Income Movement’s GBI Pilot Tracker

Income Movement has been working on Income Movement’s GBI Pilot Tracker for a few years now, and we have some new numbers to share about direct cash & GBI impact across the US:

We have had the joy of emailing and meeting with dozens of pilot administrations as they shared details about their pilots and the impact they are having on their communities. We are blown away by the diversity of communities being supported through a basic income.

Below is a graphic highlighting the number of pilots/programs happening across the country along with the number of participants. We included a table that shows the data cut in 3 different ways: omitting tribal payments in one column and then omitting both tribal and one-time payments in another to isolate the number of guaranteed basic income programs that have launched in recent years. That drastic drop in participants from column one to column two shows how much support tribes provide to their community through recurring direct cash.

Access Tracker Here

Do Financial Gains Last? A Randomised Mixed-methods Evaluation of Guaranteed Income 18 Months Post-program

Guaranteed income (GI) programs have consistently been shown to improve financial well-being during the payment period, but a fundamental question remains largely unanswered: do these gains persist after payments end? This paper addresses that gap using evidence from the In Her Hands (IHH) Phase One guaranteed income program, which provided low-income women in predominantly Black urban, suburban, and rural communities in Georgia with unconditional monthly payments totalling $20,400 over 24 months.

Extending a companion analysis of during-program effects, we examine financial outcomes approximately 18 months after the final payment using a convergent mixed-methods design that integrates initial application data, a longitudinal follow-up survey, a monthly administrative panel of Equifax credit bureau records spanning treatment and control group members from before program entry through the post-program period, and in-depth qualitative interviews. To our knowledge, this is among the first GI evaluations to combine survey and interview data with administrative credit records at the post-program stage.

Read/Download Paper Here

Creative Freedom highlights artwork created by participants in the Creatives Rebuild New York Guaranteed Income for Artists program, which provided $1,000 per month for 18 months to support financial stability and creative expression. This collection reflects how economic security can expand artistic freedom, amplify voices, and foster meaningful cultural contributions.

Explore the Creative Freedom book—a curated compilation of participant artwork and stories—available as a free ebook, with print-on-demand copies offered at cost.

Get Creative E-Book Here Free

Financial Wellbeing and Employment in the First Year of a Choice-Based Guaranteed Income Model

Guaranteed income (GI) programs have expanded rapidly in the United States over the past decade. However, gaps remain in the evidence base regarding program design features that support participant self-determination and longer-term financial stability. This paper presents Year One findings from In Her Hands Phase Two, a 36-month guaranteed income program serving 275 low-income women in historically Black neighbourhoods on Atlanta's Westside.

Phase Two is distinguished by two design features not previously tested at scale in U.S. GI research: a transfer amount ($36,000 total per recipient) and duration substantially larger than most prior pilots, and a participant choice model that allows recipients to select their own disbursement structure (either an $8,000 lump sum plus $800 per month for the remaining 35 months, or $1,000 per month for 36 months). Using a mixed-methods convergent design that integrates baseline application data, a 12-month follow-up survey (n = 135 treatment, n = 166 control), and two waves of qualitative interviews, we examine financial well-being and employment outcomes after the program’s first year

Read/Download Full Paper Here

New publication: Marc Doussard, Jurgen De Wispelaere and Joe Chrisp, Cash in Hand: Basic income as regional policy

In a new publication, Cash in Hand, Marc Doussard, Jurgen De Wispelaere and Joe Chrisp make the case for basic income as a policy solution that reinvigorates left-behind places. Featuring a foreword by Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

Often only viewed as a national policy, recent initiatives and debates open up the idea of basic income being introduced by municipalities and regions. In the regional policy world, the long-term failure of regeneration schemes focused on manufacturing and innovation has led to a focus on endogenous development: Regional dynamism achieved by maximising the talents and contributions of existing residents. The fit between basic income and this agenda is more than aspirational. Worldwide, regions and municipalities are leading the way in experimenting with basic income and other unconditional cash transfers. Cash in Hand guides readers through the theory, evidence and practical politics of basic income as regional policy.

Cash in Hand will be launched at the BIEN Congress in Toronto (20-22 August 2026), with Marc Doussard and Jurgen De Wispelaere in conversation with Amy Castro, Tom Cooper, Fabienne Hansen and Vibhor Mathur. Join us if you are in Toronto!

Read/Download Publication Here

A Living Wage Floor: A generation of direct cash evidence, and the bet that turns it into a foundation every working-age household can count on.

THE BET IN BRIEF
Families should be able to work, care for each other, and build toward a future without the constant threat of financial collapse. But the labour market—defined by low wages, volatile income, and eroding employer benefits—no longer delivers that foundation for a growing share of working households. A generation of direct cash pilots has proven that an unconditional living wage floor works. Now the bet is to build one, and philanthropy is uniquely positioned to catalyse the research, state-level pilots, and systems needed to turn that proof into policy at scale.

The bet is specific: use philanthropic capital to catalyse policy research, state-level pilots, and purposeful administrative systems needed to establish a living wage floor—a regular, unconditional, sufficient cash transfer to ensure security for working-age households that does not depend on employment status, program compliance, or bureaucratic gatekeeping.

Read Full Blog Here

The Inclusion Crisis: Exploring a Disability-Inclusive Basic Income as a Tool for Empowerment

A Discussion Paper prepared for the BIEN 2026 World Congress, Roundtable by Jamie Cooke and Jurgen De Wispelaere

10 years of UBI pilots carried out around the world have seen basic income being tested on a wide range of individuals and groups. This allows us to go beyond simple aggregate effects to get a better and more nuanced picture of how exactly a basic income impacts people from very diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Each study contributes to better understanding the role basic income plays as a robust policy instrument with a wide positive impact.

