Category: Basic Income

Scotland ‘interested’ in idea of universal basic income

A universal basic income would provide cash handouts with no strings attached (Photo: Getty) The Scottish Government is “very interested” in the idea of a universal basic income which would see every citizen given a cash handout, the Social Security Minister has said.

Jeane Freeman said she was monitoring a number of pilot projects in Finland, the Netherlands and Canada in case a similar scheme could be introduced in Scotland. “We are interested in the idea of the universal basic income and we’re watching to see how that plays out in Finland” Jeane Freeman MSP Tomorrow a former mining village […]

Basic income – Merits and Demerits

Basic income – Merits and Demerits

PDF

What is Basic Income? A basic income is also called unconditional basic income, Citizen’s Income, basic income guarantee, universal basic income or universal demogrant.

It is a form of social security in which all citizens or residents of a country regularly receive an unconditional sum of money, either from a government or some other public institution, in addition to any income received from elsewhere. What are the merits? Economists are advocating universal basic incomes for fighting inequality, slow wage growth, advancing automation and fears that immigrants will take away jobs. While free trade and technological advances […]

What Is Poverty, Exactly?

Written by: Pierre Madden

Basic Income, it is argued, provides an effective and efficient means of conquering poverty. What, exactly, is the problem that we are trying to solve? Mention poverty to someone and they are likely to immediately think of the Third World. Bringing the focus back to poverty in developed countries is fraught with preconceptions. People have predispositions to think about issues in certain ways. They share these predispositions with all other members of society regardless of specific opinions on social questions. Various models are utilized rather than others based upon how we frame the issue. [1] […]

Fife pushes ahead with universal basic income plan

Fife pushes ahead with universal basic income plan

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 […]

Now the Entire EU Is Urged to Adopt a Basic Income

I used to think it was commie BS too until Bernie pretty much explained it as you did w/the numbers, then it made perfect sense.

That is a very good point there. UBI will eventually happen, it’s just the way that ideas are floated into the mainstream press for awhile before it picks up momentum. Not at all unlike "zero interest rates" (ZIRP) and eventually NIRP in certain locales. QE and other assorted programs also were met with incredulity initially, but eventually became "mainstream".

I also believe the UBI will be the olive branch to the "hoi […]

SCOTLAND: Parliamentary Committee to investigate UBI

A cross-party committee of the Scottish Parliament will hold a committee meeting on basic income on March 9, which will be broadcast live on television.

Scotland’s basic income movement has recently enjoyed time in the media spotlight due to the planning of pilot studies in the city of Glasgow and council area of Fife (see, for example, articles in The Guardian by Libby Brooks and Kevin McKenna ). While these efforts are being pursued by the respective regional councils, the country’s legislature is also investigating the possibility of a basic income for all of Scotland.

On March 9, 2017, the […]

France’s Fillon counts cost of wife ‘fake job’ claims

France's Fillon counts cost of wife 'fake job' claims

French presidential candidate Francois Fillon said in a television interview on January 26, 2017, that allegations he paid his wife for a fake job were ‘disgusting’ (AFP Photo/Pierre CONSTANT) Paris (AFP) – French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon was counting the cost Friday of claims his wife had a fake job in a scandal overshadowing this weekend’s vote to pick a leftwing candidate.

Fillon said in a TV interview Thursday that he was "disgusted" at allegations that Welsh-born Penelope Fillon did nothing to earn half a million euros ($534,000) paid from public funds over more than a decade.

He said his wife […]

Case for targeted basic income -Puja Mehra

-The Hindu

The idea of a basic income is not new. The first known suggestion on an unconditional universal basic income for all adults regardless of other income sources was from Thomas More. Centuries later, in 1918, Bertrand Russell discussed a basic income sufficient for necessities as central to the social model combining the advantages of anarchism and socialism that he argued for in Proposed Roads to Freedom. “A certain small income, sufficient for necessities should be secured to all, whether they work or not, and that a larger income — as much larger as might be warranted by the […]

France’s Benoit Hamon, ‘dreamer’ of the Socialist left

Paris (AFP) – Benoit Hamon, the surprise frontrunner in the French Socialists’ presidential nominating contest, is on a mission to reclaim the party’s leftist roots.

Hamon, 49, whose signature proposal is the introduction of a universal basic income, is ahead of reformist ex-prime minister Manuel Valls as Sunday’s leftwing primary showdown looms.

Neither man is considered to have a real shot at the ultimate prize, which will be determined in a two-round election due in April and May.Instead, their duel has been cast as a fight for the future of the deeply split Socialist party, with Hamon embodying its traditionalist left […]

Why I Support Universal Basic Income

Why I Support Universal Basic Income

First of all, apologies for not blogging in some time! I plan to get back into the swing of things over the next few weeks and I do have quite a few posts ready to be posted, so please keep an eye out. Today’s blog post is about Universal Basic Income (or Citizens Income) and in particular, why I support it.

It has recently been announced that DWP plan to close 78 Job Centres . This will mean that benefit claimants will be forced to travel further in order to receive their benefits payment. The Government has claimed that they […]