UBI Piloter's Network
Newsletter 15, October 2024
Update from Catalunya
The Office of the Pilot Plan to Implement the Universal Basic Income of the government of the Generalitat de Catalunya will continue its activities during the next legislature, following an agreement between the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC). This agency, responsible for the design, deployment and evaluation of a pilot plan for universal basic income in this autonomous community will now work in the Department of Social Rights and Inclusion. All information about the office can be found at rendabasica.gencat.cat.
Members of the Pilot Plan Office, its Advisory Council and its Scientific Committee will participate in the 23rd Congress of the Basic Income Network to be held on October 25 and 26 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria under the title 'The Right to Existence in a World in Danger'. The complete program can be consulted at this address: https://www.redrentabasica.org/rb/xxiii-simposio-de-la-renta-basica-las-palmas-de-gran-canaria-25-26-de-octubre-de-2024/
The Northern Ireland Common Sense Basic Income Party fundraising walk
The nicsbi party is a Political Party that intends to contest Assembly Elections in Northern Ireland. Our constitutional aim is to unify the social and political spectrum of Northern Ireland by mainstreaming the theories of Common Sense and Basic Income.
The party is currently fundraising for their political party by walking the circumference of Northern Ireland, all information regarding Northern Irish Party can be found on its website www.nicsbi.co.uk and on Johnny Synnott’s Instagram for the progress of the fundraising walk. Found here, https://www.instagram.com/johnnysynnottigsh=MXYxa2puMmtibnluMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Scientific Collaboration Request for NeuroWelfare MSCA-ERA Project with Basic Income Pilots.
My name is Simone M. Muzzioli, from Italy, and I am an appointed Marie-Curie Widera research fellow, in the brand new field of neurosociology.
I have just won this fellowship with a neuroscience project on cash transfers experiences, with basic income practice playing a pivotal role for the scientific confutation.
The main universities involved are the Neurological Research Laboratory on Biomarkers of Vilnius Life Sciences Department (Lithuania), the University of Oregon (USA), Department of psychology, the ISCTE in Lisbon (Portugal) and the Department of Psychology of Turin University (Italy).
Thus, we will conduct an interdisciplinary research (neuroscience, psychology, sociology) to compare the brain functioning and the socio-cognitive impact on self and social perception in individuals experiencing unconditional cash transfers, in contrast to those who undergo classic conditional measures.
Project name is: Neuro Welfare (NW) in Cash Transfers Measures (CTs): Do Welfare Cash Transfer Show Different Brain Activity and Improve Equality?
Therefore, We are looking for pilots or unconditional and basic income experiences that can accommodate this important possibility, allowing us to interview about 20 individuals, on voluntary bases and with respect to all the ethical premises for a fair research.
Pilots can be both already started, ongoing or just concluded since a few 6\8 months about.
Workfield should start at the end of 2025, and we are checking the possibility to contribute with a small donation to support the pilot, if it is useful.
Below, I leave you with a brief description of the research project, and its abstract. Obviously available to provide more information on the project.
In a nutshell, the idea is to study from 3 different and interconnected perspectives - psychological, sociological, neurological - the neuro-psychophysical response of individuals who live opposite experiences of social solidarity (the idea can be extended to other domains more than money transfer): conditioned and selective on the one hand, unconditional and universal on the other.
The assessment of social protection measures is usually done by looking at the behaviors of the welfare recipients, while social neuroscience’ s efforts are frequently focused on mental manifestations observed in the laboratory environments. What if the modern techniques to investigate brain activity would be applied to healthy individuals perceiving income support in their social environment? By utilizing an interdisciplinary and multidimensional approach, I aim to detect and measure the effect of CTs’ on brain from three empirical intertwined perspectives: (1) neurophysiological, (2) cognitive and (3) interactional. A better knowledge of the complex adaptive responses to CTs, may make it possible to improve social protection policies’ inclusion and economic efficiency.
One of the underlying hypothesis is that welfare experiences - depending on "how" they are constructed - re-stimulate cognitive (MOI) and interactional (SMI) forms of response consolidated in the attachment phase during childhood, specifically activating the neural circuits of trust and autonomy, in the case of UNconditional supportive/relational stimuli, and of mistrust and dependence in the case of conditioned stimuli.
