FRANCE: Will France be the next European country to start basic income tests?

FRANCE: Will France be the next European country to start basic income tests?

by | May 4, 2016 | News

Article originally written in French by Basile Durand (MFRB), translated by Henri Geist (MFRB).

Answering the meteoric surge of interest provoked by the Finnish proposition to experiment with the basic income, the MFRB organized a conference on March third regarding UBI pilot programs and the Finnish Embassy in Paris. This conference was aimed at promoting understanding of the Finnish proposals and its motivations as well as opening the debate about the possibility of starting UBI experiments in France as well.

The conference was organized around four speakers and centered around the basic income and its experiments. The speakers included Olli Kangas, director of the research department of KELA (Finnish Institute of Social Welfare); Martine Alcorta, Aquitaine Limousin Poitou-Charentes regional councilor delegated to social and societal innovation, who aims to test a basic income in her region; Arnauld de l’Épine from Ars Industrialis, an international association for an industrial policy of the spirit technologies (founded by Bernard Stiegler) who said he is in favor of a contributory income; and Jean-Eric Hyafil, co-founder of the MFRB (French Movement for a Basic Income).

This article summarizes the discussions and includes some tweets exchanged during the conference with the hashtag #rdbfinlande.

Finnish experiments will start in 2017

Finland is currently in the process of establishing definitions and studying the feasibility of a basic income experiment. To cope with the complexity of social protection and the risk of poverty traps, a debate on the establishment of a universal income has taken shape in recent years. An intermediate report showing four types of experiments is due to be published in the coming days. Then Finland will choose one of the four experimentation options, which will be presented in the final report this November. The goal is to start the pilots at the beginning of 2017, which will run for a period of two years.

The first proposal offers a basic income distributed to everyone without conditions. The second proposal is a form of unconditional RSA, replacing the current social minima benefit. The third option is creating a basic income through a negative income tax. And the fourth option is left open for now. The questions of the amount of the basic income, the number of participants in the study and the unconditional nature of the benefit are also still under debate. On top of that, there are some additional concerns that must be sorted out, including fear of constitutional litigation or residency requirements. The introduction of the basic income requires a total overhaul of the welfare system, and this generates tension with some groups in society, particularly labor unions, which are major actors in the current system.

In France, a change of paradigm is necessary

Quoting Amartya Sen, who wished that everyone improved their own abilities without being constrained to find a job, Arnauld de l’Epine insisted on the importance of the freedom of choice, referring to the Declaration of Philadelphia or the Community Charter of Fundamental Social Rights of Workers which states that “Every individual shall be free to choose and engage in an occupation according to the regulations governing each occupation.” Building on the report of the French National Council of Digital, introduced in January, which proposed to experiment and study the project of basic income in France, Arnauld de l’Epine then supported the idea of establishing a guaranteed income to deal with automation and the rise of unemployment. The association Ars Industrialis is collaborating with Plaine Commune (agglomerations community of Seine-Saint-Denis) to test a supplemental income targeting young people.

Jean-Éric Hyafil recalled the cross-party nature of the MFRB. In its charter, the MFRB promotes an unconditional basic income without impairing the situation of the helpless or jeopardizing unemployment allowances, retirees or health insurance. Thus, one of the MFRB’s proposals would be to implement a national basic income gradually. The first step could be to implement an allowance like the RSA (French Solidarity Labor Income) for children, then by automation, individualization and finally the universalization of the RSA.

All speakers agreed on the need to experiment with a basic income prior to fully implementing such a policy, mirroring the process in Finland and Netherlands. In France, the experimentation project in Aquitaine is still in its embryonic state. But the agreement signed between EELV (French Ecologists) and the PS (French Socialists) during the last regional elections included the basic income experimentation project. Martine Alcorta stated she needed to study the subject in order to propose an experimentation model. The settings are thus not yet set. Quoting Amartya Sen. “Wealth is the ability to choose your life”, Martine Alcorta showed us her willingness to complete this experimental project.

