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<b>BIEN - BASIC INCOME EARTH NETWORK<br>
</b><a href="http://www.basicincome.org/" eudora="autourl">www.basicincome.org<br>
</a>The Basic Income Earth Network was founded in 1986 as the Basic
Income European Network. It expanded its scope from Europe to the Earth
in 2004. It serves as a link between individuals and groups committed to
or interested in basic income, and fosters informed discussion on this
topic throughout the world.<br>
_____<br><br>
<b>NewsFlash 37, January 2006<br>
</b>BIEN's NewsFlash is mailed electronically every two months to over
1000 subscribers throughout the world.<br>
Requests for free subscription are to be sent to
bien@basicincome.org<br>
Items for inclusion or review in future NewsFlashes are to be sent to
Yannick Vanderborght, newsletter editor, UCL, Chaire Hoover, 3 Place
Montesquieu, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium,
vanderborght@etes.ucl.ac.be<br>
The present NewsFlash has been prepared with the help of David
Casassas, Jurgen De Wispelaere, Sabrina Delpico, Sascha Liebermann, Paul
Nollen, Maria Ozanira Silva e Silva, Eric Patry, Guy Standing, Eduardo
Matarazzo Suplicy, Ingrid Van Niekerk, Philippe Van Parijs, and Karl
Widerquist.<br>
_____<br><br>
<b>CONTENTS<br><br>
1. Editorial<br><br>
2. BIEN 11th CONGRESS: 2-4 November 2006, Cape Town, South
Africa<br><br>
3. "Basic Income Studies" signs an agreement with The Berkeley
Electronic Press<br><br>
4. Events<br>
</b>*ZURICH (CH), 6 October 2005, BIEN-Switzerland's open discussion on
basic income<br>
*SAO PAULO (BR), 23-25 November 2005, National Seminar on Income
Transfer<br>
*ROME (IT), 2 December 2005, Conference on new social guarantees<br>
*BOSTON (US), 6-8 January 2006, Allied Social Science Association
Meeting<br>
*DORTMUND (DE), 10 February 2006: Panel discussion on basic income<br>
*KARLSRUHE (DE), 23-24 February 2006: Symposium on basic income<br>
*PHILADELPHIA (US), 24-26 February 2006: The Fifth Congress of
USBIG<br>
*HEIDELBERG (DE), 18 March 2006: Panel Discussion on "Unconditional
Basic Income"<br><br>
<b>5. Glimpses of national debates<br>
</b>*GERMANY: PRESIDENT KOHLER SAYS BASIC INCOME IS WORTH
CONSIDERING<br>
*GERMANY: FREEDOM, NOT FULL EMPLOYMENT<br>
*NAMIBIA: PRESIDENT MEETS BASIC INCOME COALITION<br>
*NEW ZEALAND: UNIVERSAL INCOME TRUST ACTIVELY PROMOTES BASIC INCOME<br>
*SPAIN: DISCUSSION ABOUT A BASIC INCOME FOR FARMERS<br><br>
<b>6. Publications<br>
</b>*English<br>
*French<br>
*Italian<br>
*Spanish<br><br>
<b>7. New Links<br>
</b>*Alaska's Digital Archives<br>
*GBI Foundation<br>
*FIAN International<br><br>
<b>8. About the Basic Income Earth Network<br>
</b>_____<br><br>
<b>1. EDITORIAL<br><br>
</b>The fundamental justification for Basic Income rests in its support
for human dignity. It is a right that all societies must respect.
Nevertheless, many economists and social policy analysts are researching
the developmental impact of universal income grants. In part, researchers
are responding to the spurious arguments of Basic Income’s opponents, who
hide behind the straw figures of dependency and unsustainability. More
importantly, analysts are finding that universal income programmes
effectively promote people’s accumulation of human capitalhealth,
education, skills, nutrition. Basic Income strengthens labour markets,
providing a springboard to more sustaining livelihoods. Basic Income is
developmental. The main theme of the <b>2006 Basic Income Earth Network
Congress </b>will explore how strengthening universalism in social
protection will foster a more developmental State, with greater economic
freedom and opportunity for all People.<br><br>
Following the success of the 2004 Congress in Barcelona and the
transformation of the Basic Income European Network into the Basic Income
Earth Network (BIEN), BIEN and the Basic Income Grant Coalition (BIG
Coalition) of South Africa invite you to spend a few days on the tip of
Africa to participate in the first international “Earth” BIEN Congress.
It will form part of the Conference that will take place on 2-4 November
2006 in Cape Town, South Africa. Further details about the official
<a href="http://www.etes.ucl.ac.be/BIEN/Files/BIENCongress2006.doc">Call
for papers</a> in this NewsFlash.<br><br>
<i>BIEN's Executive Committee<br><br>
</i><b>2. CALL FOR PAPERS / BIEN 11th CONGRESS: 2-4 November 2006, Cape
Town, South Africa. <br>
</b>Title of Conference and Congress: <i>UNIVERSALISM STRENGTHENS
DEVELOPMENT<br><br>
</i>BIEN's 11th International Congress will be held in Cape Town, South
Africa, on 2-4 November 2006. The organizing committee invite you to
submit a proposal for your presentation at the Conference. Our theme for
this Conference has a twin focus: to strengthen demands for universal
provision of social protection and to illuminate the impact of
universalism on social and economic development. Proposals on all aspects
of Basic Income are welcome, and the committee will endeavour to
accommodate as many of the proposals outside the main theme or sub-themes
as possible. <br>
<br>
For this Conference BIEN is adding another dimension to the proceedings.
