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 next annual BIEN Congress will occur in Wrocław, Poland on 15-17th July 2027 https://biencongress2027.org/
The theme will be Basic Income and the Spirit of Solidarity: Pathways to Justice and Equality. Call for papers will be up soon.
The last annual BIEN Congress occurred August 19th-22th at the Toronto Metropolitan University.
See pictures from the 24th BIEN CONGRESS in Maricá & Niterói here.
Recent News, Opinion, and Research
United States: Andrew Yang steps down from presidential candidacy
Andrew Yang. Picture credit to: Inquisitr Andrew Yang, the United States presidential candidate for the 2020 elections who most notoriously pushed (his own version of) a basic income policy to public debate in the country, has dropped out of the campaign for the...
Basic income: Exit strategy or exit trap?
A new article ("Exit strategy or exit trap? Basic income and the ‘power to say no’ in the age of precarious employment") has been published by Simon Birnbaum and Jurgen De Wispelaere, analysing the "power to say no" argument as a support for basic income policies. The...
The Fall and Rise of the Basic Income Movement: My personal reflections after following it for 40 years
Forty years ago today—February 7, 1980—was a small milestone for the Universal Basic Income (UBI) movement: Milton and Rose Friedman dedicated an episode of their television show to a form of basic income guarantee called the Negative Income Tax. This episode might...
LEUVEN, BELGIUM: Basic Income Stream at ESPAnet Conference, 2-4 September 2020
Basic Income will be a major stream at the ESPAnet conference in Leuven, Belgium, 2-4 September 2020 "Basic income across Europe: Exploring variation in proposals, policy windows, and trajectories" Stream convenors: Jurgen De Wispelaere, Tim Vlandas and Hanna...
United Kingdom: Presentation of Peter Sloman’s new book in London
Basic Income Hub is organizing an event in which Peter Sloman will present his new book "Transfer State: The Idea of a Guaranteed Income and the Politics of Redistribution in Modern Britain", together with Barb Jacobson and Michael Pugh. Barb is a Director at Basic...
Three big misconceptions about Yang’s Freedom Dividend
As US presidential candidate Andrew Yang continues to outperform expectations, his signature policy proposal, the Freedom Dividend or UBI, is receiving increased scrutiny. Some of the criticisms are well warranted, while others are misconceptions based on a flawed understanding of how basic income would operate.
Canada: New report from the Basic Income Canada Network shows how to improve income security for everyone
A new report from the Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) details how Canada could improve income security for everyone, with three options for a basic income for adults, while maintaining current child benefits for those under 18. "We've seen interest in...
United Kingdom: Lib Dems in Hull call on Government to consider piloting Universal Basic Income in the City
The Liberal Democrats in Hull have tabled a motion to Hull City Council that calls for the Chief Executive Matt Jukes to write to Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, requesting Government support to pilot Universal Basic Income (UBI) in Hull. The Liberal Democrat...
Housing prices are an obstacle to universal income
There is a fear that a disproportionate part of Universal Basic Income would be paid to housing. Under current circumstances, a large portion of the income is paid to rent. A person UK in 2019, if receiving benefits only, in many cases is paying over fifty percent of their income for housing. If UBI was to come into effect, it is possible the same problem would occur.
Portugal: Conference on pilot projects in July
From the 1st to the 3rd of July, 2020, at the University of Minho (Braga, Portugal), a conference on Basic Income experiments will occur, focused on its political and social policy implications. From the conference website it can be read: The debate about basic income...
Was Thomas Paine a Proponent of Universal Basic Income? Short answer: yes.
I was recently asked whether the statement "Thomas Paine was a proponent of Universal Basic Income" is true. Although that statement is slightly controversial, it is true. Let me explain: Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a contested concept. Different people within the...
London, UK: The Ethics of UBI in a Changing Economy
The Ethics of UBI in a Changing Economy King's College London London, UK, April 24, 2020 Submission link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=eubi1 Abstract registration deadline: February 28, 2020 Submission deadline: February 28, 2020 Final paper submission:...