France could therefore use the Finnish proposal to build its own experimentation, adapting it to the French context. By raising the subject, submitting ideas and reporting the various proposals, this conference gave us the opportunity to highlight the growing debate about the basic income. The MFRB stays at the disposal of all communities that desire to think about this important Twenty First Century idea.

Watch the video of the conference online (with English subtitles): https://youtu.be/mp5h9klZ0gI

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: Unfurling of the world’s biggest poster reading, “What Would You Do if Your Income Were Taken Care of?” May 14, 2016

by | May 3, 2016 | News

"The World's Biggest Question" under construction

“The World’s Biggest Question” under construction

Grundeinkommen has announced that it will unfurl the word’s largest poster with the biggest question in the world on the huge Plainpalais Promenade in Geneva, on May 14th, 2016. The question will ask:

“What Would You Do if Your Income Were Taken Care of?”

The margins of the poster will contain The Biggest Question in the World in over 60 different languages. The unfurling will happen a few weeks before Switzerland goes to the polls on June 4th, 2016 over whether to implement an unconditional basic income.

More than 1,200 people have crowdfunded about 200,000 Euros to have the biggest question in the world printed on the biggest poster in the world. The poster measures approximately 8,000 square meters and weighs about seven tons. These dimensions will exceed the current Guinness World Record for the largest poster to date, as exhibited by Iraqui pilot Fareed Lafta. Representatives from Guinness will be at the scene in Geneva to inspect Grundeinkommen’s bid for the new record.

Volunteers cut up freight truck tarpaulins in the Swiss village of Rüti/Glarus and fused them together to produce individual puzzle segments. In addition they underwent an enormous joint effort to apply the gold letters to a black tarp so that “The Biggest Question in the World” became the biggest poster in the world.

Computer created preview of the poster

Computer created preview of the poster

The world record poster will not be scrapped after the presentation; instead, Grundeinkommen’s partner Swiss Mountain Händ Bägs will rework it into Question Bags, World Record Rucksacks, toiletries bags and other products. These products are now available at the crowdfunding platform Startnext and will later be available at Grundeinkommen’s own Onlineshop.


Date: May 14th, 2016
Place: Geneva, Plaine de Plainpalais (English: Plainpalais Promenade)
Time:  Starting 11:00 AM: Installation of the poster; by around 12:00 noon the poster will be fully unfurled; the event concludes at around 4:00 PM.
Media Contact
– Marilola Wili, E: marilola.wili@grundeinkommen.ch, T: +41 76 201 96 98

For more information
Online
– startnext.com/groesstefrage
– grundeinkommen.ch/

Photos
– Flickr

Video
– Blick
– Tele Bärn
– Startnext

Media
– Schweiz am Sonntag
– Südostschweiz
– enorm
– n-tv

Grundeinkommen Volunteers

Grundeinkommen Volunteers

 

UNITED STATES: My Basic Income to Hold First Drawing

UNITED STATES: My Basic Income to Hold First Drawing

by | May 2, 2016 | News

Earlier this year, Basic Income News reported on the activities of the San Francisco-based My Basic Income team, which successfully crowdfunded a $15,000 no-strings-attached basic income to be awarded to one lucky individual in a raffle.

My Basic Income has now announced that the drawing will take place on May 31 (the following is a press release from the group):

SAN FRANCISCO GROUP IS GIVING AWAY $15,000 TO PROMOTE BASIC INCOME

America’s first crowdfunded Basic Income sweepstakes has launched in San Francisco. On May 31st, the “My Basic Income” team will hold a random drawing to decide who will receive $1,250/month for one year, with no qualifying conditions or strings attached. The goal of the project is to promote and discuss the idea of Universal Basic Income (UBI), and find out how the payment affects people’s lives.

The drawing at www.mybasicincome.org is still open and free for anyone to sign up. Entrants are asked to answer the question “What would you do with your life if your income was guaranteed?” Initial funds for the project were raised on the Indiegogo platform, and the group is now building ongoing support through Patreon. The group will host an event at 111 Minna in San Francisco, though attendance is not required to win.

