by Josh Martin | Jan 15, 2016 | News
A recent poll conducted by TNS Gallup in November and December of 2015 found that 51 percent of Finnish respondents supported the idea of a basic income, while only 23 percent outright opposed the idea.
A majority of respondents agreed that a basic income would make it easier to start a business and mitigate financial difficulties, with the most support coming from entrepreneurs, students, and unemployed citizens.
However, 69 percent of respondents believed that setting the basic income level would lead to heated disagreements between political parties. On this note, those least likely to support a basic income came from the populist Finns Party or the centre-right National Coalition Party, while those most likely to support it adhered to the Left Alliance and Green parties. All things considered, however, the proportion of Finns supporting a basic income seems to be going down from a staggering 70 percent previously to 51 percent now.
Recent news out of Finland confirmed plans for a basic income pilot project from 2017 to 2019, joining other countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland in seriously debating the topic.
To learn more, view this article from Yle.
by Stanislas Jourdan | Dec 31, 2015 | News
The French Movement for Basic Income (an affiliate of BIEN) has launched an ambitious crowdfunding call, aiming at collecting 25,000 euros to fund a series of new projects.
The French Movement for Basic Income, founded in 2013 following up the European Citizens’ initiative, has significantly contributed to building momentum for basic income. It now needs to scale-up and reach a next step.
This is why the movement has begun a crowdfunding campaign, initiated in early November 2015. As its crowdfunding page explains, the money will be divided among 8 key projects:
- Create campaigning tools and distribute them among the network of local groups across France.
- Participate in COP21 events by having a stall in the Village of Alternatives (this project was already carried out early December).
- Publish a whitepaper on basic income which will provide a synthesis of arguments, theories and proposals for implementing basic income in France. This will greatly help advocacy activities.
- Develop a new website to improve the promotion of basic income online.
- Print 50k extra issues of the newspaper ‘L’inconditionnel’ which was initially launched in 2014 in partnership with Swiss and Belgian activists. The first issue has met a huge level of demand, leading to a shortage of copies.
- Finance an independent public poll to assess the level of awareness and support for basic income in France. This will allow the movement to monitor the progress made since the last poll in May 2015.
- Launch a new issue of L’Inconditionnel. (Everyone is demanding it!)
- New video clips explaining basic income to the public.
While most of the crowdsourced money will be applied to these specific projects, about 30% will be used to pay for the running costs of the association. The association will soon have an office in Paris, and it is considering a plan to hire permanent staff members.
“So far, the association’s funding has been mostly entirely relying on membership fees and donations, and partly through subsidies from MPs. This campaign will allow us to speed up our projects and accelerate the growth of the movement,” says Nicole Teke, international coordinator for UBI-France. About 6,500 euros have already been collected, and the organizers hope to reach the 25,000 target within two months.
In France – as in many other nations – basic income has enjoyed mainstream popularity over the past few months. In May, a poll has showed that 60% of the population would be in favor of a basic income, and the feasibility of a pilot project is being pushed in the South-West Region of France.
You can donate here.
by Toru Yamamori | Dec 25, 2015 | Opinion
Basic income activist Enno Schmidt give us his views on the recent recommendation by the Council of States, the upper house of the Swiss parliament, calling for people to vote against an unconditional basic income (UBI) in the national referendum next year.
The National Council, the lower house, issued a similar recommendation in September. The referendum is expected to be held next year – there are indications that it might take place as early as June. Swiss people will vote “yes” or “no” to a constitutional amendment that would introduce, if successful, the UBI as a right enshrined in the Swiss Federal Constitution.
Enno Schmidt is one of the promoters of the Popular Initiative that collected enough signatures to gain the right for a national referendum on the UBI. He is a painter, author and film-maker, and has been actively promoting basic income since 2006. He was born in Germany and lives and works in Basel, Switzerland.
In this interview, he tells Basic Income News what he thinks about the recent recommendations by the Swiss parliament, and the prospects for the referendum.
