by Josh Martin | Aug 7, 2014 | Research
[Josh Martin]
Huemer provides the first response to Zwolinski’s lead essay in the Cato Unbound debate on the basic income. Coming from an anarchist-libertarian perspective, Huemer’s main arguments against a basic income are against governments in general. His line of thought is the following:
1) A basic income guarantee is permissible only if the state has political authority.
2) No one has political authority.
3) Therefore, a basic income guarantee is impermissible.
Huemer then entrenches himself deeper within this anarchist philosophy by arguing that the government cannot assume a continuity of obligations from their new taxpayers to, in fact, pay taxes. Thus, a government cannot impose a basic income upon its citizens since they have not consented to be governed. Lastly, Huemer discusses the argument that a basic income would promote individual freedom. Huemer claims that imposing a basic income would instead infringe on some freedoms to give freedom to others, which he believes is against the one true libertarian philosophy where every freedom must be protected, even if infringing on one freedom might provide much more freedom as a consequence. All in all, Huemer’s response comes from an uncompromising libertarian view of the welfare state, where the only possible form of the welfare state is a nonexistent one.
Michael Huemer, “Is a Basic Income Permissible?”, Cato Unbound, 6 August 2014.
Cato Unbound is hosting a month-long discussion on "The Basic Income and the Welfare State"
by Josh Martin | Jul 15, 2014 | News
[Josh Martin]
The 2014 BIEN International Congress took place in Montreal at McGill University from June 27 to June 29. Among the hundreds of attendees were academics from a variety of disciplines—economics, social work, development studies, philosophy, and many others—as well as community activists, politicians, and others simply interested in the idea of a basic income for all. The Congress generated press around the world for a few major reasons: some of the attendees started an international youth activist organization for the basic income, numerous papers were presented on the basic income, and, most significantly, the Basic Income Canada Network furthered its push for a $20,000 basic income for all Canadians.
Here are some of the news stories run around the world about the Congress:
Ahn Hyo-sang, “[Special report] Basic income movement gaining momentum worldwide.” The Hankyoreh, July12, 2014.
Benjamin Shingler, “$20,000 per person: Activists push for guaranteed minimum income for Canadians” The Globe and Mail, 29 June 2014.
The Canadian Press, “Guaranteed $20K income for all Canadians endorsed by academics”, CBC News, 30 June 2014.
Beryl Wajsman, “The fierce urgency for a guaranteed national income”, The Metropolitain, 30 June 2014.
Dan Delmar, “The Exchange Podcast with Dan Delmar,” CJAD 800AM Radio, 2 July 2014. [Discussion of BIG begins about 18 minutes into the broadcast.]
Mélanie Loisel, “Le revenu garanti est la voie de l’avenir, croit Blais”, Le Devoir, 30 June 2014.
Deirdre Fulton, “New Campaign Pushes for ‘Basic Income Guarantee’ in Canada“, Common Dreams, 3 July 2014.
Jacob Kearey-Moreland, “Universal Income Worth a Look”, Orilla Packet, 4 July 2014.
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 26, 2014 | News
Street art in Boulevard Saint Laurent, Labrona -Basic Income Canada Network
The Basic Income Earth Network’s (BIEN’s) 15th International Congress gets underway today, June 26, 2014 with the pre-conference day dedicated to the 13th Annual North American Basic Income Guarantee (NABIG) Congress, a joint meeting of the Basic Income Canada Network and the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network. The NABIG Day is focusing on strategies to activate and implement a basic income policy in Canadian and United States jurisdictions.
The BIEN Congress is the oldest and largest basic income conference in the world. He has taken place every two years since 1986, when it was known as the Basic Income European Network Congress. It expanded to become the Basic Income Earth Network Congress in 2004. This year’s Congress takes place at McGill University in Montreal under the theme of “Re-democratizing the Economy.” The registration has sold out with about 250 attendees. Participants will be discussing all aspects of BIG from the effects in terms of economics, philosophy, and sociology to the effort to build a successful political movement for BIG.
The 15th International Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress will take place on 27-29 June 2014 in Montreal. The Congress brings together academics, activists, policy makers, political representatives, NGOs, and interested members of the general public to discuss and debate how introducing a universal and unconditional basic income relates.
Click here for more information on the BIEN and the NABIG Congresses.
See also the following article from the Montreal Gazette:
Peggy Curran, “Idea of flat income to be hot topic at McGill on Friday,” The Gazette [Montreal, Quebec, Canada], June 26, 2014.
On Friday, more than 100 academics, economists and activists for social change from around the world will gather at McGill University’s Law Faculty for the 15th International BIEN Congress. -Photograph by: Aaron Lynett , Postmedia News, via the Gazette
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 26, 2014 | News
Roberto Gargarella
[Jason Burke Murphy]
Speaking at the BIEN congress will be Roberto Gargarella. He is Professor of Constitutional Theory and Political Philosophy at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He will shortly take up a post as Leverhulme Trust Visiting Fellow at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. He is an expert on comparative constitutional political theory.
The Basic Income Earth Network Congress will be held in Montreal from June 26th through 29th. For more information on Roberto Gargarella, go to: https://biencanada.ca/congress/keynote-speakers – roberto.
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 10, 2014 | Research
Karl Widerquist
ABSTRACT: This paper discusses strategies for providing a social safety net and argues that the Basic Income Grant (BIG) is the best way forward for Namibia. BIG is a regular, unconditional income given to all individuals as a right of citizenship. This paper draws on international experience from countries (such as the United States, Brazil, India, Kenya, and others) that have experimented with BIG or employed some form of cash transfer. It compares these experiences with the more traditional targeted approach, in which recipients are required to work unless they can show they are unable to work or unable to find work. It discusses the successes and weaknesses of various approaches and the pros and cons of implementing unconditional cash transfers versus targeted programs. It assesses the potential financing of a fiscally sustainable BIG and the impact of BIG on poverty and inequality for Namibia.
Karl Widerquist is an Associate Professor at SFS-Qatar, Georgetown University. He holds two doctorates—one in Political Theory from Oxford University (2006) and one in Economics from the City University of New York (1996). He was a founding editor of the journal Basic Income Studies. He has published articles in journals such as Political Studies; the Eastern Economic Journal; Politics and Society; and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. He has published six books including: Independence, Propertylessless, and Basic Income: A theory of freedom as the power to say no (author), Basic Income: An Anthology of Contemporary Research (co-editor); and Exporting the Alaska Model: Adapting the Permanent Fund Dividend for Reform around the World.
Karl Widerquist, “The Basic Income Grant as Social Safety Net for Namibia: Experience and lessons from around the world,” in Social safety nets in Namibia: Assessing current programmes and future options, Research Department of the Bank of Namibia (editor), Windhoek, Namibia: Bank of Namibia, September 26, 2013, pp. 43-67
