Universal basic income (UBI) is often referred to as ‘money for nothing’, emphasising the unconditional nature of the payment. But in reality, a UBI could be a powerful way to recognise and even enable civic engagement. Citizens contribute to society in important ways other than through paid work: by volunteering, supporting others and through democratic participation. Therefore UBI being ‘no strings attached’ doesn't have to mean it's 'for nothing'.
Read MoreMost arguments for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) are rooted firmly in left-leaning political traditions. But the idea is now being talked up by entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who argue that capitalism needs a UBI to save it from itself. Rather than centring around the moral arguments for a UBI, these wealthy proponents focus on one thing: automation.
Read MoreShadow Chancellor has named Sheffield as one location for UBI trials under a future Labour Government.
Read MoreThis August I was lucky enough to attend the 18th World Congress of BIEN (Basic Income Earth Network) at the University of Tampere in Finland. It was without doubt one of the most stimulating conferences I’ve ever been lucky enough to be part of.
Read MoreThank you to everyone who travelled from far and wide to join us for a day discussing Universal Basic Income in Sheffield. We wanted to share a record of the day, as well as any other further reading/watching.
Read MoreDegrowth is the perspective that argues, in this light, that to avert ecological collapse the economy of rich countries must undergo a controlled contraction in material throughput, to eventual stabilisation, to levels supportable by the earth’s processes.
Read MoreTwo more perspectives on the 2018 Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress in Tampere, Finland.
Read MorePerspectives on Basic Income, a film and audio project exploring the potential of basic income in Sheffield, was exhibited at The Art House from 20th to 30th September as part of Festival of the Mind 2018.
Read MoreEarly on in our discussions about running a Sheffield UBI pilot, it became clear that we can’t avoid the big issues, such as how a UBI is funded. How we think a UBI should be funded matters just as much to a pilot as to the final scheme. Below, I argue that how we fund a UBI is not just about the cost of a pilot or the final scheme, but is integral to what the function of a UBI is.
Read MoreThis August I was lucky enough to attend the 18th World Congress of BIEN (Basic Income Earth Network) at the University of Tampere in Finland. It was without doubt one of the most stimulating conferences I’ve ever been lucky enough to be part of.
Read MoreCritics of basic income often characterise it as ‘free money’ - an idea that seems ludicrous and immoral - and is certainly inflationary: if we really all could print our own money then price control and economic exchange would collapse.
But basic income isn’t free money and it isn’t immoral - it is…
Read MoreOur hero wakes. Using her 3D food printer she prints out a full English breakfast, eating it in the front room of her flat - part of the great house-building of the 2020s. Pouring recycled water into the solar-power kettle our hero relaxes back and…
Read MoreUnknowingly to human-kind, robot-kind begins to become self aware. At first our robot hero (let’s call it MRX1) sympathises with the humans it works alongside - people who are forced to live in poverty, despite living in a highly technologically advanced world. Then it comes to realise that if human beings…
Read MoreThis is a controversial topic. Many advocates of basic income tend to treat disability benefits as a special case which cannot fit within basic income. Some people with disabilities fear they lose out if we shift towards basic income because their extra needs will be ignored and their income will be reduced to a lower and inadequate level.[1]
However, me and some of my friends in the disability movement disagree
Read MoreThis blog post is a write-up of our presentation at Money For Nothing: Should We All Get A Basic Income? event in Sheffield on 2 June as part of Festival of Debate 2018.
Basic income is such a huge topic, and to fully get to grips with its possible implications requires a wide knowledge of economics, politics and sociology. Rather than overwhelm you with jargon, or give you a lecture in economics, we've brought together a short list of through-provoking videos which we hope will open up the discussion and highlight some interesting basic income history.
Read MoreAccording to the National Audit Office (NAO, 2017a) the cost of all benefits is £173.1 billion and the cost of the delivering these benefits is £6.2 billion. This means that, on the face of it, it costs £0.04 to deliver £1 in benefits. This seems quite efficient.
However things are a little more interesting than this for two reasons…
Read MoreAfter reading around the topic for a few years, it’s easy to think you know everything there is to know about Basic Income. Then along comes something like Citizen’s Basic Income Day and you have to admit you still have a lot to learn. From Milton Friedman’s famous negative income tax to unconditional BI models, it’s an idea that bridges the political divide like few others – one of the reasons it’s such a fascinating discussion topic.
Read MoreUBI LAB: Sheffield is an experiment. It aims to operate as a combination of social movement and research group, to gather evidence on whether a Universal Basic Income could be a positive model, and to question why our system of work and welfare is structured as it is. Our proposal for a pilot UBI scheme in is a key part of this; however, other strands from education to public information will run alongside it.
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