To our knowledge, no pilot has specifically examined the impact of basic income on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). There are good reasons to think that basic income would offer important support to IDD individuals and their families — but we are still awaiting the evidence.

In the past year, BIEN and Inclusion International, the international network of people with intellectual disabilities and their families, have started to explore synergies, shared views and common interests, and the potential of future collaboration.

As a first step, we will host a roundtable at the upcoming BIEN Congress in Toronto on “The Inclusion Crisis: Exploring a Disability-Inclusive Basic Income as a Tool for Empowerment”. The panel will discuss the idea of an inclusive basic income with representatives of both our communities.

Read/Download Paper Here

We are Eight, a Belgian nonprofit that has been providing a basic income to vulnerable families and individuals in Africa for ten years.

Eight gives people control of their own lives through unconditional cash transfers. Communities in Uganda, Ivory Coast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo receive monthly support via Mobile Money for two years, which they can spend freely according to their needs. This scientifically monitored approach leads to a better quality of life, greater opportunities for women, and sustainable development. We are pleased to announce another project launch in May in West Uganda in Waol Kucan.

Waol Kucan is a coffee-growing community near the Ndhew washing microstation in Nebbi. This project is a collaboration with This Side Up and Zombo Coffee, both partners in the coffee value chain.

Over the next two years, 92 adults and 127 children will participate in the cash transfer project.

Adults receive 16€ per month, and children receive €8 per month (through their mother or female guardian).

Read More about the project Here

A First Look and a Basic Income Launch Party

Join us Saturday, August 22, 2026 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema for a night at the movies and a proper celebration.

Ten years in the making, Bootstraps is a documentary series by Emmy-winning filmmaker Deia Schlosberg that followed eleven households through a multi-year basic income experiment. This is the first look at the finished series, with two episodes on the big screen, followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and some big news from ITSA Foundation and Comingle.

Come for a fun night. Free to attend, with food at the reception and great opportunities to mingle. When the cinema closes, the night carries on at a nearby pub.

Reserve your spot Here

BASIC INCOME RAFFLE

On August 22, UBI4ALL will raffle off another 9,600 EUR as Unconditional Basic Income. In the course of the BIEN 2026, the international Basic Income conference in Toronto, one among the UBI4ALL community of more than 45,000 people worldwide will win one to five years of Basic Income. It will be paid out monthly at 800 EUR for one year for a winner residing in a rich state (e.g. Canada, Germany, etc) or 160 EUR for five years for someone residing in a low-income country (e.g. Haiti, Bangladesh, etc) and graded accordingly in between.

Everyone aged 16 years is eligible to register on the UBI4ALL website, which is free of course, and participate in the raffle. So far, there are 9 winners from various countries worldwide. The raffle pot is funded 100% through crowdfunding; donations are welcome. Since 2020, the small UBI4ALL team has worked on a volunteer basis.

The purpose of the raffles is to introduce as many people as possible to the topic, provide a platform for discussion, and learn from the winners’ experiences.

Register Now Here

The Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth

This Roadmap was developed in consultation with over 400 experts from trade unions, movements, UN agencies, universities, policy bodies, and civil society institutions around the world, including Vibhor Mathur, Diana Bashur, Nicholas Langridge and Dr Patrick Brown,

Basic income at a level sufficient to allow a dignified life, provided universally and unconditionally, can help to eliminate poverty by guaranteeing access to necessary resources. It’s multiple beneficial feedback loops include improved public health, and, in a longer-term perspective, cost savings for the public purse by reducing aggregate health expenditure. In contrast to mainstream ‘welfare’ policy, a universal basic income can enhance recipient dignity and well-being by reducing the stress and stigma associated with poverty and targeted or conditional benefits. Further, a substantive body of work suggests that basic income enables investments in human capital by removing financial barriers to (further) education, whilst also facilitating upgrades in fixed capital in the form of people’s housing or productive assets.

Read/Download Full Report Here.

Bootstraps, a docuseries

Exploring the human experience of Universal Basic Income (UBI) through open discussion and a docuseries following 11 households whose lives were transformed by a groundbreaking 2.5-year basic income experiment.

Over 8 years and $2.7 million in the making, the Bootstraps docuseries follows 11 diverse American households for two and a half years as they participate in a groundbreaking basic income experiment. The award-winning film team is currently in post-production, turning thousands of hours of intimate footage into a multi-season TV show, anticipating release on a major streaming network in 2026.

To leverage the series to its fullest potential, the team is planning a national impact campaign of at least 100 free public screenings/events, a behind-the-scenes podcast, social media campaign, educational materials, and more to accompany the show’s release.

Learn More About Bootstraps Here

Comingle-The money sharing Network

The Comingle web platform, designed to facilitate a scalable, community-funded, permanent UBI program, is now operational in beta testing with several dozen members pooling incomes to create their own basic income floor. The platform is preparing to begin its scaling push to grow its membership into the thousands in the latter half of 2026.

Get Involved Here

The US-based Income To Support All (ITSA) Foundation and the Canadian UBIworks are teaming up to co-host a Bootstraps screening and Comingle impact campaign launch event for attendees of the annual BIEN Congress and others from the Toronto-area UBI movement in the Toronto area in August. The event will take place immediately after the Congress’s closing ceremonies at the historic HotDocs Cinema on Saturday, Aug 22. If you’ll be in town for the Congress, make sure to include this special event in your plans!

