Basic Income - European Public Debate Archives

Mar 11 2020

Basic Social Security 2030

By GEF Uncategorized

This GEF report uses the case of Finland to investigate challenges in current social security models, and provides a reform roadmap to a new basic social security system, with basic income as a central element.

This report is an edited version of the Finnish Green Think Tank Visio’s report ‘Perusturva 2030,’ published for international readers. The report looks at the challenges faced by the Finnish system as well as the principles for solving these challenges, and offers proposals for action for the parliamentary term 2019-2023 and further into the 2020s. While the focus is on Finland, the principles for a better social security system are applicable to any so-called developed country, and the concrete stepping stones and microsimulations work as examples on how to find solutions regardless of the current system in a given country.

This translation was realised by the Green European Foundation as part of its transnational project on Basic Income, a topic that will be further explored in the 2020 project Change of Mindset – Civil Society dialogue around UBI, Social Justice and Climate Impact.

Oct 14 2019

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Making Basic Income a European Reality (Tampere)

By GEF

About the Event

The long lived dream of a basic income has gained relevance in Europe in the last few years. Changing working life and an uncertain economy has sparked the need for social security reforms in many countries. The Finnish basic income study has received world wide coverage. The goals have long been established but how do countries move forward to make it actually happen? Is a European BI possible? Should we approach BI incrementally?

In this seminar, taking place at the 30th European Green Party Council, guest speakers will discuss the status of basic income developments in different countries and outline paths to make the utopia a reality. Both national and Europe-wide points of view will be discussed. The seminar is a chance to spread ideas among the participants and help implement change across Europe.

Speakers

Via video: Jamie Cooke, The RSA Scotland

Pathways to a Basic Income in Scotland and the UK

Jane Millar, University of Bath, UK
Universal Credit: designing and implementing the UK’s new working-age benefit and how this differs from Basic Income

Kim Evangelista, Belgian Green party (Ecolo)
A Basic Income for the young: Inventing tomorrow’s solidarities

Lukas Korpelainen, Visio – Finnish Green Think Tank
A hybrid model for basic social security and the steps for the next 10 years in Finland

Speaker Biographies

Jane Millar OBE, FBA, FAcSS is Professor of Social Policy in the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath, UK. Her research interests include the design, implementation and impact of social policy and comparative research on family policy, social security and employment policy, with particular reference to gender and changing family patterns. Her current research examines the impact of Universal Credit on couples, focusing on labour market decisions and family budgeting.

Kim Evangelista is a policy advisor for the Belgian Green party (Ecolo). He is in charge of economic, social and fiscal policies. He worked on a concrete Basic Income proposition included in the political program of the party for the May 2019 election. He studied economics and political sciences, and was later a researcher in applied economics. He worked in both the private and public sector

Lukas Korpelainen is a research coordinator at the Finnish Green think tank Visio. Earlier this year he wrote a report on improving the basic social security system in Finland. The work includes a new model for a basic income combined with means-tested benefits and a realistic first step with economic simulations. He has also helped the Finnish Green party develop its social security policies.

Jamie Cooke is the head of The RSA Scotland and leads on the development of the RSA’s activity in Scotland, through innovative partnerships, projects and programmes. He is also a leading advocate, writer, and speaker on the subject of basic income. He sits on the Executive Committee of Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and on the Board of Citizens’ Basic Income Network Scotland (CBINS).

This seminar is organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of the Finnish Green think tank Visio.

Oct 09 2019

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Basic Income as a Tool Towards the Ecological Transition (Córdoba)

By GEF

About the Event

In a society threatened by different and converging environmental and social crises, Universal Basic Income has more and more support as an instrument to mitigate the great social inequalities that the economic system, based on the infinite economic growth, cannot solve.

On the contrary, neoliberal capitalism is not only opening a widening gap between rich and poor countries, but it is accentuating it within the countries themselves, creating large pockets of poverty. Much has been written about UBI in relation to work, freedom, inequality, gender, but the ecological dimension has hardly been taken into account. For this reason we want to focus on the UBI-socio-environmental sustainability relationship.

Would the implementation of a basic income have positive effects on the protection of the Planet? What would be its relationship with economic growth / degrowth? How would it affect consumption patterns? How should it be financed so that it can be an effective instrument for ecological transition? In this session we will try to answer these and many other questions and contribute to the debate on this forgotten but necessary and urgent aspect of Basic Income.

This event is part of the Basic Income – European Public Debate project and will take place at the Univerde: Capitalism in Front of the Mirror – the Socio-Environmental Response to a Predatory System,

Speakers

– Lucía Baratech – economist specialized in Ecological and Social Economics from the Vienna University of Economics. Member of the Basic Income Network. Consultant for Public Administration

– Jorge Pinto – research associate at the Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society University of Minho, Portugal and co-founder of the Portuguese party LIVRE

– Julen Bollain – economist and researcher, member of the Basic Income Network and of the BIEN (Basic Income Earth Network). Member of the Basque Parliament by Elkarrekin Podemos

Aug 21 2019

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Cornerstones for a New Climate – UBI’s contribution to new policies on economy and environment (Wiener Neustadt)

By GEF

Event background

As part of our transnational project Basic Income – European Public Debate, which has been implemented across Europe since 2017, GEF is holding a two-fold event in Austria to explore different positions on universal basic income (UBI) across Europe.