Toru Yamamori: Did you foresee the Council of States’ recommendation?
Enno Schmidt: We did not expect a majority in favour of the basic income initiative in either the upper or lower house of parliament. Still, it was good to see that there were positive contributions emerging from the two debates. There are MPs in both houses who understand some of the ideas behind the initiative. However, there was nobody voting in favour in the Council of States.
TY: How do the parliamentary recommendations affect the national referendum?
ES: The parliamentary motions are only recommendations. They are not binding decisions. Parliament fulfilled its obligations and debated the issue. The decision is entirely up to the Swiss citizens. The citizens are the highest decision-making body in a democracy. The parties, the Parliament and the government are organs of the sovereign. The ultimate sovereign is the voting population.
UBI activists dropped 8 million five cent coins outside Swiss National Council, Bern, October 2013.
TY: What is your next step?
ES: There are 8 Millions inhabitants and 5 million voters in Switzerland. We will do our best to promote debate on the idea of a basic income and talk to everyone about it.
TY: As you and others already did with the collection of the signatures for the referendum, with your films about basic income, and in public debates, tv shows, newspapers and collective actions.
What is your take on the final result of the referendum?
ES: It is not our victory if a majority says yes, nor our defeat if a majority says no. It is our business to give a chance to everybody to think about the possibility of an unconditional income, the difference between income and work, their future and the future of our society, and to encounter a positive vision for the 21st century.
We are not focused on the opponents. We want to make the idea attractive. The UBI vision is not against something, but asks for more. We want to show that a more exciting life is possible. We want to convince the majority. But even if only a quarter of the votes will be in favour of a UBI, then that would already be a great success. The referendum result is not the end. The discussion continues, and there can be another vote. Perhaps the Japanese are faster than the Swiss?
For more information, check out the English-speaking website of BIEN-Switzerland here, and our past news and commentary on the Swiss referendum:
Toru Yamamori, “SWITZERLAND: Council of States rejects basic income initiative,” Basic Income News, December 21, 2015.
Matthias Lindemer, “Swiss politicians reject basic income because they are scared of humans,” Basic Income News, December 7, 2015.
Stanislas Jourdan, “SWITZERLAND: Parliament rejects basic income initiative, but poll shows popular support,” Basic Income News, October 3, 2015.
Toru Yamamori, “Interview with Enno Schmidt, co-initiator of the Swiss Citizens’ Initiative,” Basic Income News, September 19, 2015.
Jenna van Draanen, “SWITZERLAND: Swiss parliamentary committee on social affairs opposes a federal initiative for basic income,” Basic Income News, July 14, 2015.
Karl Widerquist, “SWITZERLAND: National referendum will be held on basic income,” Basic Income News, October 5, 2013.
by Joe Timothy | Dec 23, 2015 | News
Leading UK think tank Nesta lists basic income in the top 10 trends of 2016 that will have an impact on people’s lives. With the rise in interest throughout the world, it could be the year it is put to the test.
Over the last twelve months Europe has become a hotbed for basic income innovations. With trials due to be carried out in Finland, Holland and France, it is a critical moment for policy makers to understand the feasibility of adopting a universal basic income. In addition to these trials, there is a chance that the first form of basic income will be adopted in Switzerland in 2016 via a countrywide referendum.
In light of these important breakthroughs, the leading UK economic innovation think tank Nesta recently announced that they believe that 2016 could be the year in which universal basic income is put to the test, listing basic income as one of the top 10 list of trends to watch out for in 2016. Nesta believes that a basic income is an important policy idea that should be taken seriously, and that it could be a solution to some of the many challenges of the 21st century. As Brenton Caffin, from Nesta, asserts:
A basic income can provide a safety net for people wishing to retrain, which is worth considering given the massive technological changes that we anticipate in the decades ahead. It can enable citizens to make greater unpaid contributions to their communities, strengthening the fabric of social relations and reduce the burden of professional care. And the reduction in poverty brought about by a basic income can provide children with a much better start to life.