While the main focus of the Conference will be on the more academic and
formal papers presented in plenary and panel discussion sessions, we
invite participants who wish to participate in a less formal manner to
put forward proposals for the workshops. These workshops will focus on
issues of mobilisation and implementation of Basic Income. The workshops
will be practical and some even hands-on. In this way we hope to embrace
the new challenges countries are experiencing in accepting and promoting
the ideals and ideas of Basic Income in the world. <br><br>
<b>Full details can be found in the official
<a href="http://www.etes.ucl.ac.be/BIEN/Files/BIENCongress2006.doc">Call
for Papers</a> that has been posted on BIEN's website<br>
</b>Proposal Submission deadline: <u>15 March 2006</u> <br>
Please send proposals to: papersbig-biencongress@mail.ngo.za<br>
Please forward questions to: infobig-biencongress@mail.ngo.za<br>
Registration is R600 (EURO 85, USDollar 100). <br>
In coming weeks the registration form will be made downloadable at
<a href="http://www.big.org.za/" eudora="autourl">www.big.org.za</a> as
well as at
<a href="http://www.basicincome.org/" eudora="autourl">www.basicincome.org<br>
</a> <br>
Sub-themes (for further details about the sub-themes, please download the
official
<a href="http://www.etes.ucl.ac.be/BIEN/Files/BIENCongress2006.doc">Call
for Papers</a>)<br>
<br>
1. Formal presentations: <br>
*1.1 Strengthening Universalism strengthens
Development <br>
*1.2 Income Security and HIV/AIDS<br>
*1.3 Basic Income and Race, Gender and Class Inequalities<br>
*1.4 The Dynamics of Universal Basic Income <br>
*1.5 The Labour Movement and Universal Social Protection<br>
*1.6 Care Work and Basic Income<br>
*1.7 Basic Income, Human Rights and Justice for all<br>
*1.8 Prospects and Challenges faced by in-country programmes<br>
*1.9 Issues in Financing and Implementation of Basic Income<br><br>
2. Workshop:<br>
*Mobilising Support for Basic Income <br><br>
Information about the BIG Coalition / BIEN Congress 2006 Working
Committee:<br>
Organising Committee Chairs: Sibonile Khoza (Chair of BIG) and Ingrid van
Niekerk (BIEN) <br>
Guy Standing (BIEN)<br>
Isobel Frye (National Labour and Economic Development Institute -
NALEDI)<br>
Nceba Mafongosi (Black Sash)<br>
Pumi Yeni (BIG organiser)<br>
Sharon Ekambaram (Chris Hani Institute)<br>
Sidney Kgara (Congress of South African Trade Unions -
COSATU)<br>
Albert Dlwengu (Council of Churches - SACC)<br>
Annie Leatt (Children’s Institute- CI)<br><br>
<b>3. BASIC INCOME STUDIES SIGNS AN AGREEMENT WITH THE BERKELEY
ELECTRONIC PRESS<br><br>
Basic Income Studies</b> (BIS), the new international academic journal
for basic income research, is pleased to announce that it has signed a
publishing agreement with <i>The Berkeley Electronic Press</i>
(<a href="http://www.bepress.com/" eudora="autourl">www.bepress.com</a>).
Bepress is a well-known electronic publisher of a wide range of academic
journals particularly in the fields of economics and law and a
representative of the "new standard in scholarly publishing".
Founded by academics in 1999, Bepress produces innovative and effective
means of content production and dissemination for journals and
publishers.<br><br>
Publication with Bepress will have numerous advantages for BIS:
invaluable assistance in the editorial and production process through the
use of Bepress' licenced editorial management software; administration of
individual and institutional subscriptions; access to Bepress' worldwide
advertizing network to assist us in promoting basic income research. In
addition the close association with a recognized publisher will give BIS
recognition as a serious academic publication.<br>
Over the past months the BIS editorial team and Bepress have put a lot of
work in putting together a website with electronic submission facilities.
Our new website will be officially launched at the USBIG conference in
Philadelphia on 25 February. We invite all of you to visit our site
afterwards.<br><br>
The BIS inaugural issue with contributions by G.A Cohen, Erik Olin
Wright, Robert van der Veen and Philippe Van Parijs and many others is
due to be published in June 2006. In the meantime BIS is constantly on
the look-out for research articles and book reviews. <br><br>
Please get in touch with the editors at<br>
editor@basicincomestudies.org <br>
or the book review editor at<br>
book@basicincomestudies.org for information about making a
contribution.<br><br>
<b>4. EVENTS<br><br>
</b>*<u>ZURICH (CH)</u>, 6 October 2005, BIEN-Switzerland organizes open
discussion on basic income<br>
BIEN-Switzerland has organised a panel discussion on unconditional basic
income on the 6th of october in Zurich, at the
"Bernhard-Theater". Main discussants were Joachim Mitschke
(Professor for economic in Frankfurt), Michael Opielka (Professor for
Social Policy in Jena), and Peter Ulrich (Professor for Business Ethics
in St. Gallen). Rather than a scientific exchange it was a controversial
"political discussion" in front of about hundred spectators,
and no specific papers were presented. The newspaper "Neue Bürcher
Zeitung" reported on the conference in its October 8th
issue.<br><br>
*<u>SAO PAULO (BR)</u>, 23-25 November 2005, National Seminar on Income
Transfer<br>
This event was organized and coordinated through an academic cooperation
among the following institutions: "Public Policies Post Graduation
Program" from the Universidade Federal of Maranhão; "Post
Graduation in Social Services" from the Pontificia Universidade
Católica in São Paulo and the "Studies Nucleus on Public
Policies" from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas. The National
Seminar on Income Transfer was based on the experiences of the programs
in progress in the country and the researches that are being developed in
the institutions which promoted the event, taking into account the 10
years of the implementation of these programs in Brazil, the
implementation of these experiences in all Brazilian municipalities, the
importance of these programs in remodeling the content and the dynamics
of the Brazilian System of Social Protection today, and the proposal of
the unification of the programs at the National Level.<br>
The Seminar was directed by the following targets:<br>
a) The follow-up and the assessment of the developing process in the
Income Transfer Programs that are being implemented in Brazil;<br>
b) To explain the experiences and the scientific works on these
programs;<br>
c) To foster the national exchange between organizations and entities
responsible for the experiences;<br>
d) To produce general or specific recommendations aiming at certain
programs; <br>
e) To present the Citizen's Basic Income Brazilian Network.<br>
The programme was constituted by the presentations of experiences and of
research results in the following conferences:<br>
"Income Transfer Programs in the Context of the Social Protection
Brazilian System" ("Os Programas de Transferência de Renda no
Contexto do Sistema Brasileiro de Proteção Social") (Profa. Dra.
