guarantee. It takes place in Canada and the United States on alternating years. Next year’s Congress will be in New York City in February (see announcement above).
For more information on this past conference go to:
https://biencanada.ca/
Papers from the Congress will be online as part of the USBIG Discussion Paper Series at:
https://www.usbig.net/papers.php
by Karl Widerquist | Mar 21, 2012 | News
The Basic Income Canada Network has released the tentative schedule for the Eleventh Annual North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress: “Putting Equality Back on The Agenda:
Basic Income and Other Approaches to Economic Security for All.” The conference will take place at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, May 3-5, 2012.
While Canada, the United States, and many other OECD countries have grown increasingly unequal in recent years, equality has not been on the political agenda. Yet evidence shows that income inequality is accompanied by a range of significant negative consequences. Putting Equality Back on the Agenda will examine this growing trend of inequality and consider the option of a basic income to reduce economic disparity.
More than 50 researchers, activists, and political practitioners will present research on the economic, political, sociological, and philosophical issues of poverty, inequality, and basic income.
Featured speakers include:
- Richard Wilkinson, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham Medical School and co-author of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better;
- Charles Karelis, Research Professor of Philosophy at The George Washington University and Author of The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-Off Can’t Help the Poor;
- Erik Olin Wright, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, author of Envisioning Real Utopias, and American Society: How it Actually Works;
- Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives;
- John Rook, Chair of the National Council of Welfare and CEO of Potential Place Society;
- Evelyn Forget, Professor, University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, author of a major forthcoming study on Mincome (the Manitoba minimum income experiment);
- Simon Lewchuk, Centre for Public Justice;
- Senator Art Eggleton, Former Mayor of Toronto;
- Trish Hennessey, Director of Strategic Issues for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; and
- Dan Meades, Director, Vibrant Communities Calgary.
The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress is a joint Conference of the U.S. and Canadian Basic Income Guarantee Networks. It takes place in Canada and the United States on alternating years.
The registration deadline is April 15, 2012. The registration fee is: $150 for Private, Corporate, University, and Government Registration, $90 for Not-for-Profit Registration, $40 for Low income, students, and seniors.
The entire schedule is online at:
https://biencanada.ca/content/11th-north-american-basic-income-guarantee-congress-schedule.
Registration, hotel, and venue information and an overview of the Congress are online at:
https://biencanada.ca/content/11th-north-american-basic-income-guarantee-congress-registration-now-open
by Yannick Vanderborght | Feb 11, 2012 | News
Hodgson, Glen “Guaranteed annual income – a Big Idea whose time has yet to arrive” (iPolitics, December 20, 2011)
This article by Glen Hodgson, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist of the Conference Board of Canada since 2004, discusses the economic, fiscal and social value of a guaranteed annual income (GAI) for Canada and demands further detailed research on the feasibility of GAI. After introducing GAI as “a minimum level of income for every individual or family in the country, delivered without condition through the existing income tax system” and a brief summary of the history of this concept, Hodgson stresses three main advantages of a GAI:
1) Prevention of poverty
2) Reducing the so called “welfare wall”
3) Reducing health care spending
To support his argument, Hodgson introduces an analysis of the “health and social impacts of the MINCOME experiment” in Canada during the 1970s. This analysis by Evelyn Forget demonstrates evidence of above presented advantages. Hodgson concludes that a GAI is “an appealing ‘big idea’ whose time has yet to arrive politically” and that “there is no better time than right now to heat up the debate”.
Wolfgang Müller – BI News
https://www.ipolitics.ca/2011/12/20/guaranteed-annual-income-a-big-idea-whose-time-has-yet-to-arrive/
by Karl Widerquist | Jan 14, 2012 | News
The deadline for the call for proposals for the 2012 NA-BIG conference has been extended to January 31, 2012. The conference will take place in Toronto on May 3-5, 2012.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
The 11th North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress
May 3-5, 2012 at the University of Toronto, on the theme of:
Putting Equality Back on the Agenda:
Basic Income and Other Approaches to Economic Security for All
While Canada, the United States, and many other OECD countries have grown increasingly unequal in recent years, equality has not been on the political agenda. Yet evidence shows that income inequality is accompanied by a range of significant negative consequences. Putting Equality Back on the Agenda will examine this growing trend of inequality and consider the option of a basic income to reduce economic disparity.
Featured speakers will include:
- Erik Olin Wright, Professor of Sociology, University of Wisconsin (Madison), author of 11 books from The Politics of Punishment: A Critical Analysis of Prisons in America (1973) to American Society: how it really works (2010).
- Richard Wilkinson, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham Medical School and co-author of The Spirit
Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better
- Charles Karelis, Research Professor of Philosophy at The George Washington University and Author of The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-Off Can’t Help the Poor
- Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- John Rook, Chair of the National Council of Welfare and CEO of Potential Place Society
- Evelyn Forget, Professor, University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine; and
- Trish Hennessey, Director of Strategic Issues for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
The North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress is a joint Conference of the U.S. and Canadian Basic Income Guarantee Networks. It takes place in Canada and the United States on alternating years. Please consider submitting a proposal – activists, academics and interested citizens welcome!
Scholars, activists, and others are invited to propose papers or presentations, organize panel discussions, or submit posters. Proposals are welcome on the following topics:
- What are the costs of economic disparity (economic, social and political)?
- What are the implications for pursuing (or not pursuing) basic income options?
- What are possible models for generating revenue to sustain a basic income and what are their implications for economic disparity?
- What are the practical issues for implementing a basic income policy and what are their implications for economic disparity?
- What communication and engagement strategies are necessary to raise awareness about economic disparity and basic income in the public sphere?
All points of view are welcome. Anyone interested in presenting, organizing a panel, or displaying a poster should submit an abstract of their proposal to the chair of the organizing committee at: basicincome2012@gmail.com
Please include the following information with your proposal:
1. Name(s)
2. Affiliation(s)
3. Address
4. City, Province/State, Postal/Zip Code, and Country
5. Telephone
6. Email Address(es)
7. Paper/Presentation/Panel/Poster Title
8. Abstract of 50-150 words
(REVISED) DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: January 31st, 2012
Proposals for panel discussions should include a title, topic, and description of the panel and the information above for each participant. If the participants are not presenting formal papers, the title of the paper and abstract may be omitted. Panels should be limited to four presentations.
by Yannick Vanderborght | Dec 22, 2011 | News
According to the Financial Post (Dec.20, 2011), the Conference Board of Canada – an important not-for-profit applied research organization – is now “calling for a renewed look at the idea of a guaranteed annual income (GAI)” in Canada. In a Commentary, the Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist of the board, Glen Hodgson, writes that “there are three main advantages to a GAI. First, it would address poverty directly, and in a neutral fashion, via transfers provided through a single existing administrative system—the income tax system. (…) Second, a properly-designed GAI could reduce the “welfare wall” of high marginal tax rates on earned income for the working poor. (…) And third, a GAI could reduce health care spending on low-income persons.” Hodgson also refers to the study on MINCOME (a basic income experiment which was conducted in the province of Manitoba in the 1970s) which was recently published by Evelyn Forget (in Canadian Public Policy, September 2011). His conclusion sounds optimistic: “While deeper analysis would be needed to underpin the policy debate, a guaranteed annual income remains an appealing “big idea” whose time has yet to arrive politically. There is no better time than right now to heat up the debate.”
Financial Post article: click here
To read the Commentary by Glen Hodgson: click here
