UBI Piloters Network

Newsletter 13- Aug '24

Basic Income Earth Network annual Congress

The programme for the Basic Income Earth Network annual Congress has just been released and is available here. Three full days of discussion and debate around basic income, with an entire stream of papers, presentations and panels on pilots taking place on all continents. Registration is still open for the world’s largest basic income gathering in Bath at the end of August: https://www.bien2024.net/registration.

Call for Papers

Elliott Johnson (Northumbria University), Simon Duffy (Citizen Network and Citizen’s Basic Income Trust) and Dave Beck (University of Salford) are co-editing a special issue of Global Discourse on Basic Income Plus (BI+), a form of Basic Income that accommodates additional and diverse needs. The details are below.

If you would like to propose a paper for the issue, please email a 300-word abstract to Elliott Johnson at elliott.johnson@northumbria.ac.uk. Each accepted article with be accompanied by at least one reply and a final response from the author.

Issue title: Basic Income Plus: Can radical welfare reforms accommodate diverse needs?

Abstract: Basic Income has been proposed as a means of addressing a range of issues relating to welfare systems, including by removing disincentives to economic, social and physical activity. However, UK disability organisations and figures have expressed concerns about whether Basic Income could lead to unintended consequences for people who currently receive support conditional on needs, means and/or behaviour. Recent research suggests that while there are reservations about the intentions and designs of Basic Income, there are means of securing positive outcomes and collaboration between its supporters and the disability rights movement. Building on recognised need for engagement with people who have additional needs and the policy detail that affects them, this issue explores those implications and advances a framework for development of principles by which to design and evaluate less conditional welfare schemes.

The American Guaranteed Income Studies: City of Los Angeles BIG:LEAP RTC report

First Latin American Congress on Unconditional Universal Basic Income

Dolores Medina Foussadier, Sociologist from the Office of the Pilot Plan to Implement Universal Basic Income in Catalonia, participated in the I Congreso Latinoamericano de Renta Básica Universal Incondicional (First Latin American Congress on Unconditional Universal Basic Income), held in July 17-19, 2024, in San José (Costa Rica). This event brought together academics, public officials, social movements, and community organizations to explore and discuss the implementation and impact of a UBI in Latin America, featuring keynote speeches, specialized discussions, and presentations of academic research projects. Medina explained to a Latin American audience the design of the Catalan pilot project, the current situation of the office in charge of implementing and evaluating it, and the results obtained from the research carried out to date. You can read more about the Congress here.