Maria Ozanira da Silva e Silva, Universidade Federal do Maranhão);<br>
"The Income Transfer State Programs and its linking to the Municipal
and Federal Programs" ("Os Programas Estaduais de Transferência
de Renda e sua articulação com os Programas Federais e Municipais")
(Profa. Dra. Maria Helena Guimarães de Castro, Social Development State
Secretary in São Paulo);<br>
"The Income Transfer Municipal Programs and its linking to the Bolsa
Familia Program")(Os Programas Municipais de Transferência de Renda
e sua articulação com o Bolsa Família") (Dr. Antônio Pereira Pesaro,
Social Assistance Municipal Secretary in São Paulo);<br>
"The Federal Government Income Transfer Programs: nowadays and
unification" (Os Programas de Transferência de Renda do Governo
Federal: atualidade e unificação")(representative of the Social
Development and Combat against Hunger Ministry);<br>
Presentation of the Citizen's Basic Income Brazilian Network (Rede
Brasileira de Renda Básica de Cidadania) (Senator Eduardo Matarazzo
Suplicy)"<br><br>
*<u>ROME (IT)</u>, 2 December 2005, Conference on new social
guarantees<br>
Italian interest in a basic income is growing. On December 2, 2005, a
public conference was organised in Rome to discuss 'the right to a basic
income'. More than 200 persons, among whom numerous members from trade
unions, social movements, journalists, local administrators were present
at this meeting promoted by the Councillor’s Office on Labour of Regione
Lazio.The invited plenary speakers were Alessandra Tibaldi, Stefano
Sacchi, Guy Standing, Rafael Pinilla Palleja, Jose Iglesias Fernandez,
Luigi Nieri, Alessandra Mandarelli and Giuseppe Mariani. The
interventions of the participants pointed out the need and the
possibility to start experiments of basic income as part of a new
redistributive policy.<br>
The meeting pointed out the need to launch a wider plan of reconstruction
of the Italian welfare state system which takes the matter of basic
income into account. A basic income in cash or in kind must be the core
of future social policies.<br>
Recent reforms of the Italian Constitution now give more power to the
regions in the field of welfare. The political actors who were present
such as the Member of the Councillor’s Office on Labour and the
Member of the Counillor’s Office on Budget declared that they are in
favour of taking a course which leads to the introduction of a regional
bill about basic income.<br>
With the General Election due to take place in 2006, there is much debate
about what platforms should be presented on welfare by the opposition
parties. As is well known, the Italian welfare state is particularly
undeveloped by comparison with all the European countries to the north of
Italy. But there is considerable disquiet about the growth of precarious
labour contracts and the pressure on the pension system, as well as the
shrinking Italian family and the ageing of the population. Economic
insecurities are pervasive, and in that context movements towards a basic
income are conceivable.<br>
For further information: infoxoa@infoxoa.org<br><br>
*<u>BOSTON (US)</u>, 6-8 January 2006, Allied Social Science Association
Meeting<br>
On January 6, 2006, a panel on "The Basic Income Guarantee and
Living Standards" was organized within the framework of the 2006
Allied Social Science Association Meeting. <br>
For further information:
<a href="http://www.socialeconomics.org/ASSAProg.htm" eudora="autourl">http://www.socialeconomics.org/ASSAProg.htm<br><br>
</a>*<u>DORTMUND (DE)</u>, 10 February 2006: Panel discussion on basic
income<br>
A panel discussion about an unconditional basic income will take place at
the University of Dortmund, February 10, 2006. Participants: Wolfram
Richter (Economist, Univ. of Dortmund), Lutz Wingert (Philosopher, Univ.
