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
Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net
by Jennifer Ludden Photo by Frugal Flyer on Unsplash Christopher Santiago recalls being skeptical the first time he heard about basic income — giving people cash with no conditions on how to spend it. It was 2020, when presidential candidate Andrew Yang pitched it for...
BIEN 2024 Congress: Call for Papers
"BIEN 2024 is focused on basic income’s potential as a tool for social transformation towards an economically just, politically inclusive and ecologically sustainable world. The Congress theme is thus about constructing a transformative vision of society – built on...
New book on UBI by Karl Widerquist
The growing movement for universal basic income (UBI) has been gaining attention from politics and the media with the audacious idea of a regular, unconditional cash grant for everyone as a right of citizenship. This volume in the Essential Knowledge series from MIT...
Convocatoria abierta: 1er Congreso Latinoamericano de Renta Básica Universal Incondicional
Entre los días 17 y 19 de julio, en San José de Costa Rica, se llevará a cabo el primer Congreso Latinoamericano de Renta Básica Universal Incondicional. Se recibirán ponencias hasta el 12 de abril. El formato será híbrido, con modalidad presencial y también online....
Bath UBI Beacon and India Basic Income Network Session, 21st March 4-6pm (Paris)
"For this session, we will be in discussion with Vibhor Mathur. Vibhor is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Bath and is a UK and Research Associate at University of Cardiff, UK. Vibhor studies the transformative potential of basic income through pilots and...
The Debate Over the Definition of Basic Income – Online Forum
Karl Widerquist will present his new article “the Debate Over the Definition of Basic Income,” via zoom in an online open forum of BIEN’s Working Group on the Clarification of the Definition of Basic Income on March 13 in some time zones and March 14 in others:Central...
Taiwan delegation learns from Boston UBI initiatives
The Youth Leadership Council of UBI Taiwan concluded a visit to Boston, Massachusetts, showcasing their projects promoting basic income. The delegation, composed of high school students from Taiwan, engaged in a series of meetings with local leaders and organizations...
New article about the effort to ban basic income pilots in the U.S. and who’s behind it
Image credit: Scott Santens and Midjourney v6 The Foundation for Government Accountability - a Florida-based lobbying group backed by the richest 1% - is working to get basic income experiments banned by state legislators across the U.S. As a well-known quote often...
New Study on a European UBI
Financed by the European Parliament and written by three Catalonian economists, "The fundamental part of this research means to answer the following question: can UBI be financed by the EU? And more specifically, to answer the key question of how it can be financed,...
Eight BIEN Podcasts Now Available on YouTube
BIEN has issued eight approximately one-hour podcasts that are now available on YouTube, and more will be put out in the future. The latest is an interview with Jurgen De Wispelaere by Ahmed ElBas where they discuss various topics and take a look at Latin America for...
New Book on UBI: Unconditional Freedom
"As the rich get richer and take more of our wealth, our democratic freedoms are also in danger. The elite are gaining large profits without contributing back to society, hollowing out our public services and institutions and preventing the vast majority of us from...
Launch of new report titled “The Economics of Implementing Basic Income in South Africa”
"Exciting news! The Social Policy Initiative (SPI) is thrilled to share a groundbreaking new report titled "The Economics of Implementing Basic Income in South Africa." This research, authored by renowned financial journalist Duma Gqubule, explores the potential...