A Basic Income is a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement.
The Royal Society of Arts Explains: [2 minutes]
BIEN Congresses
The next annual BIEN Congress will occur in Wrocław, Poland on 15-17th July 2027 https://biencongress2027.org/
The theme will be Basic Income and the Spirit of Solidarity: Pathways to Justice and Equality. Call for papers will be up soon.
The last annual BIEN Congress occurred August 19th-22th at the Toronto Metropolitan University.
See pictures from the 24th BIEN CONGRESS in Maricá & Niterói here.
Recent News, Opinion, and Research
Monthly payments of $1,000 could get thousands of Los Angeles homeless people off the streets, researchers say
"A monthly payment of $750 to $1,000 would allow thousands of the city’s homeless people to find informal housing, living in boarding homes, in shared apartments and with family and friends, according to a policy brief by four prominent Los Angeles academics." To read...
Basic Income to be discussed July 20 at Festival of Ideas, Unicamp, Campinas, Brazil
Panel 9 Universal basic income and the future of social policy in the global south [Interpretation into English and Portuguese, No Spanish]Venue: Fausto CastilhoModerator: Leandro Ferreira, Head of Brazilian Basic IncomeNetworkSpeakers: Eduardo Suplicy, State Deputy...
Denver Basic Income Project Releases Year One Research Report
Photo: Armando GeneyroNote: The use of the term Basic Income in this article does not conform to BIEN's definition.Denver Basic Income Project (DBIP) has released the results its Year One quantitative and quantitative findings. What the research has discovered...
Webinar: Towards a Universal Basic Dividend – 12:00 CEST June 13
Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity introduces Citizen Funds and a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) as bold proposals to reduce inequality, increase wellbeing, and boost creativity and innovation in a time of social and economic upheaval. This...
Billionaire backlash shows the power of basic income
"Last month, the US state of Iowa enacted a law banning local governments from adopting basic income programmes. This follows similar developments in Arkansas, Idaho, and South Dakota. In Texas, after lawmakers failed to get their own such law adopted, the state’s...
What can be learned from Australia’s natural experiment with basic income during COVID-19?
Photo by Amber Weir on Unsplash Abstract: "The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread social and economic policy experimentation as governments sought to protect household finances while locking down economies. Cash transfers emerged as one of the most popular policy...
An article to better inform the debate about the amount of UBI
Because Elon Musk has decided to start talking about a concept he refers to as "universal high income" as being different and seemingly better than universal basic income, I feel the need to set the record straight here. Simply put, universal high income is a...
Basic Income for the Arts in Ireland – What have We Learned after 20 months?
This is to announce the fourth in a special series of discussions dedicated to reflecting on what we can learn from the Irish Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme, as it unfolds.The Government of Ireland is running a Basic Income pilot that began in September 2022....
We’ll need universal basic income – AI ‘godfather’
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash "The computer scientist regarded as the “godfather of artificial intelligence” says the government will have to establish a universal basic income to deal with the impact of AI on inequality. Professor Geoffrey Hinton told...
Emergency basic income: Distraction or Opportunity – May 16th at 4pm
Jurgen De Wispelaere and Francesca Bastagli will explore the implications of Emergency Basic Income (EBI) for social protection systems and its relationship to Universal Basic Income (UBI). They will examine whether EBI can be integrated into existing programs,...
Rentier Capitalism, the Precariat and Basic Income for China
Throughout history, capitalism has evolved, changing character and changing the class structure defining each era. The changes in the 20th century can be understood by reference to what Karl Polanyi called the Great Transformation. Briefly, in his formulation, in the 19th century, mainly in Britain, there was an initial period in the evolution of industrial capitalism that was dominated by financial capital, in which old systems of distribution, regulation and social protection were dismantled, in what we would call the pursuit of a ‘free market economy’.
11 U.S. states with guaranteed basic-income programs
Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash Note: These pilot programs do not meet BIEN's definition of basic income. "Ingrid Sullivan, 48, used her cash from the San Antonio guaranteed basic-income program to rent a home where her grandchildren can play in the yard....