of Dortmund), Sascha Liebermann (Sociologist, Univ. of Dortmund), Götz
Werner (Owner, DM Drugstores, and Univ. of Karlsruhe), Claus Offe
(Political Scientist, Hertie School of Governance Berlin).<br>
For further information:
<a href="http://www.wiso.uni-dortmund.de/lsfg/as/de/content/aktuell/aktuell.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.wiso.uni-dortmund.de/lsfg/as/de/content/aktuell/aktuell.html<br>
</a>and <S.Liebermann@freiheitstattvollbeschaeftigung.de>
<br><br>
*<u>KARLSRUHE (DE)</u>, 23-24 February 2006: Symposium on basic
income<br>
A two days symposium on basic income (in German) will be held at the
University of Karlsruhe on Feb. 23-24, 2006. For further infomation:
André Presse <andre.presse@iep.uni-karlsruhe.de> <br>
See also:
<a href="http://www.iep.uni-karlsruhe.de/grundeinkommen/" eudora="autourl">http://www.iep.uni-karlsruhe.de/grundeinkommen/<br><br>
</a>*<u>PHILADELPHIA (US)</u>, 24-26 February 2006: The Fifth Congress of
USBIG<br>
The Fifth Congress of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network will be
held in conjunction with the Eastern Economic Association (EEA) Annual
Conference in Philadelphia from Friday February 24 to Sunday February 26,
2006. The general theme shall be: "Resources and Rights". The
programme includes twelve sessions and more than forty speakers. A
tentative schedule has been posted on USBIG's webiste
<a href="http://www.usbig.net/" eudora="autourl">http://www.usbig.net/</a>.<br><br>
*<u>HEIDELBERG (DE)</u>, 18 March 2006: Panel Discussion on
"Unconditional Basic Income" <br>
A public panel discussion on basic income will be organised by the
Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, Baden Württemberg, on march 18, at 5 pm. Sascha
Liebermann (Sociologist, Univ. of Dortmund) will be one of the
speakers.<br><br>
<b>5. GLIMPSES OF NATIONAL DEBATES<br><br>
</b>*<u>GERMANY</u>: PRESIDENT KOHLER SAYS BASIC INCOME IS WORTH
CONSIDERING<br>
In an interview with the weekly "Stern" (28 December 2005),
German President Horst Kohler suggested that the idea of a basic income
should be considered as a key strategy to prevent social exclusion of the
long-term unemployed. He refered to discussions about a negative income
tax in the USA.<br>
For further information:
<a href="http://www.stern.de/" eudora="autourl">http://www.stern.de<br><br>
</a>*<u>GERMANY</u>: FREEDOM, NOT FULL EMPLOYMENT<br>
In recent weeks the group "Freedom, not Full Employment" has
been actively trying to give more visibility to the idea of basic income.
It advertised the idea of an unconditional basic income in subway
stations in Cologne (Dec. 6-12, 2005) and Hamburg (Dec. 9-18, 2005) (see
www.freiheitstattvollbeschaeftigung.de/plakataktion.htm.) One of its more
active members, sociologist Sascha Liebermann, has been discussing
"Work and Income" in a radio show on Bayern 2 Radio (Bavaria),
January 5, 2006, 10-11 AM
(<a href="http://www.br-online.de/programme/bayern2/" eudora="autourl">http://www.br-online.de/programme/bayern2/</a>).
Liebermann also wrote a reply to a paper by Ulrich Busch ("The Land
of Milk and Honey - a Leftist Utopia? Critique of the Idea of an
Unconditional Basic Income", which was published in "utopie
kreativ", no. 181, November 2005. This reply is entitled
"Freedom is a Challenge, not the Land of Milk and Honey", and
will be published in "utopie kreativ", no. 184, February
2006.<br>
Several German newspapers have echoed the activities of the group
"Freedom, not Full Employment". See for instance an interview
in "Thüringer Allgemeine " under the titel: "Freiheit zur
Muße" (Freedom for Leisure), with Sascha Liebermann, published on
January 13, 2006; or an interview in "Tageszeitung" (Taz -
regional edition of North Rhine Westfalia) with Sascha Liebermann and Ute
Fischer, published on January 28, 2006.<br>
The main Theses defended by the group are now translated into French on
its website:
<a href="http://www.freiheitstattvollbeschaeftigung.de/" eudora="autourl">www.freiheitstattvollbeschaeftigung.de<br><br>
</a>*<u>NAMIBIA</u>: PRESIDENT MEETS BASIC INCOME COALITION<br>
According to the January 27, 2006 issue of the daily newspaper "The
Namibian" (Windhoek), Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba met
representatives of the Basic Income Grant Coalition (BIG) at State House.
The Coalition, made up of a host of different organisations, is lobbying
for the introduction of an unconditional N$100 minimum grant to every
Namibian not yet eligible for a Government pension. The President met the
head of the delegation, Bishop Zephania Kameeta, BIG coordinator Reverend
Philip Strydom, Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) Director Norman Tjombe and
academic researcher Reverend Dirk Haarman, in a closed-door session to
discuss the implementation of the proposed grant. At the end of the day,
Pohamba had "not committed himself to anything", Kameeta said
after emerging from the hour-long meeting, although the President did
promise to take the matter up with Cabinet. "That's all we can
ask," Kameeta said. "We cannot give the President of Namibia a
time frame, but for us this was enough. The most positive thing is that
he said we must stay in consultation, stay in communication. We had a
very open and frank discussion. He asked very frank questions, so the
meeting went beyond our expectations." <br>
The idea for a Namibian basic income started in 2002, Kameeta told the
President before the closed-door session began, when Government's
Namibian Tax Consortium (Namtax) stated that it found the best method of
addressing poverty and inequality to be a universal income grant. The
grant would retrieve the money from those not in need, Kameeta said,
through progressive tax adjustments. In this same way, the grant would
overcome the threat of people becoming dependent on it. Last year, BIG
Coalition representatives met the then Speaker of the National Assembly,
Theo-Ben Gurirab, and the Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources,
Social and Community Development. According to Reverend Haarman, both
entities were supportive of the idea.<br><br>
*<u>NEW ZEALAND</u>: UNIVERSAL INCOME TRUST ACTIVELY PROMOTES BASIC
INCOME<br>
In 2005 the Universal Income Trust (UIT) has promoted and made available
its educational brochures and other resources extensively throughout New
Zealand, in both urban and rural areas. This has been done via telephone,
email, physical post and in person. As a result, the Trust's support
networks have been greatly strengthened and extended. It has received
help from an increasing number of organisations and individuals who have
wished to display and/or distribute Universal Income resources. The types
of organisations have included the tertiary education sector especially
student associations, citizen advice centres, information centres,
recycling centres, community houses, pre-school centres, cafes, and 170
or so public libraries which constitutes almost the entire public library
network in Aotearoa. The Asian translations have been appreciated in many
areas. The Trust now has two static vertical displays: Universal Income
for a Sustainable Future and Universal Income Systems: A Global Vignette.