The Bootstraps/Comingle/ITSA team will also be attending the Piloters Network event the day before the Congress (Aug 19), excited to discuss the next generation of direct cash efforts, UBI infrastructure, and potential collaboration on research and other opportunities.

Climate Commons Fund: A sustainable financing mechanism to fund cash for conservation

What if a community could own a share of the natural wealth its land generates, the way Alaskans receive annual dividends from oil revenues?

That is the premise behind the Climate Commons Fund (CCF), a community-owned conservation endowment being piloted with the residents of Il Ngwesi Conservancy in Laikipia, one of Kenya’s oldest community-owned conservancies.

Inspired by sovereign wealth-funded basic income programmes in Alaska, Brazil and the Marshall Islands, the CCF pools conservation finance into an endowment fund that generates returns and pays it back to the people of Il Ngwesi as unconditional cash. Every adult in Il Ngwesi is eligible for these payments, which will include a large lump sum cash transfer to support livelihood diversification, and an annual ‘Conservation Dividend’ linked to conservancy-wide ecological indicators. Payments are paired with workshops and training opportunities to help boost their conservation impact.

The CCF model directly challenges a structural injustice in conservation finance: communities bear the costs of land-use restrictions while revenues flow to intermediaries. The CCF inverts that logic, turning ecosystem stewardship into a permanent, community-owned income stream.

This Summer, Equal Right will launch the pilot phase of the Fund, using a lottery mechanism paired with mobile money transfers to distribute cash to an initial cohort of Il Ngwesi residents. This project has been supported by the Global Resilience Partnership’s RAIN Challenge and the Conservation Finance Alliance Incubator. The project is being delivered in partnership with GiveDirectly and the University of Wageningen’s BINC Lab.

Read More on CCF Here

The AI Dividend: Cash, Reskilling, and Community Support to Workers Displaced by AI

Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI) has launched the first-ever pilot combining direct cash, reskilling, and community support for workers navigating AI-driven economic transition.

Already underway and designed by impacted workers, the AI Dividend is the latest pilot from F4GI, a 501(c)(3) that has run more than 20 direct cash transfer programs nationwide.

The AI Dividend brings F4GI together with What We Will, a worker centre for people in industries impacted by rapid technological change that is developing a retraining curriculum for workers affected by AI-driven job loss, and an advisory council that assembles AI developers, researchers, policy experts, and workforce practitioners.

Workers displaced by AI often lack the time, money, or connections to learn AI skills even when they know they should. The AI Dividend addresses this gap by investing in workers so they can figure out what’s next, combining income stability with reskilling and community support in a way no existing program does. In 2026, the program aims to help 2,000 displaced workers find their footing in the AI economy.

An independent research study runs alongside the program to develop an open-source worker-support model for responding to AI displacement at scale.

Read More on AI Dividend Here

‘Seen’, ‘Respected’ and ‘Empowered’: Exploring the Dignity Dividend of a Universal Basic Income by Vibhor Mathur

Individuals experiencing poverty face dual indignity: material deprivation and engagement with stigmatizing social policy. Universal Basic Income (UBI) is often pitched as a dignifying alternative to both challenges. This article presents a 2-year ethnographic investigation within a UBI pilot in South Indian urban slums.

The paper explores the dignifying potential of ‘UBI way’—unconditionality, universality, individualization, regularity—of delivering cash. Participants report enhanced recognition, strengthened social relations and increased agency through the intervention’s design features.

Importantly, the narratives accompanying the delivery of a UBI were key to these experiences of dignity. This study also presents a novel conceptual framework to operationalize dignity, based on recognition, relationality and autonomy, aiming to make dignity a ‘useful’ concept in development policy and practice.

Read Full Paper Here

Eight, a Belgian nonprofit that has been providing a basic income to vulnerable families and individuals in Africa for ten years.

In January of this year, they launched a new project in Kapchorwa, Eastern Uganda. For the first time, we are combining a basic income with a community-based training in climate adaptation, as many coffee farmers in the region are heavily affected by landslides caused by human activity and climate change.

They believe that 1 + 1 = 3 and want to prove it. That’s why this project will be closely monitored through scientific research (via IOB, University of Antwerp). Three coffee communities will participate over two years (until January 2028): one will receive only a basic income, one will receive only training in climate adaptation, and one will receive both. This allows them to measure the true impact. The first results will follow next year.

Adults receive €16 per month, children €8 (through their mother or female guardian).

More Project Detail Here

Basic Income—A Transformative Policy for Sustainable Welfare? Part 1: Four Arguments for Basic Income as an Eco-Social Tool by Simon Birnbaum

Is basic income (BI) a powerful tool for the green transformation of advanced welfare states?

Since the early steps of green ideology formation, basic income-oriented policies have been widely embraced by environmentally concerned thinkers, and key actors of the green movement. But even though discursive patterns that link basic income to ecological values are prominent and consistent over time, such claims often take the form of general suggestions rather than rigorously developed arguments. This paper—part 1 of 2—will reconstruct and clarify key arguments expressed or implied in normative theory and policy discourse that relates BI to eco-social objectives. I distinguish four lines of argument for why BI might have unique advantages over conditional forms of income support in terms of sustainable welfare.