The SF team was founded at the first Basic Income Create-A-Thon, an event in November 2015 attended by over 80 people. There they were coached by Michael Bohmeyer, a German entrepreneur who created a similar project and has successfully crowdfunded 39 basic incomes so far. The Basic Income concept has grown exponentially in the last year, beginning with a strong internet presence, and several European countries are now conducting pilot experiments. It has recently begun to appear in mainstream news.

Founder Cameron Ottens says “With the automation revolution in full swing, it’s time that we rethink our safety net. Basic Income can give all people the security and resources to innovate and take on more meaningful work.” Historically, variations on the idea of guaranteed income have been promoted both by Martin Luther King Jr. and Milton Friedman for the goals of eliminating poverty and reducing inefficient and dehumanizing government means-testing among many, many others. This cross-partisan support has led Scott Santens, UBI blogger and activist, to coin the phrase “Basic Income isn’t left or right – it’s forward!”

Press Release from My Basic Income

Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (Click the link to see how you too can support my work for Basic Income News.) 

CANADA: Robert-Falcon Ouellette’s petition to study basic income marked by his own childhood

by | Apr 23, 2016 | Opinion

From the Basic Income Canada Network by , on March 29, 2016
Robert-Falcon Ouellette

Robert-Falcon Ouellette

As a youth growing up in Calgary, Robert-Falcon Ouellette remembers being inspired by the 1988 Olympics. Ouellette’s parents struggled financially, and his father was in and out of the picture. But his mother managed enough money so he could enjoy swimming at the City pool where he took to the water “like a fish.”

“I was there as much as possible – I just loved every minute of it,” says Ouellette, who is now Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre.

“Until one day a coach spotted me and invited me to join the University of Calgary swim team.”

The coach talked to both Ouellette and his mother, but the cost was a couple thousand dollars per year. He remembers the coach telling his mom that her son had great natural talent which should be developed. But the financial barrier was too severe for the family. In fact, even the visits to the City pool for leisure swimming soon stopped, also for financial reasons.

“That was a real dream of mine,” says Ouellette. “I’m still marked by it.”

Ouellette, who has gone hungry before as a youth and even spent one summer homeless, says he is sure there are many stories like this that have played out similarly across Canada, many much worse than his. Persistent poverty and lost opportunities are the kinds of things he suspects would dramatically be reduced if Canada had a basic income.

A basic income guarantee can take different forms but it is generally understood to ensure everyone an income that is sufficient to meet their basic needs, regardless of work status. The rookie MP is determined to have empirical evidence of how such a social policy change might benefit Canadian families, by establishing basic income pilot projects in the country.

His determination to have data undoubtedly comes from his depth of education. Ouellette is something of a Renaissance man, with degrees in music, education, and a PhD in anthropology. He also has 19 years under his belt with the Canadian Armed Forces, retiring from the Royal Canadian Navy with the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class. Even now, he remains a part of the naval reserve.

The MP, who serves on the House of Commons’ finance committee, recently invited Professor Evelyn Forget to Ottawa to make a presentation because he wants his Party to consider testing the idea in a few regions across Canada, including rural, urban, and on a First Nations’ reserve. Forget was the researcher who unearthed promising data from the well-known Mincome experiment, which ran from 1974 through 1978 and which helped establish a minimum income for about a third of the people who lived there.

Forget dug up the records from the period and found there were fewer emergency room visits and less recorded incidents of domestic abuse. As well, less people sought treatment for mental health issues and more high school students continued on to finish Grade 12 to graduate.

When she appeared before the committee, Forget recommended a basic income of $18,000 per year. It would be paid, when necessary, by using the existing federal tax system. People could still earn money over and above this basic income but Forget recommends it be taxed back at a rate of 50 per cent on each dollar earned over $18,000.

When he was running for a seat in the federal election, Ouellette actually met a woman in a working class neighbourhood of Winnipeg who had been a participant in the Mincome experiment. It was a story Ouellette found inspiring. The Mincome money she received allowed her to go back to school to finish her education while she raised her three sons. Today, two of her sons have their Masters degrees, with one working for the City of Winnipeg and the other for Manitoba Hydro. The third son owns his own business.

“Here’s a single mom who was always just trying to get ahead. She now owns her own, small home and she helped her sons do well. That’s the hope for basic income – that’s why it deserves to be tested,” says the MP.

