by Daniele Fabbri | Nov 24, 2019 | Opinion
Credit Picture CC(Paul Domenick)
A series of articles concerning the role which basic income (BI) could play in the fight against unfree labour in now on openDemocracy.
The introduction by Neil Howard sets the tone for the debate: even though many thinks that coercion by evildoers is the main cause for modern day slavery and human trafficking, this is not the case. Exploited workers often consent to their situation because is their only option to make ends meet. The question arises: “if we really want to end ‘modern slavery’, and indeed if we’re serious about protecting people from all forms of exploitation, then why not simply ensure that everyone always has a minimum amount of money in their pocket such that they can say no to bad work?” Which is exactly what Universal Basic Income advocates maintain.
The debate starts with an article by Guy Standing, “Basic income and the three varieties of freedom”, libertarian, liberal, and republican freedom. As “freedom costs money”, the impact of the introduction of a Basic Income is greater than its monetary value. Guy Standing explains that the BI works by changing structurally the society in which it is implemented, ant its “emancipatory value is greater… than the money value”.
Simon Binrbaun and Jurgen De Wispeleare, with “The power to walk away: is basic income a bridge too far?”, are concerned with whether basic income really enhances workers’ freedom or not. Their point is that the rationale of BI as an instrument of freedom is clear, as it would endow workers with more contractual power, but when the proposal is faced with reality, some concerns arise. Firstly, the monetary amounts provided with UBI under current proposals seems insufficient to give workers true exit power from their job. Secondly, even if workers were to opt out from a job, the structure of the job market is such that it allows for horizontal but not vertical transfer. And thirdly, it remains to be seen how employers would react to more contractual power from their employees, having them the possibility to use automation as a substitute for human workforce.
Karl Widerquist’s article, “End the threat of economic destitution now”, focuses on how
“UBI is not something for nothing. It is the just compensation for all the one-sided rules of property and property regulations that society imposes on individuals.” Because governments enforce property rights systems that block many from accessing naturals resources, poverty and destitution are not the result of personal choices, but of the lack of freedom implied in this allocation of resources. UBI would thus acts as “… the just compensation for all the one-sided rules of property and property regulations society inherently imposes on individuals”.
Ana Cecilia Dinerstein, with “Basic Income bows to the master”, accuses basic income of just confirming the domination of money over our lives. The elephant in the room, she says, is the lack of a discourse about money per se. Pointing her finger not at the lack of money nor at its unfair distribution, she states that the problem is human dependence on money; one that cannot be solved with UBI. UBI, in her view, “will contribute to the perpetuation and subordination of humans to money”, and it wouldn’t bring dignity to people, as it would only assure material subsistence.
“Feminist politics and a case for basic income”, by Kathi WeeksandCameron Thibos, considers the potential for UBI to fix the severance of work and wages.
“Wages do not compensate workers, and especially women, for most of the work they do. A basic income could change that.” Inspired by the Wages for Housework movement in the 1970s, the authors discuss of how much of the activities people (and especially women) have to perform are not remunerated. UBI can be the right tool to enhance freedom in the household and in society as a whole.
In “Basic income can transform women’s lives”, Renana Jhabvalaexplores the result of basic income pilots in India. Starting from a small study in Delhi to the one of Madhya Pradesh, with eleven thousands taking part, we learn how the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), a women’s trade union, became one of the earliest advocates of basic income in India. This happened because the introduction of UBI brought on positive welfare effects, an increase in equity, and generally economic growth effects.
“Our pilots showed that basic income has the power to transform the lives of whole families, and especially those of women. Now it is time for India to take the next step and make basic income a reality for all.”
More information at:
“Universal basic income, a way though the storm?”, openDemocracy, September 16, 2019.
by Andre Coelho | Nov 15, 2019 | News
Next year 20th Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Conference will be held in Brisbane, Australia, jointly hosted by Basic Income Guarantee Australia (BIGA), The School of Social Science and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (University of Queensland) and The School of Public Health and Social Work (Queensland University of Technology).
The event will occur on Monday 28th to Wednesday 30th of September 2020, and is entitled “Basic income, the ecological crisis and a new age of automation”. Submission of abstracts can be done until Friday January 31th, 2020, considering the following main themes / questions:
Can basic income play a role in tackling the multifaceted ecological and social crises confronting the world today?
As climate change and the ‘new age’ of automation continue to re-shape the globe, can and should basic income form part our answer to these challenges?
Can basic income be part of a Green New Deal or is a Job Guarantee a better way forward?
Can basic income promote ‘de-growth’ and genuine sustainability?
Should automation and digitisation be used as a justification for basic income?
What is the evidence regarding the impact of these technological processes on the availability of jobs?
Is basic income an adequate replacement for any technological unemployment that may occur (now or in the future)?