Read Part 1 of Paper Here

Basic Income—A Transformative Policy for Sustainable Welfare? Part 2: Four Paradoxes in the Eco-Social Case for Basic Income by Simon Birnbaum

There are compelling arguments for why basic income may be a powerful, transformative eco-social policy tool in advanced welfare states. However, closer scrutiny reveals that the relationship between BI's ecological and social objectives is also marked by deep tensions. This second part of the article—Part 2 of 2—identifies and explores four paradoxes that seriously complicate the green case for basic income. These paradoxes help explain why the ecological and social goals expressed in post-growth BI discourse often conflict more deeply than green BI proponents may admit. They also suggest that common claims of BI as a radically transformative, green policy are overstated. Still, the tensions exposed are paradoxes, not fatal contradictions. Rather than undermining the eco-social case for BI, they can be addressed constructively and used to guide the formulation of BI's precise role and value in the green transformation of welfare states.

Read Part 2 of Paper Here

I Just Launched the AI Pledge for Humanity. Here’s Why. By Scott Santens

AI leaders keep saying UBI is necessary. This pledge asks them to prove it.

In the spirit of common cause, and with eyes open to the Age of AI upon us, we sign this pledge.

We stand at the dawn of abundance. Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape civilisation, ushering us into a future previously imagined only as science fiction. Built on humanity’s collective knowledge and creativity, AI is now unlocking capabilities beyond what once seemed possible.

AI’s capabilities come from all of us. Each of us has contributed in some way to the creation of technology that now emulates us, augments us, and displaces us.

AI was trained on the labor of all; every word written, every image drawn, every song composed, every video published. It leans on discoveries we all funded, born from government research grants, public universities, and the collective achievements of generations past.

Read and Sign the Pledge Here

Tracking Global Social Policy Responses to the Crisis in the Middle East

Ugo Gentilini, Cristobal Ridao-Cano, Iffath Sharif, Jamele Rigolini, Mohamed Almenfi, Eliana Carranza, Sarah Coll Black, Jose Cuesta, Victor Sulla, Ramy Zeid and Ian Orton

The World Bank has been releasing updates on global social protection responses to the Middle East crisis and high energy prices for the past 5 consecutive weeks (Gentilini et al, 2026). The latest edition documents 202 measures adopted across 79 countries, including 15 emergency cash transfer and basic income programs. The analysis also sheds light on a new and worrisome trend: governments are beginning to resort not just to pandemic-type measures (like remote working or reduced working days), but to fully fledged rationing of energy and food commodities. Recorded in 20 cases, rationing is akin to measures taken during and post-WW-2 times. On top of this, there are clear cracks in fiscal space, with at least 3 cases of countries reducing or freezing public spending. Combined with widespread use of subsidies, these developments point to an elevated use of last-resort measures across a wide range of contexts. In other words, countries' ability to cope with high energy prices is shrinking by the week.

Check Full Report Here

Accompanying Database

Intra-Gender Trade-Offs in Basic Income Regimes

by Leticia Morales, Jurgen De Wispelaere

The contemporary debate about basic income and gender primarily adopts an external perspective according to which women as a group are pitched against men as a group. This article examines tensions internal to women as a group. We distinguish three types of tensions, each of which leads to a so-called intra-gender trade-off: (1) horizontal tensions trade off different spheres of activities in which women have an interest (e.g., labour market vs. family); (2) vertical tensions pit better-off women against worse-off women (e.g. high educated vs. low educated); (3) temporal tensions trade off impact in one part of the life-cycle against another (e.g. early vs. later in life). The article argues for the importance of acknowledging the internal perspective on gender equality and the challenges this poses for the basic income proposal while also suggesting how it may constructively address avenues for designing and implementing a gender-sensitive basic income.

Read/Download Article Here

BIEN’s Treasurer runs the Rio Marathon to raise funds for Toronto BIEN Congress

On 7 June 2026, BIEN Treasurer Lindsay Stirton is running the Rio Marathon to raise money for the BIEN Congress Solidarity Fund.

The Congress Solidarity Fund exists to help low-income participants attend BIEN’s annual Congress by contributing towards essential costs such as travel, accommodation and visa applications.

BIEN’s annual Congress is the major global meeting for people advocating for, researching, debating and putting into practice basic income in all its dimensions, which this year takes place 19–22 August in Toronto, Canada.

Basic income is, at heart, about security, dignity and inclusion. Supporting broader participation in the BIEN Congress is one practical way of advancing those same values. A serious global conversation about economic security should itself be open to people from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances.

Lindsay is running the Rio Marathon to help make that happen. Every donation, large or small, will support the BIEN Congress Solidarity Fund and help widen access to the most important international gathering devoted to basic income.

Donate Here

Spread the word across our community, and please donate if you can!

A basic income for farmers is a targeted basic income payment for people who produce food, flowers and fibre for commercial sale. It is a policy proposal that has gained traction in the UK over the last few years since the publication of Sowing the Seeds of Stability: The case for a basic income for farmers, farmworkers and food producers in the UK. The proposal for a basic income for farmers results from identifying the high levels of income insecurity experienced by farmers, farmworkers and food producers. The argument is to target some income support directly to the land worker, rather than solely on the area farmed or the activity, as has been the case with traditional subsidies. It is suggested that with a payment made directly to the farmer, financial security would improve and in turn so would other outcomes:

Read/Download full report here

Basic income for care leavers in Wales pilot evaluation: annual report 2025 to 2026

The Basic Income for Care Leavers in Wales Pilot was launched in August 2022.

