by Craig Axford | Jul 14, 2014 | Opinion
During the 2014 elections for the European Parliament, the Basic Income Earth Network, at the request of its partner, Unconditional Basic Income Europe, signed an open letter to all candidates for the European parliament. The full text of the open letter follows.
Open Letter To All Candidates For The European Parliament
Given the commitment by the EU to reduce poverty by 20 million by 2020, most people want to know: What will you do to deliver results for people in the European Union? Did you know that according to the most recent data available, around one fourth of the EU population, that is about 120 million people, are at risk of poverty? However, given the prolonged economic crisis since 2008 and increasing automation of production permanently eliminating many jobs, there are reasons to believe that the situation will get even worse in the future if nothing changes.
Unconditional Basic Income Europe, which represents basic income networks and organisations in 25 EU countries, along with Basic Income Earth Network, with members all around the globe, would like to underline the current threat which income inequality represents to a peaceful, democratic and social Europe. Therefore we expect our newly elected representatives to support those strategies which will promote social cohesion and ensure sustainable and inclusive development in Europe. Our representatives should see the crisis as a wake-up call.
Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) is an amount of money, paid on a regular basis to each individual unconditionally and universally, high enough to ensure a material existence and participation in society. It differs from traditional guaranteed minimum income (GMI) / social security schemes by removing the bureaucracy and its costs as well as the stigma of means-testing. UBI also eliminates the disincentive to work caused by the high marginal tax rates (65-95%) imposed by these schemes.
Pilot studies throughout the world have proved that UBI is a far more effective tool for reducing poverty and inequality than traditional social security schemes and subsidies, with more positive effects on local economies, health, societal cohesion, public safety and education. An unconditional basic income implemented throughout Europe could also reduce tensions created by intra-EU immigration forced by lack of economic opportunity. It may seem like a radical proposal, but the current ‘business as usual’ attitude is not sustainable and endangers the EU itself.
We expect our representatives and the European Commission to take further serious and practical steps on the European Parliament resolution 2010/2039(INI) of 20 October 2010 on the role of minimum income in combating poverty and promoting an inclusive society in Europe.
Considering that the unemployment rate will gradually increase due to technological advancement while productivity increases, ordinary Guaranteed Minimum Income schemes are becoming less and less effective, leading to rising inequality and social exclusion – all these lead to conclusion that we need culture change to tackle these problems. If you are elected, will you raise a debate about unconditional basic income in the European Parliament and will you stand for implementing it in the EU?
The 9th of May is celebrated as Europe Day because of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman. He had a strong vision of a Europe which was peaceful and prosperous for everybody without exception. Europe has become peaceful and prosperous, but not for everybody. Let´s finish the job Robert Schuman has started. What are we waiting for?
Undersigned by:
Unconditional Basic Income Europe
Basic Income Earth Network
The open letter was originally posted at: https://one-europe.info/initiative/open-letter-to-all-candidates-for-the-european-parliament
Sources about poverty in Europe and Unconditional Basic Income:
Ending Poverty is a Political Choice! https://www.eapn.eu/en/news-and-publications/press-room/eapn-press-releases/ending-poverty-is-a-political-choice
Short movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zru79jcVTt4
Recent interview with Prof. Philippe van Parijs, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL): “Van Parijs: An unconditional basic income in Europe will help end the crisis“ https://www.euractiv.com/sections/social-europe-jobs/van-parijs-unconditional-basic-income-europe-will-help-end-crisis-301503
For more profound insight, please watch the movie “Basic Income – a Cultural Impulse“ https://dotsub.com/view/26520150-1acc-4fd0-9acd-169d95c9abe1
Unconditional Basic Income Europe: https://basicincome-europe.org/
Basic Income Earth Network: https://basicincome.org
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 1, 2014 | Research
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since its formulation by the Collectif Charles Fourier in 1984, the idea of allocation universelle / basic income / citizens income has produced a deep debate and obtaining consensus from intellectuals, philosophers and politicians of very different frameworks. The international literature on the subject shows the existence of a kind of theoretical agreement that, with suitable expression, Rawls has defined as overlapping consensus. In front of the social and economic changes and the ideological and economical crisis of the welfare state, this paper highlights the importance to reshape the social policies trough a broad consensus, wider of the one that a political majority can offer. A reformation of the existing guarantees of social rights need a policy that can be sustained from ( and continuing to embrace) different views of the world. The basic income, this beautiful, disarmingly, simple idea (to use the words of Philippe Van Parijs) , already obtained a discreet theoretical overlapping consensus and it is possible – for the author desirable – that it will soon carry around such a consensus on the more concrete level of political decision.
