Category: Basic Income

Benoît Hamon, riding to victory from left-wing obscurity on a radical proposal to a pay all adults a monthly basic income, will be the Socialist Party candidate in France’s presidential election after handily beating ex-prime minister Manuel Valls in a primary runoff vote on Sunday.

Hamon’s win sends the divided Socialists, weakened by the chronic unpopularity of outgoing President François Hollande, into a tough presidential battle behind a candidate with limited government experience and hard-left politics that could alienate some centre-left Socialist voters.

With ballots counted at 60 per cent of polling stations, Hamon had almost 59 per cent of the […]

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Far-left candidate easily beats Valls in primary as Fillon struggles over scandal

Benoit Hamon, who yesterday saluted “the living, vibrant left” and promised to unite socialists and ecologists. Photograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images The French Socialist Party on Sunday chose Benoit Hamon (49), a rebel from the far left of the party, by a wide margin to represent them in the first round of the presidential election on April 23rd.

Mr Hamon won the nomination with 58.65 per cent of the vote to 41.35 per cent for the former prime minister Manuel Valls , with 60 per cent of votes […]

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Benoit Hamon on January 29, 2017, at his campaign headquarters in Paris (AFP Photo/Christophe Archambault) Paris (AFP) – Benoit Hamon, who clinched the presidential nomination for the French Socialist party on Sunday, believes his bold economic and environmental ideas can revitalise the left — without scaring off voters.

The 49-year-old, whose signature proposal is the introduction of a universal basic income, easily beat centrist ex-prime minister Manuel Valls in a primary run-off.

"Tonight the French left is holding its head high, is turning to the future and wants to win," Hamon said.The former education minister was seen as an outsider three […]

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The combination of a unique Aadhaar number linked to biometric data has barely improved targeting for the PDS in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint These are heady times for the Indian welfare state. Comments by government officials have renewed hope that a universal basic income, or a variant thereof, is under serious consideration. Presenting the state’s budget earlier this month, Jammu and Kashmir finance minister Haseeb Drabu proposed a targeted basic income in the form of cash transfers. Articulating a more critical view, Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya, in a recent interview, stated that India simply […]

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From state capacity constraints to the dangers of a one-size-fits-all approach, there’s plenty to consider

These are heady times for the Indian welfare state. Comments by government officials have renewed hope that a universal basic income (UBI), or a variant thereof, is under serious consideration. Presenting the state’s budget earlier this month, Jammu and Kashmir finance minister Haseeb Drabu proposed a targeted basic income in the form of cash transfers. Articulating a more critical view, Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya, in a recent interview, stated that India simply lacked the fiscal room to deliver a UBI benchmarked to the […]

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Germany’s basic income political party, Bündnis Grundeinkommen, will be on the ballot for the first time in the federal state of Saarland, which holds state elections on March 26, 2017.

Founded in September 2016 , the German political party Bündnis Grundeinkommen (“Basic Income League”) is devoted to a single issue: the establishment of an unconditional basic income in Germany.

Unlike Switzerland–which held a national referendum on basic income in June 2016 after campaigners collected more than the necessary 100,000 signatures–Germany does not allow national referenda. Thus, basic income supporters decided to launch a dedicated political party as a means […]

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A former mining village in Fife is to host a meeting of international experts and politicians to discuss a radical alternative to the present welfare system. More than 150 people are expected in Kelty on Saturday to discuss the potential of universal basic income (UBI) – a regular unconditional sum paid to all adults regardless of employment status.The event, organised by the newly established Citizens Basic Income Network (CBINS), will hear from academics Professor Karl Weiderquest and Professor Mike Danson as well as politicians from all major parties.It is hoped the meeting at Kelty Community Centre will be the […]

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Prof Patrick Minford says a "tremendous tax" would be needed to pay for the idea Paying everyone in Wales a universal basic income would be a "worrying and extremely expensive socialist experiment", an economist has warned.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said the idea was "attractive" and could help tackle poverty and inequality.

Supporters said it would help unemployed people who fear taking a job would lead to cuts in their benefits.But Patrick Minford from Cardiff University’s Business School said it was "not a workable scheme".Under Universal Basic Income (UBI) everyone would receive the same sum of money regardless of whether […]

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Benoit Hamon (L) shakes the hand of ex-PM Manuel Valls (C). Photo: Bertrand Guay/POOL/AFP France’s Socialists face a stark choice in Sunday’s presidential primary between diehard leftist Benoit Hamon and reformist ex-prime minister Manuel Valls.

Hamon, the surprise winner of the first round of the Socialists’ primary last weekend, has wooed voters with his staunchly leftist proposals, notably the idea of a universal basic income, dismissed as a "mirage" by Valls.

He also wants to legalise marijuana and tax robots that replace workers.The 49-year-old Hamon, round-faced with a schoolboy haircut, has a crowd-pleasing eagerness that contrasts with the square-jawed assertiveness of […]

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