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]
Recent News, Opinion, and Research
World Health Organization’s High-level Conference on Health Equity
The World Health Organization (WHO) is organizing a High-level Conference on Health Equity, happening on the 11–13th June 2019, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Hosted by the Government of Slovenia, it will provide evidence and information on the solutions that can be...
The Prehistory of Private Property
My latest book project (coauthored by the anthropologist, Grant S. McCall) is called The Prehistory of Private Property. It book tells two parallel histories. It tells the story of how modern property theory became dependent on three misconceptions about the origin of...
New book by Louise Haagh: The case for Universal Basic Income
Louise Haagh, presently Reader at the University of York, and Chair of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), just released a new book, through Polity: The case for Universal Basic Income. A summary is featured on the editor’s page: Advocated (and attacked) by...
United Kingdom: Another report concludes implementing UBI in the UK is feasible, affordable, and very progressive
Apart from experimental designs testing basic income-like policies, in small scales, theoretical evidence keeps mounting, showing that basic income is not a pipe dream, but a practical reality within our reach. Published earlier this year, a new report issued by the...
Canada: Report “Signposts to Success” shows how beneficial the cancelled Ontario basic income experiment was being
The reading of results from basic income type of experiments is, apparently, dependent on who is reading them. The Ontario present government officials did not think, for instance, that there were particular advantages or benefits from pursuing with the Ontario basic...
Basic income’s experimental wave is over: Time for policies
It is time to recognize the experimental wave of basic income is coming to an end.
Europe: Some European Parliament candidates respond to a UBI questionnaire
Just before the latest European Parliament (EP) elections, held on the 23-26th of May 2019, the Unconditional Basic Income Europe (UBIE) activist group sent out a questionnaire to be answered by candidates, on the subject of basic income. The questions asked for their...
Brazil: Small city in Brazil implements a modest, partial basic income
Maricá at a distance. Original article by Eduardo Suplicy Last Saturday, May 25th 2019, an event took place in Maricá, a city on the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, where the mayor Fabiano Horta (representant from PT, Partido dos Trabalhadores), vice mayor...
India: The stars were not aligned in 2019, for basic income in the Indian continent
Night view from Coorg valley, India It seems the promise of a solid financial ground for all poor citizens in India was not enough to win the Congress Party a leading position on the Indian parliament in New Delhi. The country just counted its votes on the past...
United States: Stockton’s basic income trial already shows positive signs
Tomas Vargas, a recipient of Stockton's "universal basic income" program. Although the Stockton SEED (Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration) basic income-type experiment is still ongoing, some encouraging signs are already showing up. Stockton Mayor Michael...
Finland: Seminar and podcast on the preliminary results from the Basic Income trial
Minna Ylikännö. Picture credit to: Kela A half-day seminar called “Finnish Basic Income Experiment – Science meets social security reform” happened on the 4th of April, hosted by Kela, to focus on the presentation and discussion of the recently concluded (the cash...
United States: Researchers want to know if no-strings attached money can help in child development
Picture credit to: Bright Horizons A few low-income families with children, in the United States, are about to receive 20 unconditional checks, and be subject to an overall health analysis, both mothers and their children. The program is called “Baby’s First Years”...