by Guest Contributor | Jul 23, 2016 | News
The Government of Ontario is moving to undertake a basic income pilot project. In recent weeks it has been receiving expert information and advice, for example from Jurgen De Wispelaere (formerly on the Board of Basic Income Canada Network and now a member of its new Advisory Council). On May 26th De Wispelaere presented to the government’s Deputy Ministers Social Policy Committee.
Two of the most knowledgeable experts concerning the Manitoba Mincome experiment of the 1970s are its former executive director, Dr. Ron Hikel, and University of Manitoba economist and researcher Dr. Evelyn Forget. At the recent North American Basic Income Congress in Winnipeg, Dr. Hikel spoke about Mincome and lessons learned that could be applied to the Ontario pilot. I also recommend watching Dr. Forget’s appearance on June 13th on Steve Paikin’s program, The Agenda: the 17 minute video reflects Evelyn’s sweeping knowledge of the history and results of Mincome.
Another encouraging sign of the Ontario government’s seriousness behind giving basic income a try was its appointment last month of the Hon. Hugh Segal as the pilot’s special advisor. A trailblazer for basic income in Canada over the past 40 years, Mr. Segal will now “deliver a discussion paper to the province by the fall to help inform the design and implementation of the pilot….The discussion paper will include advice about potential criteria for selecting target populations and/or locations, delivery models and advice about how the province could evaluate the results of the basic income pilot” (source).
Ontario’s Premier, the Hon. Kathleen Wynne, has publicly recognized that Ontario needs to investigate basic income as an alternative to welfare. Among welfare’s many problems: its profound stigmatization of “clients” of the system. And on that, I recommend David Calnitsky’s fine academic paper exploring the non-stigmatizing effects of Manitoba Mincome.
by Rob Rainer
Basic Income Advocate and Member, Advisory Council of Basic Income Canada Network
by Kate McFarland | Jul 9, 2016 | News
The first Nordic conference on basic income pilots will be held at Christiansborg, the Danish parliament building, in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 22-23, 2016.
The conference will include general discussion of the design, implementation, and analysis of basic income experiments — with its website containing useful background information about past basic income experiments — as well as the application of these ideas to the Nordic Model.
Complete programs for Thursday, September 22 and Friday, September 23, including abstracts for each of the talks,are available on the conference website, as are brief bios of the speakers. On Thursday evening, the conference will feature a special dinner with entertainment provided by Zirkus Orchestra.
Registration to attend either or both days of the event, and (optionally) the dinner and concert, is currently open.
The event is being hosted by BIEN Denmark, the Danish branch of the Basic Income Earth Network, in collaboration with the political party The Alternative (“an international political party for those who want to work for a sustainable, democratic, socially just and entrepreneurial world”), and in association with Unconditional Basic Income Europe.
The Nordic Conference on Basic Income Pilots will be Denmark’s main event in honor the Ninth International Basic Income Week, September 19-25.
Picture of Christiansborg CC Julian Herzog
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (To see how you too can support my work for Basic Income News, click the link.)
by Guest Contributor | Jun 25, 2016 | Opinion
Dear friends,
The basic income movement is picking up momentum at an enormous rate, but even with past and present trials, many are still looking for further evidence of what would happen if a guaranteed income were provided over the long-term.
So we’re planning to run what will likely be the largest long-term pilot of a basic income ever, and we have got some of the world’s leading economists on board to perform a rigorous evaluation.
You can learn more and join the pilot here.
For years, GiveDirectly has been providing short-term cash transfers to the extreme poor and seeing positive results — people do not stop working or drink it away, they invest in bettering their lives. If this basic income pilot shows similarly positive results, it could open the door to governments around the world beginning to adopt policies like basic income.
But we need to move fast — the debate over basic income is happening now and people are shooting down the idea based on speculation. If we are going to provide evidence in time to effect this debate, we need to launch the pilot this year. We will guarantee thousands of individuals living in extreme poverty in East Africa a basic income for over ten years, but we will have results on impact — do people invest more, seek more education, become more creative? — within a year or two.
But to launch this year all of us need to chip in a small amount — we can make it happen for less than the price of a cup of coffee per day:
Learn more about our project and, for just $1 per day, support the basic income of one person in poverty.
At best, we will break through the impasse of the basic income debate with evidence that shapes our economic futures; and at worst, we will provide life-changing aid to some of the poorest people on the planet.
