Learning for Change: Universal Income

On the 14th of September, four pioneers working towards the realization of basic income came together for a panel discussion convened by Julia Backhaus (ICIS) and Bonno Pel (ULB).

Some key insights from the session:

Basic Income is an unconditional individual entitlement provided to all inhabitants, providing more or less sufficient income to survive and live a comfortable life.
According to Alexander de Roo, chairman of the Dutch branch of the BIEN network VBI, 80% of people in the Netherlands heard of the concept – compared to only 20% some 15 years ago.
There were four different waves of realization strategies. These waves include social critique, scientific underpinning, policy entrepreneurship and ‘New wave” strategies (including online petitions, referenda and crowd funding).
Experiments in countries such as Canada have shown some positive effects of basic income or related ideas, such as a negative income text.
However, the full effect of basic income cannot be assessed in a space- and time-bound experiment and would only become apparent upon implementation.
One strategy to gain political authority is to make the concept widely known and to convince the constituency of its feasibility and desirability.
Two strategies to do so mentioned are an online platform explaining ways of financing a basic income, as developed by the VBI, or the spreading of stories of Mein Grundeinkommen raffle winners who receive 1,000 EUR every month for one year.
The fragmentation of basic income initiatives may pose a threat to the common cause of BI realization. At the same time, the many labels under which the idea can be discussed (e.g. social wage, negative income tax, basic income guarantee) and the various strategies available to promote the concept allow for clever strategizing depending on audience and opponents.