This report is the third in a series of annual evaluation reports. The report includes

the findings that will be built on over the course of the evaluation until 2027.

The report presents three main areas of analysis.

• Young people’s experiences mid-pilot and at the end of the pilot, based on follow-up interviews.

• Professionals’ perceptions and experiences as the pilot concluded.

• An updated programme theory (logic model) was developed and refined using data from across the evaluation.

Read/Download Full report here

Bad stats: A regular series exploring slip-ups, snafus and salutary lessons from the world of statistics

Longitudinal studies that track individuals over time face a near-inevitable problem: missing data. As researchers, we design these studies assuming data collection will proceed smoothly. It seldom does. Teams with substantial funding may be able to mitigate the problem through dedicated follow-up staff, participant incentives, and sophisticated tracking systems. But even these measures do not guarantee retention. Participants relocate. They change their contact details or encounter life events that studies are not equipped to capture. The result is a loss of follow-up information that matters. And these gaps are more than a technical inconvenience. They influence the evidence that informs scientific and policy decisions. So, what happens when the statistical fixes meant to address them end up introducing new problems of their own?

Read Full article here

UBI Piloters Workshop at The 25th BIEN Congress

19-22 August 2026 | Toronto, Canada

We are pleased to announce there will be a Piloters Network Gathering at BIEN 2026.

This session will bring together basic income pilot practitioners, researchers, and implementers from across the globe to connect, exchange insights, and reflect on lessons from ongoing and completed pilots. As the ecosystem of pilot initiatives continues to expand, this gathering aims to strengthen collaboration, surface practical challenges, and identify opportunities for alignment and collective learning

We invite all piloters and those closely engaged in basic income experimentation to join this important conversation as we continue building the future of evidence-driven policy and practice.

More details on the session, including time and format, will be shared soon.

It provides details on dates, venue, themes, speakers, and registration for the global gathering of researchers, advocates, and policymakers focused on basic income and related policy innovations. This Congress theme positions basic income as a unifying response to the polycrisis—one that cuts across policy silos and reconnects income security to broader questions of justice, sustainability, and democratic capacity. The theme invites critical examination of basic income as part of a renewed social contract capable of countering precarity, fragmentation, and exclusion in complex, interdependent systems.

Visit Page Here

Is this what a successful pilot leads to? Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts Goes Permanent.

Ireland piloted a ‘Basic Income for the Arts’ (BIA) programme from August 2022 to February 2026. Two thousand arts and culture workers, randomly selected from about 8,000 eligible applicants, received €325 a week. A control group of about 1,000 people received a small payment for their participation. Five evaluative reports were published during the course of the pilot. A final report is due sometime this year.

In October 2025, the Government announced that the programme would be made ‘permanent’, but details were scarce. In February 2026, more details emerged at its official launch and an accompanying FAQ. What we know now is that the new programme will largely replicate the pilot. Two thousand recipients will be randomly selected from eligible applicants and will receive €325 a week for three years. After which a different 2,000 recipients will be selected for another three years. Participants in the pilot will be permitted to apply for the first round of the permanent scheme. After that, recipients in one round will be excluded from applying to the next round. Data will continue to be collected from the recipients, but there will no longer be a control group, so it will be of limited use. At the launch, the Minister said that the recipients will be ‘audited’ to check that they continue to work in arts and culture. He also said that he hoped to get funding to increase the number of participants in future years.

Since October 2025, and again after the launch in February, there has been extensive media coverage in Ireland and abroad, praising Ireland for the decision to make the BIA permanent. Some of it may have stemmed from the impression that all Irish artists would be getting a ‘basic income’. Others seemed to know the details of the new programme but still believe that it was a major breakthrough.

Is this what a successful pilot leads to? A cycle of projects replicating the pilot? Piloters may be forgiven for imagining that a ‘pilot’ lasting two or three years would, if implemented, be succeeded by a programme that extends to everyone covered by the eligibility conditions of the pilot: artists, low-income families, care leavers, ex-prisoners, etc. Ireland’s new ‘permanent’ Basic Income for the Arts shows that policy-makers may have much more limited ambitions. Article by John Baker.

A call for papers

Please submit empirical articles to this World Development Perspectives Special Issue on Basic Income, Labour, and Exit

Please email: Neil Howard at n.p.howard@bath.ac.uk

This article by Jack Rossbach and Karl Widerquist estimates the cost of Universal Basic Income (UBI) sufficient to eliminate poverty in the United States. It uses the most recent microdata available from the Census Bureau through its Current Population Survey (CPS) public-use microdata files and references historical income data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) going back to 1967.

Read full article Here

Improvements in stress and sleep following 24-months of Guaranteed Income, results from a randomized trial among Black women in Georgia

Sleep is a critical part of life. Increasing evidence shows how multiple dimensions of sleep health (e.g., quality, duration, efficiency, timing) have lasting impacts on health across the life course. Variation in sleep quality and duration is well-documented across geography, race, and socioeconomic strata. People residing in the Southeast report the worst sleep compared to other regions in the United States. Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration are more prevalent among racially and ethnically minoritized and low-income groups.

Read full Paper Here

Location Update for the 2026 BIEN Congress

We would like to share an important update regarding the location of the 2026 BIEN Congress.

Following a review of international travel conditions and visa accessibility for participants, a decision has reluctantly been reached to relocate the 2026 BIEN Congress from University of Pennsylvania, USA, to Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto, Canada.