If you believe this is of interest to you please contact Simone M. Muzzioli at reconnectneurowelfare@gmail.com
Thanks a lot for your attention!
BIEN Congress 2024 held at Bath
At the end of September, Bath UBI had the privilege of hosting the BIEN Congress in our beautiful city of Bath. We hope that all attendees enjoyed their trip, but more importantly, we hope the Congress itself surpassed expectations.
The attendance was remarkable, both in terms of speakers and the audience. The theme of the Congress, "Reclaiming Radical Roots," aimed to reconnect with the foundational principles of Universal Basic Income (UBI). By the end of the event, "roots" seemed to have a dual meaning, symbolizing not only the origins of UBI but also the new connections cultivated between people and organizations. We trust that everyone left having made new friends, connections, and perhaps even future colleagues. Moving forward, the success of UBI depends on the strength of these relationships and our shared commitment.
Of course, the heart of the Congress was the talks, workshops, and lectures. While I couldn’t attend everything, feedback from others, along with my own experience, confirmed the success of these sessions. The speakers managed to simplify complex ideas for newcomers, while still diving deep enough to challenge those with more advanced knowledge. It’s rare to attend a congress where every single lecture leaves a lasting impression, but this one did. Speakers addressed both problems and solutions, sparking meaningful debates.
Though time constraints were sometimes a challenge, we hope each speaker had enough opportunity to convey their message effectively. We were fortunate to hear from seasoned experts and listen to the passionate voices of younger generations. The exchange of ideas between young and old symbolized the continuity and evolution of the UBI movement, and the participation of the youthful UBI Taiwan, fittingly the last to speak, represented the promise of the future.
Every speaker clearly put great effort into their presentations, and the audience responded with equal passion—asking questions, sharing comments, and engaging in lively debate. Thanks to everyone involved—speakers, attendees, the BIEN organization, and our local organizing committee—this Congress was an undeniable success.
For photos from the three-day event, please click here
Events
Unconditional Film Launch – Monday Nov 18, Chancellor’s Building2.1, Bath Uni, 6.15pm
OpenResearch Unconditional Cash Study: Research Insights and Early Learnings- 3pm UK Time, Weds Nov 13th
This two-hour conversation with Dr. Karina Dotson and Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes will see the researchers behind the pioneering OpenResearch Unconditional Basic Income Pilot to present their initial results. This pilot was one of the largest UBI pilots to date and has generated significant media interest due to its scale, quality, and association with OpenAI Founder, Sam Altman. The pilot randomly assigned 1000 individuals to receive $1000 per month and 2000 individuals to receive $50 per month for three years. The study has involved multiple rounds of survey and in-depth qualitative research looking at impacts on work, wellbeing, health, education, and more. The session will combine an extended presentation and ample time for questions.
zoom— https://bath-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/95167481212?pwd=xdUxcMaWtpwkVdSuXJLvzOvNRI63ab.1
New Winter School: Basic Income in the Global South -4th of November to 6th of November ‘24
A universal basic income (UBI) is a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all individuals, without means testing or work requirements. Today, a broad variety of ideas surrounding the topic of UBI circulate globally, leading to debates, suggestions, and experimentation, but not to the implementation of what is seen as a “full UBI.” Instead, basic income proposals differ among many dimensions, goals, and localities. Since the early 2000s, a curious trend can be observed in the Global South in this context: With the rise of conditional cash transfers (CCTs), the focus on conditionalities and targeting as development and poverty reduction tools has significantly influenced possible dealings with UBI ideas. But UBI scholars and advocates have influenced the CCT discourse likewise, for example, through the BIG grant in Namibia, the initiative of GiveDirectly in Kenya, the UBI pilot in Madhya Pradesh, India, or the intermingling of UBI advocacy with the social protection program Bolsa Familia in Brazil.
This winter school explores the multifaceted topic of UBI in the context of the Global South, providing an overview of the specific contexts, challenges, and outcomes of UBI pilots and experiments, as well as related and inspired policies and initiatives. It will explore the political and ethical considerations surrounding the debates on UBI in countries of the Global South, including the topics of social rights, equity, and the role of government intervention. Through a variety of case studies, it aims to create a critical understanding of the potential and limitations of UBI as a tool for social and economic transformation in so-called ‘developing countries.’
Attendance is free and can participation is welcome in person and online. Please register here.