To that end, Ouellette has sponsored an online petition here to bring pressure and attention to this issue for his own government to support further study. He will likely have some high level supporters in Ottawa. Jean-Yves Duclos, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, stated to several media outlets that a guaranteed minimum income is a policy with merit for discussion. As well, Senator Art Eggleton, has just called on the federal government to launch a basic income pilot.

Quebec has strongly signalled its interest in turning their existing income support tools in the direction of a basic income guarantee and Ontario recently announced it would fund a basic income pilot in an undisclosed location.

“We often hear poor people just make bad choices. Sometimes societies make those choices for us, though. If we have a society that supposedly believes in meritocracy without opportunity, then you don’t have a society of merit you have one of privilege,” he says.

“And as a society we just might be losing out.”

Does the Basic Income overlook disabled individuals?

Does the Basic Income overlook disabled individuals?

by | Apr 18, 2016 | Opinion

Just because someone is disabled doesn’t mean they’re any less of a person. Most disabled individuals can still work jobs, get into Disabled Dating, have families, go places, etc. However, society has a tendency to discriminate against them and doesn’t offer disabled the same treatment as able-bodied individuals. Is basic income guilty of this too? That’s what we shall be discussing in this article.

The Universal Basic Income movement continues to pick up steam around the world, with reports that Finland is interested in starting its own UBI pilot program, joining a growing list of countries around the world. Still, many important questions surround the details of a basic income system.

One criticism raised even by some supporters is that many recent discussions of the UBI have overlooked the disabled and chronically ill. This is not the first case of discrimination against people with disabilities to affect the U.S financial system. While disabled people are always able to take out disability insurance from somewhere like https://www.leveragerx.com, there is no reason why they should be left out of the Universal Basic Income plan.

For example, in its groundbreaking UBI report the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) mentioned disability only to say specific benefits for the disabled were excluded from its model. This is something very important to the disabled community, many of whom click here to get information about their long-term options.

This silence has led some commentators to be skeptical of the UBI’s ability to accommodate the specific needs of disabled individuals. In an article recently published in the Independent, one critic worried that a basic income would either be too low to assist the disabled or too high to be affordable.

Critics are right to point out those who need special assistance are an important consideration when constructing a UBI scheme.

Fortunately, there are ways to integrate these concerns into UBI models while largely retaining the program’s simplicity.

For instance, an additional supplement for the disabled could be granted based on the severity of the disability. The current structure and eligibility requirements for disability insurance from the U.S. Social Service Administration could be utilized to determine the amount of additional aid.

There are three potential options for such a supplement:

  • Provide a simple cash transfer that will allow the individual to spend the money accordingly.
  • Provide a cash transfer to an account modeled on the Health Savings Account (HAS) structure. HSAs restrict account purchases to medicinal goods and services, but an individual can generally purchase these goods and services from any provider they see fit. This structure may capture the best of both worlds; it would prevent fraud given that those who are not truly disabled would be unlikely to apply for a supplement that is restricted to purchasing goods and services needed for disabled individuals, while also retaining account holders’ flexibility in choice of private providers.
  • Expand in-kind services that cater to disabled individuals. While specific in-kind services that should be expanded are beyond the scope of this article, it is almost certain that existing federal and state services for the disabled would not be altered if a UBI was implemented.

Regardless of which option is chosen, none of them make the UBI “utopian” as some critics have recently charged. By adapting existing governmental structures, policymakers can create a UBI while also making special accommodations for those citizens who do need additional supplements to the basic income. Such a system would still be much simpler than the existing structures of government assistance. In the United States, for instance, the vast majority of the current social services bureaucracy could be eliminated and replaced with a streamlined system that looks at only age and health/disability status to determine the size of the benefit. In fact, for those with invisible disabilities, a UBI would likely be a vast improvement to the current situation.

So far, critics have come up short in offering compelling reasons why accommodating those with special needs will drastically undermine the efficacy of UBI models. Nonetheless, they do raise an important concern, and the UBI movement must make room for discussion regarding how to integrate these needs into the basic income.