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
An analysis of a Basic Income scheme proposed for the UK
There is a translation of this article in French. Karl Widerquist and Georg Arndt have written an article in which they evaluate a particular Basic Income scheme for the UK: 'The Cost of Basic Income in the United Kingdom: A Microsimulation Analysis’ The article can...
A brief review of ‘The Cost of Basic Income in the United Kingdom: A Microsimulation Analysis’ by Karl Widerquist and Georg Arndt
There is a translation of this review in French The article by Widerquist and Arndt can be read here; and a pdf can be downloaded here. Widerquist and Arndt use microsimulation analysis to estimate that the net cost of a poverty-level Basic Income for the United...
Basic Income Week: Freedom to Choose
September 14, 2020, is the kickoff day for the 13th International Basic Income Week (IBIW). Our goal is to have a coordinated global effort and a big presence in many countries. As the banner indicates, this year's motto will be ‘Freedom to Choose’. 2020 has presented...
UN Secretary General proposes Basic Income
There is a translation of this article into French. On the 18th July the Secretary General of the United Nations gave the annual Nelson Mandela Lecture. People want social and economic systems that work for everyone. They want their human rights and fundamental...
South Africa: A talk by Guy Standing
On the 30th July Guy Standing will be addressing a zoom meeting hosted in South Africa on the subject The case for a Basic Income in a time of pandemics. Registration details can be found below.
Another video: The case for Basic Income
The website 'The case for Basic Income' has published a video of the same name. To visit the website, go to ubi.org; and to contact the publisher, geoff.crocker@ubi.org https://youtu.be/O-rlGQC-AJ4
Brazil: COVID-19, UBI, and ultraliberalism
The idea of a UBI was galvanized when governments promptly decided to extend the amount, coverage, and length of different sorts of monetary transfers to confront the gravity of the multiple crises created by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Canadian artists call for an income guarantee
75,000 artists have signed a letter calling on the Canadian government to implement an income guarantee. We, the undersigned, are calling upon the Government of Canada to honour itscommitment to poverty reduction and instate a Basic Income Guarantee tomake a historic...
Results from the Stockton experiment
The New Yorker has reported on the results of the experiment in Stockton, where five hundred individuals randomly selected from the city's most deprived districts have been receiving US$100 per month unconditionally. ... For example, during the pandemic, the...
Prospect magazine top fifty thinkers
Philippe Van Parijs has been nominated by Prospect Magazine (UK) as one of the top fifty thinkers for the COVID-19 age. To vote for 'the godfather of the UBI movement', as Prospect Magazine puts it, click here.
Namibia – UBI success and institutional failure
1. Namibia - country background A South West African state with a troublesome colonial history, Namibia has a population of around 2,5 million people and is one of the least populated countries in Africa due to its extremely dry climate. The country is rich in natural...
Spain: Daniel Raventós talks about Basic Income at Parliamentary Commission
On June 22nd 2020, researcher Daniel Raventós intervened before the Commission for Social and Economic Recostruction of the Congress of Deputies in Madrid.Prof. Raventós outlined his proposal of Universal Basic Income (UBI) starting by defining this economic measure...