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 24th BIEN CONGRESS in Maricá & Niterói – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 27-29 August 2025
Linkedin, Instagram, X – biencongress25 (at) gmail [dot] com
BIEN2024 was August 29–31 (Pictures and more coming soon)
Recent News, Opinion, and Research
Henry Hazlitt, “Incentives, Income, and Welfare.”
SUMMARY: This article argues that basic income is bad for the poor and for the economy in general. The author writes, “I have already pointed out how the guaranteed income plan, if adopted in the form that its advocates propose, would lead to wholesale idleness and...
Bob Adelmann, "President Proposes Doubling Tax Subsidy for the Poor"
[Craig Axford] SUMMARY: In this blog post, author Bob Adelmann offers a critique of President Obama's proposal to double the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program. The EITC was modeled after economist Milton Friedman's "negative income tax" idea. Currently the...
OPINION: A report on a Citizen’s Income meeting at the Scottish Parliament
A seminar and round-table discussion entitled ‘Beyond Welfare Reform to a Citizen’s Income: the desirability and feasibility of a CI scheme’, was hosted by Jim Eadie, Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) on Wednesday 15 January at the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Over 60 people attended, including four other MSPs and some Parliamentary Assistants. The majority of the participants were employees and activists in the Voluntary Sector, together with representatives from several Scottish churches, civil servants, academics, and some private individuals.
VIDEO: “Room for Discussion presents: The Universal Basic Income with Guy Standing and Paul de Beer.”
On April 9, Room for Discussion hosted a special session about the Universal Basic Income. With guests Guy Standing (University of London) and Paul de Beer (University of Amsterdam), interviewers, Donald Kreiken and Alwin Lijdsman discussed the pro's and con's of the...
John Harris, “The Tories own the future – the left is trapped in the past”
In this comment piece, John Harris of the Guardian suggests that the demand for a basic income should form a part of new centre-left political agenda better suited to the changed social and economic territory of the twenty-first century. John Harris, “The Tories own...
Matt Bruenig, “On Piketty's Capital: The Sovereign Wealth Fund Solution.”
SUMMARY: This article discusses the problems of wealth inequality discussed in Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Bruening suggests that a progressive wealth tax put into a sovereign wealth fund paying out a basic income should be a frontrunner as a...
Stuart White and Niki Seth-Smith, Democratic Wealth: Building a Citizens’ Economy (E-book).
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Democratic Wealth is a collection of essays that challenges the poverty of thinking around economic policy, particularly after the 2007 financial crash. It explores the renewed interest in republicanism and suggests this as a framework to shape an...
J. Hughes, “Embrace the End of Work”
J. Hughes, “Embrace the End of Work”, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, 24th February 2004.
Matt Bruenig, “A Cherokee Tribe's Basic Income Success Story.”
SUMMARY: This article uses the “surprising” results of Cherokee basic income to take a look at the convention (and conservative) approach to poverty. The author argues, “almost every single anti-poverty effort is supposed to work this exact same way … by increasing...
Rebecca Rojer, “The World According to Modern Monetary Theory.”
This article discusses “Modern Monetary Theory” (MMT), an economic school of thought within the Post Keynesian tradition. Most MMT theorists favor a government guaranteed job. This essay discusses the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) as an alternative. Some MMT theorists...
Malcolm Henry, “How To Fund A Universal Basic Income (Without Scaring The Horses)”
Malcolm Henry, “How To Fund A Universal Basic Income (Without Scaring The Horses)”, Basic Income UK: Towards an emancipatory welfare, 11th February 2014.
Ryan Cooper, “A Simple Way to Ease Our Economic Woes: Give Every American $2,000.”
SUMMARY: Although this article doesn’t mention basic income by name, it argues that direct payments are a powerful tool to combat income inequality and crippling unemployment. Ryan Cooper, “A Simple Way to Ease Our Economic Woes: Give Every American $2,000.”...