by Andre Coelho | Dec 8, 2016 | News
Photo – Center left: Francisco Vega. Center right: Carmén Lizárraga.
Credit to: Europa Press.
Carmén Lizárraga, economy and property representative of the political party Podemos in Andalucia (southern Spain), declared in November that Podemos will present an initiative to the regional parliament demanding a basic income. Lizárraga made the declaration at a short press conference which she shared with a basic income activist named Francisco Vega, who had been on hunger strike at the regional government office’s front door in Málaga.
As both Lizárraga and Vega declare, the Andalucia government statute includes, in its 23rd article, the right to “a basic income which guarantees dignified living conditions”. Their first motive is, therefore, to hold elected officials to this promise enshrined in the regional constitution.
According to Lizárraga, Andalucian society is experiencing a social emergency, with persistently high levels of inequality and poverty that have both been rising in recent years. She also mentions that basic income has the potential to raise regional economic output, as people’s average incomes rise, and strengthen workers’ bargaining powers, thereby improving employment conditions.
In his concluding remarks, Vega challenges the regional government, highlighting the long-term unemployed and women subject to domestic violence: “What will the regional government do with these people when they are left with nothing?”
More information at:
In Spanish:
Europa Press, “Podemos Andalucía llevará iniciativa al Parlamento para reivindicar la renta básica [Podemos Andalucia will present an initiative to the parliament, demanding basic income]”, Europa Press, November 8, 2016
by Andre Coelho | Jun 17, 2016 | News
Credit to: Podemos Renta Básica
This short clip, with clear attractive drawings and without spoken words, depicts the basic income financing scheme presented by Jordi Arcarons, Antoni Doménech, Daniel Raventós and Lluís Torrens, which in Spain would result in 645 €/month for every citizen. This is an initiative of the Podemos Renta Básica group, which has remained very active, even though the Podemos political party no longer officially supports basic income.
More information at:
In Spanish:
Youtube “Renta Básica YA!”, Podemos Renta Básica
by Andre Coelho | Nov 18, 2015 | News
After having defended Basic Income (BI) for the latest European Parliament elections and rejecting it in its first Economic Policy draft, Podemos maintains a conditional grant measure in its latest electoral program. In this document, the main economic policy instruments related to this conditional grant are the transfer of a guaranteed 600 € per month for every family or every citizen (this is not clear between sources) without a wage, and a complement of a sufficient amount so that every individual cannot earn less than 900 € per month, when employed.
An economic council including specialists like Nacho Álvarez, James Galbraith, Vicenç Navarro, Núria Alonso and Francisco Louçã, has calculated a cost of 15 000 million € per year to finance the 600 € per month measure. Until further notice, this attribution refers to individuals or families without an income as a sole condition, nothing more. That is not a basic income as usually defined, but could be a starting point for evolution later.
Thomas Piketty, professor of economics and author of the best seller book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, has also contributed to this latest version of Podemos economic program. Piketty has been a supporter of redistribution policies for a long time, some of which resemble basic income.
More information at:
Liam Upton, “Spain: Podemos leave Basic Income out of landmark economic document“, Basic Income News, November 30th 2014
In Portuguese:
Catarina Falcão, “Francisco Louçã integra Conselho Económico do Podemos [Francisco Louçã is a part of Podemos Economic Council]“, Observador, October 21st 2015
In Spanish:
Iolanda Mármol, “Podemos expone las líneas estratégicas de su programa económico [Podemos presents its economic program strategic lines]“, El Periódico, October 21st 2015
by Liam Upton | Jul 1, 2015 | Research
Abstract: The paper addresses the recent emergence of two phenomena on the political agenda of many OECD countries: political parties born out of Social Movements and the Universal Basic Income (UBI). Regarding the former, one of the most important novelties in the Spanish political context has been the emergence of PODEMOS. Coming from nowhere, just four months after its foundation the party became the third political force in 23 of the 40 main cities in the European elections 2014. With regards to the latter, one of the social policy proposals most discussed recently in Spain, especially after PODEMOS included it in the program for the European elections, has been the UBI. The paper explores the future of this proposal on the economic agenda of PODEMOS in the light of the preferences of its constituency. To do so the paper uses an online survey on the UBI conducted during November 10 and December 15 2014 by the “Circle” of PODEMOS on the UBI proposal. We propose and test two hypotheses in the article: (1) being left-wing is going to play a decreasingly important role in the vote for PODEMOS; (2) as a result of this, PODEMOS won’t include the UBI proposal in the party’s economic program for the general elections in November-December 2015.
Borja Barragué, César Martínez Sánchez, “The Basic Income on the agenda of PODEMOS: A matter of political or financial viability?“, Academia.edu, 29 July 2015
by Stanislas Jourdan | Apr 14, 2015 | News
The Podemos working group on basic income has started a procedure to bring basic income back to the party’s forefront proposals for the next general election. They need 37,000 signatures to trigger a binding internal referendum on the issue.
Last November, the Spanish political party Podemos released “An economic project for the people” which was a draft economic program for the next general election. Written by professors and party leaders Vicenç Navarro and Juan Torres, the document excluded basic income as an immediate proposal for implementation, viewing it instead as a long-term goal for the party. They propsed instead the introduction of a means-tested guaranteed minimum income more comprehensive than the current Spanish welfare system.
Although the official program for the next general election in December 2015 has not yet been adopted by the party, the publication nurtured doubts that basic income would not be a main proposal of Podemos in the future.
Disappointed by such development, Podemos Renta Basica, the party’s ‘circle’ working on basic income, has started a campaign to bring the idea back into the party’s electoral platform, ahead of the general election.
Podemos members can now sign an internal petition to support the initiative. If the petition collects the support of 37,000 members within 3 months, an internal referendum will be conducted among the full membership of the party. This vote will be binding, and could only be revoked by another referendum, meaning that unconditional basic income would become a permanent part of the Podemos program. So far more than 2,000 members have supported the proposal.
“We at Podemos Renta Basica consider the current proposals inadequate as an instrument of wealth redistribution to prevent and eradicate poverty. Only basic income can end social precariousness and articulate a new social and economic relationship with freedom.” the statement reads.
Podemos Renta Basica has increased its efforts to promote the concept. Notably, they have published a handbook (pdf) which offers an overview of the arguments for basic income and a proposal for its implementation in Spain.
After gaining 5 seats at the European Parliament, Podemos is seen as potential winner in the upcoming election. The party currently stands in third position in opinion polls, with about 20% intending to vote for their candidates.
Credit picture Mario Pais