Read full article Here

Doing Radical Things Right: Ethical Good Practice for Basic Income Experiments

Increasing calls for reform to welfare provision have seen growing support for basic income (BI) - the unconditional provision of cash transfers to all.

As a result, recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of pilot experiments of BI, across all parts of the world. However, to date, there has been little discussion of the ethical considerations of such experiments. This paper is the outcome of a workshop whereby BI piloters came together to discuss such ethical considerations, share case studies, and begin to formulate general principles to guide ethical BI experiments.

Read Full Paper Here

Unconditional Basic Income and Sustainable Consumption: From Theory to Experimentation

This article by Nicholas Langridge and Jurgen De Wispelaere develops hypotheses to inform an experimental approach for investigating the impact of Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) on sustainable consumption. As the ecological crisis intensifies, UBI has been discussed as a possible eco-social policy solution. However, the empirical evidence to support UBI’s ecological benefits remains limited, particularly regarding consumption and aligning the freedom inherent to UBI with sustainable choices.

Read Full Article Here

A call for papers

Please submit empirical articles to this World Development Perspectives Special Issue on Basic Income, Labour, and Exit

Please email: Neil Howard at n.p.howard@bath.ac.uk

Researchers partner with climate change charity Cool Earth in world-first basic income pilot for indigenous people

University of Bath social policy researchers are partnering with climate change charity, Cool Earth, to analyse the results from the world’s first basic income pilot for Indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest.

The study will look at data gathered during the pilot in Peru, involving three Indigenous communities and 211 people in the Asháninka region. They received a basic income in the form of cash transfers to spend as they liked during the two-year project.

Read the full article

Basic Income for the Arts in Ireland Made ‘Permanent’

The Irish Government has announced that a successor scheme to the Basic Income for the Arts pilot project will be made permanent.

The three-year pilot paid €325 per week to 2000 arts workers from August 2022. The final payments will be made in February 2026. Five impact assessment reports have been published.

Find full reports

Following the Budget announcements on 6 October 2025, Minister Patrick O’Donovan said:

‘‘The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme, which I extended this year, will end in 2026, and I will bring a successor scheme to Government with the intention of embedding a permanent basic income in the Arts and Culture sector. This scheme is the envy of the world, and a tremendous achievement for Ireland, and must be made futureproof and sustainable.’’

Read full statement

At this stage, there are no details about the new scheme, but a newspaper report in the Irish Times, taken together with the size of the Department’s budget and with questions asked and answered in a recent public consultation, suggest that the new scheme will be similar to the pilot, with a weekly payment of about €325 made to about 2000 recipients for a period of several years, after which a new cohort will be recruited. In the public consultation, nearly half of the respondents thought that payments should be based on need. Asked how long people should receive BIA for, about half said that it should be for five years or less.

By contrast, PRAXIS, the Artists Union of Ireland, has called for the BIA to be expanded to all eligible artists in Ireland, for their entire careers, for the rate to be indexed to inflation, and for it to be paid for through progressive taxation.

Access PDF Here

Basic Income Ireland has endorsed the BIA as a step towards a universal, unconditional basic income. Like PRAXIS, it has also called for the BIA to be expanded to all eligible artists, for their entire careers, and has reiterated the case for payments to be targeted by means of taxation rather than means-testing.

Read the article

Media reports that the Irish government has decided to provide a basic income to all artists are completely unfounded. The extent to which the new programme can be seen as a step toward universal basic income remains to be seen.

Invitation to potential contributors to a working group on research methods and methodology for initiatives exploring links between Cash transfers/Basic income approaches and Conservation/Climate change.

This is intended to be one of the workstreams of the broader Cash for Conservation (CfC) network, which also includes the more focused Basic Income for Nature and Climate (BINC) working group of the FRIBIS centre.

Other workstreams focus on advocacy, implementation and fundraising. The aim is to discuss the different opportunities and challenges to do research around CfC projects in different dimensions, socio-economic, ecological, sociological/ethnographic and so forth, as well as to integrate different approaches within a transdisciplinary framework. Open questions include whether it might be possible to develop a general overarching research framework that could guide research in different projects simultaneously in order to generate comparable data without sacrificing local ownership, context and nuance.

Anyone interested in participating, the basic expectation would be the following:

1. A regular online call every three months or so to connect and discuss working group progress to date

2. In between such calls, contributions to developing shared content, including a plan for further development and possibly also research guidelines, etc, as we decide

3. Looking forward to a potential face-to-face meeting to solidify the working group to take place during the second week of February 2026. We have some funding to convene such a workshop in Freiburg, thanks to the generous support of Prof. Bernhard Neumarker, director of the FRIBIS initiative at the university there. There, we can more fully flesh out a research agenda going forward, including potential funding bids we can develop and submit together

If interested, please reach out to Professor Robert Fletcher at robert.fletcher@wur.nl. And please also forward this invitation to others whom you think should also be included in this discussion.

Women are the fastest growing incarcerated population in the United States.

The female incarceration rate has ballooned by more than 700% since 1980 – 172,700 women and girls were in jail or prison in 2023. A quarter of these (46,300) are confined because they were either refused bail or cannot afford it, rather than because they were found guilty of a crime. Over 14,000 are awaiting trial for drug-related offences.

Even brief contact with the prison system can have life-long impacts. It can increase the amount of time spent unemployed or out of the labour force by as much as four years, and reduce lifetime earnings by up to 50%. It can also exclude someone from many forms of employment, for example by running afoul of one the staggering 27,000 national, state and local rules that exist to bar formerly justice-involved people from hold­ing profes­sional licenses.