In the UK, a universal basic income has yet to gain much support from the political mainstream. Its major advocates include the Green party, along with Richard Murphy, Jeremy Corbyn’s economic advisor. In the past, the Liberal Democrats have also supported similar policies. This could change, however; NESTA believes it will be hard to ignore the trials going on throughout the world in 2016, and, as a result, a policy that traditionally has sat on the fringe of the political debate could be thrust into the spotlight.
For more information see the following source:
Brenton Caffin, “Universal basic income moves into beta,” NESTA, December 21, 2015.
by Vito Laterza | Dec 15, 2015 | News
New Orleans-based writer and basic income advocate Scott Santens has become the first person to successfully crowdfund a perpetual monthly basic income. Starting his campaign on October 13, 2014 on the crowdfunding platform Patreon, Santens achieved his goal of $1,000 per month fourteen months later on December 11 with the help of 143 funders ranging from venture capitalists and Facebook engineers to women’s rights advocates and artists who all believe everyone needs a basic income.
Basic income is quickly gaining prominence in think tanks and policy circles worldwide due to growing concerns brought on by advancing technologies like self-driving vehicles and artificial intelligence, and also growing inequality. It is the idea that everyone should receive, individually and without conditions, an income floor sufficient to cover the most basic needs of life like food and shelter. All income earned through the labor market would then be earned on top of one’s basic income as additional income, and many existing government programs would no longer be required as a direct result. This idea is not new, having at one time been advocated by both Milton Friedman and Martin Luther King Jr., but today’s advocates from both the right and left think its day may have come.
“Basic Income has been taking off with incredible speed in the last few years,” says BIEN co-chair and author Karl Widerquist of SFS-Qatar, Georgetown University. “Activist movements for basic income are growing, and it’s already getting serious attention from governments in Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and other places. The success of Scott’s campaign for the first crowdfunded basic income in the United States is both a reflection of the growth in the basic income movement and a catalyst for further growth as Scott’s life now demonstrates how basic income can work.”
Such a real-life demonstration is possible through Patreon. As a Kickstarter-like crowdfunding platform, but for creators instead of products, Patreon supports ongoing campaigns for content creators like musicians, artists, 
bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and photographers that are funded by fans of their work with small pledges of monthly support.
“Patreon is supporting the emerging creative class. We see a future where creators like Scott can earn a living doing what they are passionate about,” says Graham Hunter, Patreon Director of Marketing. “A recent grad from Art or Music school right now doesn’t necessarily feel confident that the value that they provide will be valued by the world; Patreon is changing that.”
Having reached his goal, Scott plans to continue his advocacy for universal basic income and has also promised to give any and all future pledges of support to others on Patreon who have pledged to do the same. This is what he calls “The BIG Patreon Creator Pledge” to assist others on Patreon in attaining their own basic incomes. “Creators want to create. Creators don’t need to be paid to create. However, creators also need to eat. Creators need to have homes. Creators can’t create so long as they aren’t free to create,” wrote Santens earlier this year on his blog in an open thank you letter to Patreon. “People need to be free to create and until universal basic income exists, Patreon can make that possible.”
Scott’s track record as writer and basic income advocate is impressive. His pieces about universal basic income have appeared on The Huffington Post, the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET), The Daily Dot, and Quartz. He has presented at the first World Summit on Technological Unemployment and participated as a panelist at the Brookings Institute. As an organizer, he helped plan the first Basic Income Create-A-Thon. He is an advisor to the Universal Income Project, a founding committee member of the nonprofit D.C.-based organization Basic Income Action, a coordinating committee member of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network, and founder of the BIG Patreon Creator Pledge.
You can follow Scott’s writings on his personal blog and also on The Huffington Post. On social media, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit where he moderates the/r/BasicIncome community.
