by Josh Martin | Jul 14, 2014 | News
[Josh Martin]
Kari Polanyi Levitt, Emerita Professor of Economics at McGill University in Montreal and an active colleague of the Basic Income Earth Network, has received the honor of becoming a Member of the Order of Canada.
Her citation reads as follows: “For her contributions to the establishment of international development studies as an interdisciplinary academic field, and for her research on political economy in the Caribbean.” Kari Polanyi Levitt is the daughter of famous economic historian, Karl Polanyi.
The full list of new recipients can be viewed here.
Emerita Professor of Economics Kari Polanyi Levitt of McGill Universtiy (Photo by Aneel Karim, Copyright University of the West Indies)
by Karl Widerquist | Jul 12, 2014 | News
A new group, called Basic Income Generation (BIG), formed at the 2014 BIEN Congress in Montreal. Although the group began as a youth movement, Basic Income Generation is a Basic Income activist collective with open-ended membership (without age, occupational, or locational restriction). Basic Income Generation aims to facilitate the direct support of BIEN to movements and actions in support of unconditional basic income around the world.
Basic Income Generation is the product of a process started in late 2012 by two Korean Basic Income activists, Juon Kim and Kieun Song, who first proposed that a Basic Income Global Youth Network (BIGYN). After a few exchange of emails and a Skype meeting, it was decided that activists would gather up all the young people present at the next BIEN General Assembly to ask them what they thought of the idea and how to move it forward. The group thus organized two informal gatherings in Montreal, which led the group to turn into Basic Income Generation (on a proposal from Stanislas Jourdan), on the Swiss model of ‘Generation Basic Income’ that was created to support their national citizen initiative, and lead it to succeed.
Part of the reason for the choice of its name, is that Basic Income Generation is not defined by some trait of its membership, but by its objectives: Helping BIEN to be more present and efficient in its support of Basic Income activism worldwide, as well as helping BIEN to develop new communication strategies and material, while facilitating exchanges between Basic Income activist from all over the world.
More information about Basic Income Generation (including information on how to get involved) is on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248926788642187/
Basic Income Generation
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 26, 2014 | News
Street art in Boulevard Saint Laurent, Labrona -Basic Income Canada Network
The Basic Income Earth Network’s (BIEN’s) 15th International Congress gets underway today, June 26, 2014 with the pre-conference day dedicated to the 13th Annual North American Basic Income Guarantee (NABIG) Congress, a joint meeting of the Basic Income Canada Network and the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network. The NABIG Day is focusing on strategies to activate and implement a basic income policy in Canadian and United States jurisdictions.
The BIEN Congress is the oldest and largest basic income conference in the world. He has taken place every two years since 1986, when it was known as the Basic Income European Network Congress. It expanded to become the Basic Income Earth Network Congress in 2004. This year’s Congress takes place at McGill University in Montreal under the theme of “Re-democratizing the Economy.” The registration has sold out with about 250 attendees. Participants will be discussing all aspects of BIG from the effects in terms of economics, philosophy, and sociology to the effort to build a successful political movement for BIG.
The 15th International Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress will take place on 27-29 June 2014 in Montreal. The Congress brings together academics, activists, policy makers, political representatives, NGOs, and interested members of the general public to discuss and debate how introducing a universal and unconditional basic income relates.
Click here for more information on the BIEN and the NABIG Congresses.
See also the following article from the Montreal Gazette:
Peggy Curran, “Idea of flat income to be hot topic at McGill on Friday,” The Gazette [Montreal, Quebec, Canada], June 26, 2014.
On Friday, more than 100 academics, economists and activists for social change from around the world will gather at McGill University’s Law Faculty for the 15th International BIEN Congress. -Photograph by: Aaron Lynett , Postmedia News, via the Gazette
by Karl Widerquist | Jun 26, 2014 | Research
SUMMARY: According to this article, “On Friday, more than 100 academics, economists and activists for social change from around the world will gather at McGill University’s Law Faculty for the 15th International Congress of the Basic Income Earth Network. Over three days of talks and workshops, they will weigh the pros and cons of replacing existing programs with a flat income that would not be contingent on a means test or a work requirement.” The article discusses the conference in context of recent developments on basic income in Canada.
Peggy Curran, “Idea of flat income to be hot topic at McGill on Friday.” The Gazette [Montreal, Quebec, Canada], June 26, 2014.
On Friday, more than 100 academics, economists and activists for social change from around the world will gather at McGill University’s Law Faculty for the 15th International BIEN Congress. -Photograph by: Aaron Lynett , Postmedia News, via the Gazette