Read full article Here

Why the US needs basic income as reparations for racial injustice

Slavery caused stark wealth inequalities in the US – now that wealth must be returned to its rightful owners

he US colonial project kidnapped nearly 11 million people from Africa as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Slavery was fundamental to nearly all industries in the US, and accounted for 32% of America’s workforce by 1800. The profits generated through slave labour helped fuel the industrial revolution, establish Wall Street, and fund prestigious universities including Harvard, Yale, and Columbia.

When the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery in 1865, its drafters included an exception that allowed for the continued use of involuntary servitude “as a punishment for crime”. This exception clause has shaped the lives of millions of Americans ever since.

Read the full article Here

India’s Unconditional Cash Transfers Grow 23x in a Decade, Cross INR 2.8 Lakh Crore: Project DEEP Report

A first-of-its-kind national report charts the rise of UCTs in India and lays out a roadmap for citizen-centric, dignified welfare.

Unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) in India have witnessed a 23-fold surge over the last decade, with allocations reaching an unprecedented INR 2,80,780 crore in 2024–25. This accounts for 0.9% of India’s GDP and 11% of total social sector spending—surpassing flagship programs like MGNREGA and food security in budgetary outlay. These findings are a part of a new nationwide report by Project DEEP, titled “Unconditional Cash Transfers in India: Tracing the Journey, Shaping the Future”, that examines this transformational shift in India’s welfare landscape and outlines a forward-looking agenda to make cash-based welfare more inclusive, impactful, and future-ready.

Read the Full article Here

The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Madison, Wisconsin

In the fall of 2022, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway launched the Madison Forward Fund (MFF) as a local proof of concept designed to “build momentum for a sustained federal program that will bring stable support for families” (Gongora, 2022). Funded by private donors and philanthropy, MFF provided 155 Madisonians with $500/month of unconditional cash for one year. Madison residents were eligible to apply for MFF if they were adults living below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line with a child under the age of 18 in their home. MFF was a partnership between the City of Madison, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC), the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), and the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).

Read the full Report Here

The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Ithaca, New York

In collaboration with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) and the Human Service Coalition of Tompkins County (HSCTC), former Mayor Svante Myrick first announced Ithaca, New York’s guaranteed income (GI) pilot, Ithaca Guaranteed Income (IGI), in late 2021. Eligibile individuals consisted of caregivers, defined broadly to include people who spend significant unpaid time caring for children and/or aging, ill, or disabled adults (including parents) either in or out of their home. Applicants had to live within the City of Ithaca with a maximum income of 80% area median income (AMI). As the independent research partner, the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) randomized 242 participants from an initial pool of approximately 390 applicants, with the sample weighted according to the racial and ethnic distribution of Housing Cost Voucher (HCV) recipients. Of these participants, 110 caregivers in the treatment group received $450 monthly for 12 months from June 2022 to May 2023; the remaining 132 served as the control group and received no cash.

Read the Full report Here

The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Newark, New Jersey

Lump-Sum vs. Recurring Cash Transfers

As part of his broader commitment to prioritize economic growth; address economic, educational, and health disparities; and respond to persistent and systemic structural barriers to economic security exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Ras J. Baraka launched the Newark Movement for Economic Equity (NMEE) in the fall of 2021. NMEE provided $6,000 per year for 2 years to 400 adult Newark residents with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line (FPL) and who had been negatively impacted by COVID-19 (Center for Guaranteed Income Research, Stanford Basic Income Lab, & Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, 2023). Both supporting its community and adding to the research base on unconditional cash distribution, Newark implemented a novel model of two types of cash transfers, providing 200 recipients with 2 years of recurring bi-monthly cash transfers (i.e., $250 twice a month) and 200 recipients with 2 years of semi-annual lump-sum payments ($3,000 twice a year). This model was designed to provide actionable evidence to federal- and state-level policy makers about how to most effectively structure unconditional cash payments.

Read the Full report Here

Guaranteed Income and Reconstructing Home

Housing, Parenting, and Educational Outcomes in Newark, New Jersey

The concept of home encapsulates security, dignity, and rootedness. The freedom to choose one’s home, and to make it a place of comfort and refuge, is a vital component of a healthy society. Over the years, however, policies grounded in structural racism have prevented many low-income Black residents from being able to nurture a sense of home. This report further examines the impact of guaranteed income (GI) on housing outcomes among participants of the Newark Movement for Economic Equity (NMEE) GI pilot (Tandon et al., 2025).

Read the full Report Here

The German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) in collaboration with "Mein Grundeinkommen e.V." and the Vienna University of Economics have recently released their results for the “Pilotprojekt Grundeinkommen" a three-year experiment into Universal Basic Income in Germany.

For those fortunate to speak German here is the official document by Sandra Bohmann, Susann Fiedler, Max Kasy, Jürgen Schupp, and Frederik Schwerter.

For others here is a A.I compiled summary of the results.