About the event

As it is clear that our planet calls for a different, new climate, GEF will, with the support of Grüne Bildungswerkstatt and Bildungszentrum St. Bernhard, open the space for green actors and proponents of a UBI to discuss how such a policy instrument could contribute to new policies for economy, society and the environment.

Programme

10:00 Registration

10:30 Welcome and introduction to the GEF transnational project on UBI

11:30 Input on 3 themes of the day

UBI, social and economic inclusion

Kim Fredericq-Evangelista, policy advisor Ecolo (BE)

UBI, financing and alternative economic models

Helmo Pape, founder of Generation Grundeinkommen (AT)

UBI from a feminist perspective

Barb Jacobsen, coordinator of Basic Income UK and member of Universal Basic Income Europe (UBIE) network (UK)

Margit Appel, researcher on feminist economic policy and universal basic income (AT)

12:30 Discussion: Connecting the threads to green climate policies

13:00 Lunch break

14:00 Open Space

Deepening of the 3 themes highlighted in the morning and exploring of further questions on UBI

16:45 Harvesting and synthesis

18:00 Networking drinks and snacks

Speakers

Margit Appel – researcher on feminist economic policy/universal basic income in Austria.
Kim Fredericq-Evangelista – Policy advisor for the Belgium Green Party, Ecolo. His “Youth UBI” was added to the last election programme.
Barb Jacobsen – Universal Basic Income Europe (UBIE) Network, Co-ordinator of Basic Income UK.
Helmo Pape – Founder of Generation Grundeinkommen, Austria.

Practicalities

Language

The conference will be in German with English whispered interpreting.

Participation fee

Solidarity fee / voluntary donation for the organization and food. Participation in the evening event is free of charge.

Registration

To register for this event, please contact buero@gbw.at.

Registration deadline: 14 October

For more information in German, please visit our partner’s webpage here.

The internal conference will be followed by a public debate reflecting on the key insights of the day and discussing the (political) steps forward as of 19h. More information can be found here.

Mar 04 2019

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Basic Income & Social Rights: Local and European Perspectives (Bologna)

By GEF

Event Background

This event is part of the Green European Foundation transnational project Basic Income – European Public Debate.

Basic income has emerged in recent years as a potential tool to reverse the current issues facing society, such as lack of affordable housing and access to education and healthcare, income inequality and disparity between generations.

As basic income gradually permeates into mainstream debates and factors like technological advancements change our understanding of work, it is important to explore how such a scheme could be implemented, and the impact it would have on social rights at the local and European level.

About the Event

This workshop will be held as a side event of the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) four day educational event on social rights, and organised with the support of FYEG.

It will bring together young people locally and from across Europe, with international participants including those from FYEG member organisations, social movements, and trade unions.

Participants will learn via roundtable discussions about basic income, existing pilot projects and the connection with social rights. They will identify the pressing requirements to make such a scheme a reality.

Programme

The workshop will be divided into three parts, with breaks in between:

The presentation of the GEF publication European Green Perspectives on Basic Income will provide an introduction to the basic income concept and describe successes and limitations of past pilot projects, and discuss the results of research into the impact of basic income schemes on access to housing, education, healthcare and employment.
Two fishbowl-style dialogues will serve as a basis to discuss the challenges and solutions to basic income implementation. This part will touch upon the need for certain infrastructure to be in place and the challenges associated with competing views of basic income.
Finally, roundtable discussions will delve deeper into the realisation of basic income on the local and European level, with a focus on connecting the two levels together and how basic income could strengthen social rights at these levels.

Speakers

Natalie Bennett, GEF Board of Directors
Alex Foti, author of the General Theory of the Precariat

Registration

The workshop will be free and open to everyone but subject to registration. You can register by filling in this form. Deadline for registration is Sunday, 21 April 2019, midnight CET.

Language

The event will be held in English but whispered translation from English into Italian can be provided on the spot.

For further updates, check out the Facebook event.

Feb 18 2019

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European Green Perspectives on Basic Income

By GEF Uncategorized

Throughout 2017 and 2018, the Green European Foundation transnational project Basic Income for all EU Citizens? focused on basic income and investigated the proposal’s potential in relation to employment, the recognition of work beyond paid work, and the gendered division of labour.

This collection of articles brings together experts on basic income from all across Europe, to debate and clarify different aspects of the topic and help develop proposals. The aim of the publication is to inspire the next steps in promoting the basic income discussion, one which encompasses some of the biggest challenges faced by society today.

In 2019, GEF will continue its work on basic income and contributing to transnational discussion with the project Basic Income – European Public Debate.

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