We are teaming up with leading researcher Abhijit Banerjee from MIT and have calculated that we can run and study this pilot for $30 million, and we are willing to match the first $10 million donated. If just 5,000 people commit $1/day by this summer, we can make it happen.
Join us: for just $1 per day, support the basic income of one person in poverty.
This is the moment to launch this potentially historic pilot. Be a part and join now.
Sincerely,
Ian Bassin
At the home of Caroline Awino Odhiambo in Koga village on 22 October 2014. With the cash transfer from Give Directly, Caroline bought a cow, a sewing machine, put metal sheets on her roof, and paid school fees for two children in primary school. Caroline and her family in front of their house
At the home of Beatrice Achieng in Nduru Upper village. She used the cash transfer from Give Directly to dig a 30-foot borehole that now supplies her family with fresh water. She also build the foundation for a new house on her compound. Beatrice fetches water at the borehole.
At the home of recipient Rispa Atieno Okoyo in Koga village on 22 October 2014. Rispa used the cash to build this goat pen, she bought 2 cows, and planted maize and beans. Rispa with her children in front of their house.
At the home of recipient Gabriel Otieno Awoche in Koga village on 22 October 2014. Gabriel built a house and chicken coop with the cash. He also bought woodworking tools for his furniture workshop. Gabriel with his wife Lucy Adhiambo and their daughter Charlotte, 3. They also have another daughter, Mariam, age 1 1/2.
by Kate McFarland | Jun 1, 2016 | News
Last January, the Silicon Valley start-up incubator Y Combinator released a Request for Research on the effects of a basic income. Over 1000 people applied to lead Y Combinator’s proposed experiment.
In a blog post on Tuesday, May 31, company president Sam Altman revealed the identity of the chosen Research Director — Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes, who recently completed a PhD in Social Work and Political Science at the University of Michigan — and announced plans for a short-term pilot study in Oakland.
According to a report in CNN Money, the research team at Y Combinator has not yet determined who will participate in the pilot or how much money each will receive, but it places the amount between $1,000 and $2,000 per month.
About the Oakland pilot, Altman says, “Our goal will be to prepare for the longer-term study by working on our methods–how to pay people, how to collect data, how to randomly choose a sample, etc.”
He goes on:
In our pilot, the income will be unconditional; we’re going to give it to participants for the duration of the study, no matter what. People will be able to volunteer, work, not work, move to another country—anything. We hope basic income promotes freedom, and we want to see how people experience that freedom.
If the pilot goes well, we plan to follow up with the main study. If the pilot doesn’t go well, we’ll consider different approaches.
Altman’s announcement produced a flurry of interest almost immediately. Within hours, the news had been covered in CNN Money, Vice’s Motherboard, Fortune, Tech Insider, and Tech Crunch, among other media outlets. (See below for links.)
Y Combinator President Sam Altman
Photo Credit: TechCrunch via flickr
References
Sam Altman, “Moving Forward on Basic Income,” Y Combinator Posthaven.
Kate Conger, “Y Combinator announces basic income pilot experiment in Oakland,” Tech Crunch, May 31, 2016.
Jason Koebler, “100 People in Oakland Will Get Free Money as Part of a Basic Income Experiment,” Motherboard, May 31, 2016.
Kia Kokalitcheva, “Y Combinator Wants to Test a Revolutionary Economic Idea,” Fortune, May 31, 2016.
Sara Ashley O’Brien, “Why some Oakland residents won’t have to worry about rent,” CNN Money, May 31, 2016.
Chris Weller, “Silicon Valley’s biggest startup accelerator just announced the leader of its groundbreaking basic income experiment,” Tech Insider, May 31, 2016.
Photo of Oakland (Upper Rockridge neighborhood) CC rbotman1, Wikimedia Commons
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (To see how you too can support my work for Basic Income News, click the link.)
by Kate McFarland | Apr 20, 2016 | News
Fort Portal CC Enzinho83 (Flickr)
Beginning in January 2017, the non-profit organization Eight will be awarding a basic income to all 50 households in a village in the Fort Portal region of Uganda.
The two-year project will be the basis of a scientific report as well as a documentary film, Village One.
Eight (so-named because 8 euros a week provides a basic income for one adult and two children in Uganda) was founded by Maarten Goethals, who has 14 years experience in development cooperation, and director and filmmaker Steven Janssens.
More information, including a short video introducing the project, is available here.
Eight is also on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon. (Click the link to see how you too can support my work for Basic Income News.)