One or both have been mounted in various public libraries.<br><br>
*<u>SPAIN</u>: DISCUSSION ABOUT A BASIC INCOME FOR FARMERS<br>
In the context of the reform of the European Common Agrarian Policy,
Spanish Ministry of Agriculture held a meeting with the Deputy Director
of the General Secretariat for Underprivileged Zones and a small group of
Basic Income supporters at the end of December 2005. The main topic of
discussion was the differences between a universal unconditional Basic
Income and a guaranteed income focused on farmers. Although the
representatives of the Ministry did not make a substantial commitment,
they showed disposal to give support to a symposium on Basic Income. The
aim of the participants at the meeting was to convince the Ministry of
Agriculture to raise the cause of Basic Income at the debates on the
reform of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union.<br>
For further information:
<a href="http://www.diariodeleon.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=111&TEXTO=4340551" eudora="autourl">http://www.diariodeleon.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=111&TEXTO=4340551<br><br>
</a><b>6. PUBLICATIONS<br><br>
*ENGLISH<br><br>
</b>DAHMS, Harry F. (2005), “Globalization as Hyper-Alienation: Critiques
of Traditional Marxism as Arguments for Basic Income,” <i>Social
Theory as Politics in Knowledge</i> (Current Perspectives in Social
Theory, vol. 23) (London: Elsevier, 2005), pp. 205-76.<br>
Basic income-related schemes both try to retain and overcome certain
aspects of the social welfare state. Combined with Keynesian social and
economic policies, the social welfare state helped to secure social and
political stability, and facilitated unprecedented economic expansion and
development. Yet in retrospect, the social policy paradigm that emerged
during the Cold War does not appear to have been directed at eradicating,
nor at alleviating once and for all, those inequalities. Rather, it
sustained a network of enduring social and economic inequalities. Both
van Parijs and van der Veen's argument about basic income that began with
"a capitalist road to communism" (1986), and Moishe Postone's
“reinterpretation of Marx's critical theory” (1993), are critiques of
“traditional Marxism” that complement and support each other in important
ways, as they strengthen arguments for basic income by emphasizing how
the thrust of critical Marxism is directed at illuminating how the
dominant social policy paradigm is a mechanism that maintains forms of
social, political, cultural and economic life in a state of stasis that
is increasingly immune to qualitative transformations. <br><br>
HILL, Ronald Paul (2005), "Do the Poor Deserve Less Than Surfers? An
Essay for the Special Issue on Vulnerable Consumers.", <i>Journal of
Macromarketing</i>, Dec2005, 25 (2), p215-218.<br>
In his seminal work on an unconditional basic income for each citizen,
Philippe Van Parijs provides a new paradigm to facilitate a discussion on
the morality (or lack there of) inherent within our global distribution
system of goods and services. He also (implicitly) challenges the field
to consider the impact of greater exchange parity upon our material world
and the quality of life afforded our most vulnerable consumers. After
briefly presenting his approach, the work of John Rawls on distributive
justice and this author's own research on consumption adequacy is
integrated into this perspective to form a powerful model for policy
makers. Ronald Paul Hill is Bank of America Professor of Corporate Social
Responsibility and founding dean, College of Business, University of
South Florida St. Petersburg. <br><br>
HUMPHREYS, John (2005), "Reform 30/30: Rebuilding Australia's Tax
and Welfare System", <i>CIS Policy Monograph 70</i>, 27pp.<br>
Much has been said about the need for tax and welfare reform in
Australia. In this paper the author argues that the tyranny of the status
quo and self-imposed limitations such as ‘budget neutrality’ and
‘no-person-worse-off ’ has doomed any radical reform proposal to failure.
He advocates what he calls a “tax revolution” for Australia: “Reform
30/30”. Under Reform 30/30, all income taxes (company, Capital Gains Tax
[CGT], Pay As You Go [PAYG], Fringe Benefits Tax [FBT]) would be equal at
30%, and the "Medicare levy" removed. The tax free threshold
(TFT) would be increased to A$30,000 per person and all tax expenditures
(tax deductions, offsets, and so on) would be removed. The current
welfare system would be replaced by a sliding scale of payments (a
Negative Income Tax or NIT) that phased out at 30% and finished at an
income of A$30,000. The NIT would allow the removal of the minimum wage
which would lead to the creation of 500,000 new jobs. The incentives for
low-income earners will be improved as their effective marginal tax rate
(EMTR) is reduced from over 60% to 30%so that people have an incentive
to take the new jobs. According to the author of this study, these two
policies represent the best solution to unemployment and Reform 30/30 is
unambiguously beneficial to the economywith estimated benefits of A$90
billion as well as higher ongoing economic growth. Reform 30/30 is
unambiguously simpler than the current systemwith no tax return, no tax
avoidance opportunities and much lower administrative costs. Issues of
equity will always be contentious, but Reform 30/30 is more equitable
than the status quo for several reasons. First, it massively reduces
unemployment and poverty. Second, it ends the discrimination against
couples. Third, it ends the discrimination against risky business and
inconsistent income. Finally, this reform will actually pay for itself.
