A Basic Income is a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement.
BIEN Congresses
BIEN’s 2023 Congress to be held in Seoul and Jeonnam, Korea Wed. 23rd to Sat. 26th August 2023.
Recent news, opinion, and research
Geoff Crocker critiques Martin Wolf re UBI
Martin Wolf of the Financial Times has a new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, in which he dismisses UBI very superficially. Geoff Crocker has posted a review in which he argues that Wolf's "summary dismissal of proposals such as basic income, which he calls...
Insecurity is the problem, universal basic income part of the solution
One of BIEN's founders, Philippe Van Parijs, has published a review of new book by a distinguished Indian economist, Pranab Bardhan. Bardhan argues that insecurity and not inequality is the source of our worldwide democratic malaise. And in poor countries even more...
Russian Monograph on Universal Basic Income
A group of Russian professors led by Vyacheslav Bobkov of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Scientific Centre of Labour Economics, Moscow, has published a 371 page monograph in Russian with an English language summary. "Goals of the study presented in the...
New blog post argues for UBI to reform capitalism
In a blog post entitled "Re-engineering our fragile economy and democracy", Geoff Crocker argues that UBI "addresses ethical issues of income inequality, gender inequality, precarity, and security" and should be at least in part financed by "central bank monetary...
A New Play about Thomas Paine
Guest Contributor: Jeffery J. Smith, co-founder of the US Green Party and author of the play Thomas Paine—not Tom Paine as his detractors addressed him—added his voice to the chorus of prominent thinkers calling for an extra income for everyone sourced from ground...
California Unveils $25 Million In Guaranteed Income Grants
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) announced on Monday that they would be giving more than $25 million worth of grants to seven guaranteed income projects across the state. 1,975 Californians – including former foster youth and pregnant women – will...
New Article on UBI in Scientific American by Michael Howard
Michael W. Howard is professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Maine, past president of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network, past co-editor of Basic Income Studies, and co-editor, with Karl Widerquist, of two books on Alaska's Permanent Fund...
Negative Income Tax (NIT) is Preferable to UBI
NIT, UBI, Guaranteed Income et al, are ultimately functions of our tax, fiscal, and monetary systems. Whatever initialism is used the same end results will be realized. A NIT is the most appropriate way of describing how a UBI etc. will be implemented and ultimately...
2023 BIEN Congress: Call for papers
Article by Minseo Cho The 22nd BIEN Congress will be held in Seoul and Jeonnam, Korea in an online and offline hybrid form, from August 23 to 26, 2023. We invite academics, researchers, policy makers, advocates and activists interested in UBI. The theme of the...