ITALIAN ABSTRACT: Sin dalla sua formulazione da parte del Collectif Charles Fourier nel 1984, l’idea di allocation universelle / basic income / reddito di base / reddito minimo universale ha pro- dotto intorno a sé un dibattito sempre più ampio e un consenso variegato da parte di intellettuali, filosofi e politici che pure si richiamano a quadri concettuali, mo- delli valoriali e dottrine comprensive a volte molto diverse tra loro. La letteratura internazionale sul tema mostra l’esistenza di un dibattito poco noto in Italia, dibat- tito nel quale è possibile riscontrare, almeno a livello teorico, ampie convergenze raggiunte a partire da valutazioni ideali differenti. Una forma di accordo che, con felice espressione, Rawls ha definito overlapping consensus, cioè consenso per intersezio- ne. Questo lavoro cercherà di evidenziare come, davanti agli importanti mutamenti sociali ed economici degli ultimi anni, la crisi ideologica e ideale del welfare state richieda un ripensamento delle forme di garanzia dei diritti sociali per il quale è necessario un ampio e trasversale consenso attorno a una policy che possa essere sostenuta proprio a partire da (e continuando ad abbracciare) visioni del mondo differenti. Il reddito di base, questa beautiful, disarmigly, simple idea (per usare le pa- role di Philippe Van Parijs), può già vantare a livello teorico un discreto overlapping consensus, ed è possibile – per l’autore auspicabile – che esso possa presto convo- gliare attorno a sé un simile consenso anche al livello più concreto della decisione politica.
Emanuele Murra, “Ragioni Differenti Per Una Proposta Condivisa: Reddito Di Base E Consenso Per Intersezione [Different Reasons For a Shared Proposal: Basic Income and Overlapping Consensus].” Centro Einaudi, Laboratorio di Politica Comparata e Filosofia Pubblica Working Paper-LPF no. 3, 2014.
Centro Einaudi
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 23, 2014 | Research
SUMMARY: Philippe Van Parijs is a Belgian philosopher and professor at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL). He talked to EurActiv’s Tanja Milevska. In this interview given after the conference on the “Unconditional Basic Income” (UBI) organised in the European Economic and Social Committee, Van Parijs argued that the EU should put in place such a basic income for all of its citizens, to help it escape the crisis, and to show that it is a community that “cares” for all its members.
Tanja Milevska, “Van Parijs: An unconditional basic income in Europe will help end the crisis [Interview].” EurActiv, 11/04/2014.
”]![Van Parijs at a promotion of the unconditional basic income initiative [Flickr]](https://i0.wp.com/jpg.euractiv.com/files/styles/x-large/public/tqnjqq_0.jpg?resize=460%2C307&ssl=1 "Van Parijs at a promotion of the unconditional basic income initiative [Flickr]")
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 4, 2014 | News
UBIE
Politicians and major European organisations working in the fields of health, poverty, democracy, education and the environment will discuss the potential benefits of unconditional basic income at the European Economic and Social Committee on Thursday, 10 April 2014. The conference will also mark the launch of a new network, Unconditional Basic Income Europe, which formed around the European Citizens Initiative for Unconditional Basic Income (ECI for UBI) last year. Citizens from 25 European countries have collaborated to hold this conference.
Entitled ‘Unconditional Basic Income: Emancipating European Welfare’, the conference will bring together activists, politicians, organisations and interested individuals to highlight the potential benefits of this idea. UBI gained an unprecedented amount of press coverage last year, and was backed by over 300,000 supporters across Europe during the ECI for UBI.
Unconditional Basic Income Europe
During its yearlong run the number of countries involved with this European Citizens’ Initiative swelled from 13 to 25. “As momentum built in the last two months of the collection period of the ECI on UBI, signatures doubled,” said Klaus Sambor, general organiser of the ECI for UBI. The conference will celebrate organisers’ achievements during this ECI with reports from several of the countries involved, including the latest developments of UBI campaigns within their borders.
There will also be presentations from Guy Standing about a recent pilot project in India, Philippe van Parijs about his proposal for a ‘Eurodividend’ to be paid to all EU citizens, Ronald Blaschke of Netzwerk Grundeinskommen Germany on UBI’s potential to ameliorate hidden poverty. Others including Sian Jones of the European AntiPoverty Network and Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria will speak about UBI’s beneficial effects on health, the environment, democracy and social solidarity.
The conference’s moderator will be Karl Widerquist, coChair of the Basic Income Earth Network and editor of BINews.org. “With the UBI movement,” Widerquist writes, “people are beginning to realise that there is no freedom without freedom from poverty, and there is no freedom from poverty without unconditional access to the basic necessities of life.”
Title of the Conference: “Unconditional Basic Income: Emancipating European Welfare”
Time and place: Thursday 10 April 2014 (9.30 – 17.30) European Economic and Social Committee, Van Maerlant Building 99 rue Belliard, 1040 Brussels (Room VM3, 2nd floor)
Registration required by 5pm, Monday 7 April: please email conference@ubie.org
For more information see: https://basicincomeeurope.org email: press@ubie.org
Or contact: Barb Jacobson +44 7985 670 688
by Yannick Vanderborght | Mar 12, 2014 | Research
This paper by Simon Birnbaum (Stockholm University, Sweden) is a review essay of Arguing about Justice. Essays for Philippe Van Parijs, that was published in 2011 (now available for free download in PDF). In his review, Birnbaum stresses the fact that this volume is a “massive firework display of brief essays”, and concentrates on some of the chapters discussing – directly or indirectly – basic income. He discusses the Marxian heritage and justifications of basic income (chapters by Elster, and Zelleke), the left-libertarian arguments (chapters by Steiner, and again Zelleke), Van Parijs’ real-libertarian justification of basic income and the challenges to his views (chapters by van der Veen, and Widerquist), and the tensions between the Marxian and liberal-egalitarian arguments (chapter by Roemer).
Full references: Simon Birnbaum (2013), “Self-Ownership, Liberal Neutrality and the Realm of Freedom: New Reflections on the Justification of Basic Income“, Jurisprudence 4 (2): 344-357.