Rough estimates suggest a medium-term impact on the budget of +A$15
billion per year, and more in the long run. Reform 30/30 offers 500,000
new jobs, less poverty, a A$90 billion bigger economy, higher growth
rates, lower tax levels and a simpler, fairer tax/welfare system and more
money in the budget. The price is that some sacred cows of politics
(‘progressive’ tax, minimum wage, no- person- worse-off ) will have to be
sacrificed. It’s worth it, the author concludes. <br>
The paper can be downloaded at
<a href="http://www.cis.org.au/Publications/policymonographs/pm70.pdf" eudora="autourl">http://www.cis.org.au/Publications/policymonographs/pm70.pdf<br><br>
</a>PAXTON Will, WHITE Stuart, and MAXWELL Dominic (eds.) (2006). <i>The
citizen's stake. Exploring the future of universal asset policies</i>.
Bristol, The Policy Press, 224 pages, Paperback ISBN 1861346999, Hardback
ISBN 1861347006.<br>
Can and should asset-based policies such as universal capital grants
become a new pillar of the welfare state? Can they form the basis for a
more egalitarian form of market economy? The citizen's stake throws open
the debate by bringing together the ideas of leading thinkers in academia
and policy to explore the future scope of asset-based policies in
Britain. <br>
The book examines asset-based welfare in connection with a wide range of
issues, from tax policy to childcare, and includes the results of two
innovative studies of public opinion on capital grants and inheritance
tax. It is the first time that public opinion work has been integrated
with theory into a serious and cohesive consideration of practical
options for the future of asset-based welfare.<br>
The citizen's stake is accessibly written and aimed at a broad audience
of academics, students and policy-makers. Indeed, anyone interested in
how this new policy field can and should develop will want to read this
book. The discussions are relevant to academics, researchers and policy
makers overseas, particularly in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
Germany, Ireland and Sweden, where there is a high level of interest in
this topic.<br>
Will Paxton edited this volume whilst a Senior Research Fellow at the
Institute for Public Policy Research. In the past, he has published on
savings policy, volunteering and democratic participation, financial
exclusion and poverty. Stuart White is Fellow in Politics at Jesus
College, Oxford University. He researches in political theory and public
policy and is the author of The Civic Minimum: On the Rights and
Obligations of Economic Citizenship (2003) and co-editor of The Ethics of
Stakeholding (2003, with Keith Dowding and Jurgen De Wispelaere). Dominic
Maxwell is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Before joining IPPR he was a Research Assistant for a Labour MP, and has
previous experience at HM Treasury and Progress.<br>
Publisher's website:
<a href="https://www.policypress.org.uk/" eudora="autourl">https://www.policypress.org.uk/<br>
</a>Third editor's address: "Dominic Maxwell"
<d.maxwell@ippr.org><br><br>
<b>*FRENCH<br><br>
</b>PERREAULT Jean-François (2005), <i>Basic Income and labour market
related issues</i> (« Analyse des enjeux d’une Allocation Universelle sur
le marché du travail »), Master Thesis, Université du Québec à
Trois-Rivières (UQTR), Département Sciences de la gestion, Supervisor:
Benoît-Mario Papillon (benoit-mario.papillon@uqtr.ca), 2005.<br>
In the literature, labour market considerations in the analysis of Basic
Income (BI) policies have generally focused on labour force
participation. In the first part of the thesis, after a short historical
review of the origin of the idea of a BI policy, the author briefly
discusses some justifications for this type of policy. In order to take a
broader perspective over the issues, BI policies are compared with other
policies having similar objectives: welfare payments and a negative
income tax. The second part of the thesis looks into the effects of a BI
policy on labour markets. In doing so, the author synthesizes what has
been found on labour force participation effects in light of various BI
policy experiences in North America over the recent decades, and then
goes beyond labour force participation effect and hypothesises a number
of other effects pertaining to various dimensions of labour
markets. <br>
As argued by most critics of BI policies, researches have confirmed that
the effect on labour force participation is negative but much less than
expected. Furthermore, a broader view at dimensions of labour markets
suggests that BI policies could contribute in various ways to the
improvement of labour market performance in terms of wage level and job
satisfaction; BI policies give the means to low income class people to
stay longer at school; it is also sensible to conjecture other positive
effects in terms of job search and contract negotiation. In
addition, impacts are also predictable at other levels, labour market
flexibility and non-profitable activities to name a few. <br>
For further information: Jean-François Perreault
<jean-francois_perreault@uqtr.ca> <br><br>
<b>*ITALIAN<br><br>
</b>VAN PARIJS Philippe (2005). "Reditto di base e diritti
umani",in <i>Il Mercato giusto e l'etica sociale della società
civile </i>(Stefano Semplici ed.), Milano: Vita e Pensiero, 2005,
205-210. Translated as "Renta básica y derechos humanos" in
<i>Sin Permiso. Republica y socialismo, tambien para el siglo XXI</i>,
Barcelona, 18/12/2005.<br>
An interview with Philippe Van Parijs (chair of BIEN's International
Board) conducted by Italian philosopher Benedetta Giovanola
(University of Macerata) on the relationship between basic income,
justice and human rights, and on the prospects for basic income in Europe
and beyond.<br><br>
<b>*SPANISH<br><br>
</b>PEREZ MUNOZ, Cristian (2005). “Ingreso Básico Universal y libertad
real. Algunos apuntes críticos”, <i>Revista de Estudios Políticos</i>,
núm. 129, Madrid, julio-septiembre 2005, pp. 163-192.<br>
This article by Uruguayan philosopher and BI supporter Christian Pérez
Muñoz offers a critical revision of the notion of “real freedom for all”
and its institutional implications. Pérez Muñoz argues that Van Parijs’
egalitarian scheme partially fails since it does not consider
individuals’ capacities to convert their resources into true freedom.