More information at:
20th BIEN Conference website
20th BIEN Conference call for papers
by Andre Coelho | Nov 10, 2019 | News
Within the context of the wider Basic Income March, organized and executed on the past 26th of October, Toronto also saw a basic income manifestation. This was done simultaneously in other cities, such as New York, Amsterdam, Bogota and Seoul. Attendance was moderate, a few dozen people only, but the message conveyed was strong: that each citizen should receive an unconditional and regular amount of money, just in order to “have access to a certain level of comfort”, as Amélie Payette, one of the demonstrators, put it. Other people, at the venue, also referred to the “obligation to help prepare the future”, in the face of technological developments that are already displacing many people from the job market.
Also present at the demonstration was Alvin Tedjo, candidate to the Ontario Liberal Party leadership, who believes basic income can be what citizens need to cover their basic needs, in terms of nourishment and housing, and to fully participate in the economy. That, according to Tedjo, would allow people to “do their best to fulfill their potential”. Participants at the march also pointed to the fact that parents in Canada already receive a stipend, only conditional to them being parents of under-aged children (Canada’s Child Benefit). That, according to some, could one day amount to a basic income, if extended to the whole population.
The event has been covered by CBS News, shortly reported here.
More information at:
[in French]
“Des citoyens réclament un revenu universel de base au Canada”, Radio-Canada, October 26th 2019
by Guest Contributor | Nov 4, 2019 | News
The Gyeonggi Research Institute released “Satisfaction survey report on the youth basic income in Gyeonggi Province” at the start of September.
Gyeonggi Province started the youth basic income, a kind of trial project, last April. The age group of 24 is given 1M Korean Won (about $900) a year in local currency under the project. A satisfaction survey was carried out to find out the recipients’ attitudes toward the youth basic income.
As a result of the survey, the overall level of satisfaction of the youth basic income in Gyeonggi Province was 77.10 points, indicating that 80.6% of the entire respondents were satisfied. The main reason for satisfaction was because ‘It was paid out to all youths aged 24 residing in Gyeonggi Province’ (35.2%), ‘It was paid out in Gyeonggi regional currency which could be used like cash’ (31.6%), ‘There are no conditions for receiving youth basic income such as being employed or carrying out job-seeking activities’ (11.3%).
However, the prime reason for dissatisfaction of dissatisfied respondents was because ‘It was only being paid to youths aged 24 out of the youth group’ (33.3%), ‘Gyeonggi regional currency couldn’t be used in supermarkets, department stores, entertainment stores and others’ (11.7%), ‘It was paid out per quarter over 4 times and applications had to be made each time’ (11.7%), indicating that they were dissatisfied with payment subject and application method, and in case of ‘payment method’.
The Institute is carrying out a few other surveys and researches to find out various effects of the youth basic income and they will come out soon.
You can find the report here.
Written by: Hyosang Ahn
Executive Director of BIKN
by Tyler Prochazka | Oct 30, 2019 | Opinion
Conrad Shaw wants America to know about Universal Basic Income, and he has two big projects to help make it happen.
Shaw’s documentary project is filming 21 Americans across 10 states who are receiving a basic income for two years. The documentary series will be released throughout 2020.
More recently, Shaw created the UBI Calculator to show individuals how much they would gain (or lose) from various basic income proposals.
The goal behind these two projects was to “answer the two main questions you get when you’re having a discussion about UBI.” That is, what would people do with the money and how do you pay for it.
The UBI Podcast spoke with Shaw about the UBI Calculator and what it could mean for the basic income movement.
Many people are worried that basic income “is just going to be taxing the middle class.” The UBI Calculator helps answer this concern about whether the middle class would be taxed more or would gain more under a basic income program.
With the calculator, an individual can type their own household income, social assistance, and other information to see how basic income plans would affect them, including Andrew Yang’s plan.
Shaw spent “hundreds” of hours on Google Spreadsheets developing the math behind the calculator, along with an intern who spent ten weeks assisting the development. He said he made the calculator based on “conservative” assumptions so that individuals can see the “worst-case scenarios” rather than paint a more rosy picture of each plan.
“I think credibility comes from not only the depth of the analysis when you’re talking about web tools I think it also comes from the ease of use and just the ease of functionality,” he said.
To build the calculator, Shaw raised $70,000 USD “to make the version of it that I thought it needed to be.”
For the future, Shaw plans to make a “policymaker mode” where individuals can “go in and play with the actual economics themselves.”
“Maybe they’re against you know taking money from the military and flat taxes and so they really want to have a carbon tax and see how much can be made from that and a land value tax,” he said.
Another area to explore is the “dynamic effects” of basic income, which looks at how UBI might affect the broader economy.
“We can have windfalls from the reduction in costs of poverty crime and health emergencies we can have a windfall from the economic stimulus of just putting money in the hands of consumers which creates jobs and creates extra revenue,” he said.
Building this calculator and preparing his documentary was meant to have an “impact on the national discussion in time for the 2020 election,” Shaw said.
“Right now it is a very powerful moment in the UBI movement,” he said. “UBI needs to be more of a grassroots movement if it’s going to get something legislated.”