Following Elisabeth Anderson line of argument, the author stresses that
the achievement of individual freedom is closely linked to individuals’
responsibility when actions, preferences and choices are to be faced.
This is why he suggests, as Richard Arneson does, that the main problem
into the “real freedom” scheme is the lack of an in-depth analyse of the
– both social and psychological - constraints that influence over the way
individuals make their choices and form their preferences. In effect,
people normally lack the necessary information to responsibly decide.
Although it is true that the use of the metrics of preferences and
welfare leads to conceptual problems that the “real freedom” perspective
sorts out, we must go beyond a mere initial equalization of opportunities
and build a theory of justice taking into account, as Amartya Sen has
suggested, the real capacities of individuals to use the resources at
their disposal. As the author stresses, “it is desirable that individuals
make whatever they want to make with themselves; but only in the case
they possess the necessary information to evaluate the consequences of
their choices”. This is why “the construction of institutions in a ‘free
society’ cannot rest on the assumption that individuals enjoy a status of
full self-ownership”. A solid idea of freedom is not possible if
individuals lack a relevant degree of autonomy to decide on their own
life plans from genuinely formed preferences. This argument leads the
author to the conclusion that the institutional scheme suggested by
Philippe Van Parijs is incomplete because it disregards agents’ capacity
to choose. This is, then, an objection to the idea of “real freedom”
rather than to Basic Income: in fact, Basic Income can be seen as an
excellent instrument to compensate those inequalities that erode
individuals’ capacity to decide. Something like educational institutions
is also required not to inculcate values – the author is always committed
to a liberal perspective -, but to provide people with the necessary
information to evaluate preferences and beliefs and to anticipate the
consequences of their actions. Such a set of measures is a necessary
condition for the achievement of effective “real freedom”.<br><br>
<b>7. NEW LINKS<br><br>
</b>*<u>ALASKA's DIGITAL ARCHIVES<br>
</u>Alaska's Digital Archives
(<a href="http://vilda.alaska.edu/" eudora="autourl">http://vilda.alaska.edu</a>)
presents a wealth of historical photographs, albums, oral histories,
moving images, maps, documents, physical objects, and other materials
from libraries, museums and archives. It includes a 72 second film clip,
color with audio track of Jay Hammond talking about the budget gap and
bridging the gap with taxes vs. Permanent Fund Dividend: see
<a href="http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdmg11/image/4502.mov" eudora="autourl">http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdmg11/image/4502.mov<br><br>
</a>*<u>GBI FOUNDATION<br>
</u>A Dutch website has been integrated into the website of the Global
Basic Income Foundation:
<a href="http://www.globalincome.org/" eudora="autourl">www.globalincome.org</a>
> Nederlands. These new pages should make the GBI website more accessible to a broader audience in Belgium and the Netherlands. The website is not just a translation of the pages in English, since some texts have been re-written. Furthermore, a new page has been added to the English as well as to the Dutch site: an online questionnaire which makes it easier for people to give their opinion about a Global Basic Income.<br><br>
*<u>FIAN INTERNATIONAL<br>
</u>KUNNEMAN, Rolf (2005), “Basic Food Income – Option or Obligation?”, FIAN International, Defending the right to food worldwide. January 15, 2005, 31 pages.<br>
About a quarter of those people facing food insecurity are so undernourished that they are unable to work. Others are unable to engage in agricultural work or wage labour due to infirmity or responsibilities such as family care (e.g. HIV-positive people and orphans). Even access to resources and minimum wages cannot help either of these two groups. A universal basic income paid to every citizen without means-testing and irrespective of age and employment status, which is recouped through taxation from better earners, is an effective way of remedying the abject poverty and destitution faced by the lowest quartile of the poor. Pilot programmes in different countries have shown that such cash transfer programmes can raise the standard of living of this group by providing the means for procuring food. FIAN supports civil society efforts towards the creation of basic income programmes in different countries of the world. The full text of this article can be downloaded from: <a href="http://www.fian.org/fian/index.php?option=com_doclight&Itemid=100&task=showdocument&dl_docID=43" eudora="autourl">http://www.fian.org/fian/index.php?option=com_doclight&Itemid=100&task=showdocument&dl_docID=43</a>.<br>
Author’s email address: kuennemann@fian.org.<br><br>
<b>8. ABOUT THE BASIC INCOME EARTH NETWORK<br><br>
</b><i>Co-chair:<br>
</i>Eduardo SUPLICY, Federal Senator, Sao Paulo, Brazil<br>
Guy STANDING, Director of the Social and Economic Security Programme, ILO, Geneva, Switzerland<br><br>
Further details about BIEN's Executive Committee and International Board can be found <a href="http://www.etes.ucl.ac.be/BIEN/BIEN/EC_temp.htm">on our website</a>, as well as further details about the <a href="http://www.etes.ucl.ac.be/BIEN/BIEN/Recognized_Networks.htm">Recognised National Networks</a>.<br><br>
<b>MEMBERSHIP<br><br>
</b>All life members of the Basic Income European Network, many of whom were non-Europeans, have automatically become life members of the Basic Income Earth Network.<br>
To join them, just send your name and address (postal and electronic) to David Casassas <dcasassas@ub.edu> Secretary of BIEN, and transfer EUR 100 to BIEN's account 001 2204356 10 at FORTIS BANK (IBAN: BE41 0012 2043 5610), 10 Rond-Point Schuman, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium. An acknowledgement will be sent upon receipt.<br>
<u>BIEN Life-members can become “B(I)ENEFACTORS”</u> by giving another 100 Euros or more to the Network. The funds collected will facilitate the participation of promising BI advocates coming from developing countries or from disadvantaged groups.<br><br>
<b>B(I)ENEFACTORS:<br>
</b>Joel Handler (US), Philippe Van Parijs (BE), Helmut Pelzer (DE), Guy Standing (UK)<br><br>
<b>BIEN's Life Members:<br>
</b>James Meade (+), Gunnar Adler-Karlsson (SE), Maria Ozanira da Silva (BR), Ronald Dore (UK), Alexander de Roo (NL), Edouard Dommen (CH), Philippe Van Parijs (BE), P.J. Verberne (NL), Tony Walter (UK), Philippe Grosjean (BE), Malcolm Torry (UK), Wouter van Ginneken (CH), Andrew Williams (UK), Roland Duchâtelet (BE), Manfred Fuellsack (AT), Anne-Marie Prieels (BE), Philippe Desguin (BE), Joel Handler (US), Sally Lerner (CA), David Macarov (IL), Paul Metz (NL), Claus Offe (DE), Guy Standing (UK), Hillel Steiner (UK), Werner Govaerts (BE), Robley George (US), Yoland Bresson (FR), Richard Hauser (DE), Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy (BR), Jan-Otto Andersson (FI), Ingrid Robeyns (UK), John Baker (IE), Rolf Kuettel (CH), Michael Murray (US), Carlos Farinha Rodrigues (PT), Yann Moulier Boutang (FR), Joachim Mitschke (DE), Rik van Berkel (NL), François Blais (CA), Katrin Töns (DE), Almaz Zelleke (US), Gerard Degrez (BE), Michael Opielka (DE), Lena Lavinas (BR), Julien Dubouchet (CH), Jeanne Hrdina (CH), Joseph Huber (DE), Markku Ikkala (FI), Luis Moreno (ES), Rafael Pinilla (ES), Graham Taylor (UK), W. Robert Needham (CA), Tom Borsen Hansen (DK), Ian Murray (US), Peter Molgaard Nielsen (DK), Fernanda Rodrigues (PT), Helmut Pelzer (DE), Rod Dobell (CA), Walter Van Trier (BE), Loek Groot (NL), Andrea Fumagalli (IT), Bernard Berteloot (FR), Jean-Pierre Mon (FR), Angelika Krebs (DE), Ahmet Insel (FR), Alberto Barbeito (AR), Rubén Lo Vuolo (AR), Manos Matsaganis (GR), Jose Iglesias Fernandez (ES), Daniel Eichler (DE), Cristovam Buarque (BR), Michael Lewis (US), Clive Lord (UK), Jean Morier-Genoud (FR), Eri Noguchi (US), Michael Samson (ZA), Ingrid van Niekerk (ZA), Karl Widerquist (US), Al Sheahen (US), Christopher Balfour (AND), Jurgen De Wispelaere (UK), Wolf-Dieter Just (DE), Zsuzsa Ferge (HU), Paul Friesen (CA), Nicolas Bourgeon (FR), Marja A. Pijl (NL), Matthias Spielkamp (DE), Frédéric Jourdin (FR), Daniel Raventós (ES), Andrés Hernández (CO), Guido Erreygers (BE), Alain Tonnet (BE), Stephen C. Clark (US), Wolfgang Mundstein (AT), Evert Voogd (NL), Frank Thompson (US), Lieselotte Wohlgenannt (AT), Jose Luis Rey Pérez (ES), Jose Antonio Noguera (ES), Esther Brunner (CH), Irv Garfinkel (US), Claude Macquet (BE), Bernard Guibert (FR), Margit Appel (AT), Simo Aho (FI), Francisco Ramos Martin (ES), Brigid Reynolds (IE), Sean Healy (IE), Maire Mullarney (IE), Patrick Lovesse (CH), Jean-Paul Zoyem (FR), GianCarlo Moiso (IT), Martino Rossi (CH), Pierre Herold (CH), Steven Shafarman (US), Leonardo Fernando Cruz Basso (BR), Wolfgang Strenmann-Kuhn (DE), Anne Glenda Miller (UK), Lowell Manning (NZ), Dimitris Ballas (GR), Gilberte Ferrière (BE), Louise Haagh (DK), Michael Howard (US), Simon Wigley (TR), Erik Christensen (DK), David Casassas (ES), Paul Nollen (BE), Vriend(inn)en Basisinkomen (NL), Christophe Guené (BE), Alain Massot (CA), Marcel Bertrand Paradis (CA), NN (Geneve, CH), Marc Vandenberghe (BE), Gianluca Busilacchi (IT), Robert F. Clark (US), Theresa Funiciello (US), Al Boag & Sue Williams (AU), Josef Meyer (BE), Alain Boyer (CH), Jos Janssen (NL), Collectif Charles Fourier (+), Bruce Ackerman (US), Victor Lau (CA), Konstantinos Geormas (GR), Pierre Feray (FR), Christian Brütsch (CH), Phil Harvey (US), Toru Yamamori (JP), René Keersemaker (NL), Manuel Franzmann (DE), Ovidio Carlos de Brito (BR), Bernard De Crum (NL), Katja Kipping (DE), Jan Beaufort (DE), Christopher Mueller (DE), Bradley Nelson (US), Marc de Basquiat (FR), James Robertson (UK) [155 members in 29 countries].<br><br>
BIEN's NewsFlash is mailed electronically every two months to over 1000 subscribers throughout the world.<br>
Requests for free subscription are to be sent to bien@basicincome.org<br>
Items for inclusion or review in future NewsFlashes are to be sent to Yannick Vanderborght, newsletter editor, UCL, Chaire Hoover, 3 Place Montesquieu, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, <u>vanderborght@etes.ucl.ac.be<br>
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