(Credit to Dániel Fehér, UBI Europe, www.UBIE.org for the A.I summary)

Study Design

- Participants: 107 individuals aged 21-40, living alone with pre-study monthly net incomes between €1,100-2,600

- Control group: 1,580 individuals with similar demographics

- Duration: 3 years (June 2021 to May 2024)

- Intervention: Monthly unconditional payments of €1,200 to treatment group

Key Findings

1. Labor Market Behavior

- No withdrawal from labor market: Participants receiving UBI did not exit the workforce

- Working hours maintained: No significant reduction in hours worked

- Employment rates: Both UBI group and control group maintained approximately 90% employment throughout the study

- Income development: Minor (statistically insignificant) reduction in earnings observed in the UBI group

2. Financial Behavior

- Prudent money management: About 37% of UBI payments were saved (€447)

- Altruistic spending: Approximately 7% of UBI payments went to charity or supporting family and friends

- Discretionary spending: About half of the UBI payments were used for consumption, with notable increases in spending on clothing (6%), leisure activities (6%), and travel (31%)

- Housing costs: No significant changes in housing expenditures

3. Well-being and Mental Health

- Significant improvement in mental health: UBI group showed 30% of a standard deviation improvement

- Overall life satisfaction increase: 42% of a standard deviation improvement, comparable to significant positive life events like marriage

- Sustained effects: Benefits remained consistent throughout the three-year period without habituation effects

- Increased autonomy: Recipients reported greater perceived control over their lives

- Social connections: UBI recipients spent 3.8 hours more per week with friends, family, and partners

Implications for UBI Policy Discussions

The findings challenge several persistent concerns about UBI, particularly regarding work disincentives. The study provides evidence-based input to the ongoing debate about social security system reform, especially in the context of demographic changes and evolving labor markets.

The researchers conclude that the results debunk the stereotype of UBI leading to a "social hammock" effect. While the study acknowledges limitations (focused on individuals rather than households, limited to three years, unable to measure macroeconomic effects), it provides valuable insights into how unconditional cash transfers affect individual behavior and well-being.

As one of the study authors, Jürgen Schupp, states: "With these results, particularly regarding labor market behavior, certain stereotypes like that of the 'social hammock' can be objectified. Even though UBI is not currently on the political agenda, all reform options will need to be considered for the urgently needed restructuring of social systems – including universal basic income."

UBI4ALL Raffle Winner

On Sunday, 30 March, UBI4ALL again raffled off an amount of € 9,600 paying out monthly for 1-5 years depending on the living costs in the winner's country.

The lucky winner with lotnumber 14912 was Luca. Luca lives in Italy in the city of Silvi near the region where the famous red wine Montepulciano is coming from. The company he worked for had to close down and so he lost his job a few years before he could start his retirement. In Italy, like in many places unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to find a job after your 50th birthday so he had to bridge the gap somehow. But now he is quite safe with his pension. Nevertheless, winning the UBI for one year helps in different ways.
Luca has to move to another apartment and this always means extra costs. The unexpected 800 Euros per month are supporting Luca in this project.
With contributions from representatives of HUMAN ACT as well as MILLIONAIRES FOR HUMANITY you can review the raffle livestream here:

Everyone aged minimum 16 years is eligible to register at UBI4ALL.org and participate in the raffles.

Congratulations Luca!

Abstract

The growing popularity of basic income has led to extensive trials of the policy in numerous settings across the world. However, analysis of the politics of basic income, and in particular the political dynamics preceding and resulting from trial programs, lags. In response, we propose a research agenda that uses political scale to investigate where basic income trials emerge, how individual trials' design and implementation parameters vary, and how those trials influence subsequent policy development. By focusing on the previously omitted variable of political scale, our approach addresses a number of key challenges in evaluating basic income trials. First, we provide a means of identifying negative and partial cases to remedy the small-N problem at the national and regional scales. Second, focusing on a given scale helps to identify specific incumbent programs and policy possibilities influenced by basic income trials. Third, our framework draws attention to the importance of distinct, scale-based political dynamics in both securing basic income trials and converting trial programs into future policy changes.

Full Article here

UBI4ALL's 8th Basic Income Raffle: Win €9,600

Save The Date: March 30, 2025, 3pm CEST, 2pm UTC, 10pm CST

UBI4ALL is a pioneering organization dedicated to promoting the idea of Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) worldwide. The 8th UBI4ALL raffle is just around the corner, offering a life-changing prize of €9,600 to a lucky winner. This initiative provides financial stability and empowers individuals to pursue their aspirations, while advancing UBI4ALL's mission of fostering freedom, equality, and security on a global scale.

Having already transformed the lives of several winners through multiple raffles across Europe, UBI4ALL is now expanding its impact globally. The first global winner (Raffle #7), Yi Yin from Taiwan, marks an exciting milestone for the Global Basic Income Initiative.

This success would not be possible without the unwavering support of UBI4ALL’s loyal donors, affectionately known as UBI Beavers. Their dedication helps sustain the vision of a world where everyone has access to a Basic Income that meets their essential needs.

"We are thankful to have these opportunities for people of our nearly 46,000 supporters to experience Basic Income – no strings attached," said founder Helwig Fenner. "Thanks to the ongoing support of our UBI Beavers, we can take this important step forward. This initiative isn't just about financial assistance, but about championing the idea of Basic Income as a tool for empowering individuals, driving innovation, and creating a fairer future for everyone."

With this announcement, UBI4ALL hopes to draw more attention, registrations, and support for its mission. The organization encourages individuals, companies, and associations worldwide to join the movement toward a more just and prosperous world.

Key Details of the Global Basic Income Initiative:

Prize Amount: €9,600 in total

Payment Structure: See updated rules below

7 Winners:

https://www.ubi4all.org/#winners

Next Raffle #8: March 30, 2025, 3pm CEST, 2pm UTC, 10pm CST

Eligibility: Open to individuals aged 16+ worldwide

How to Participate: Register for free at ubi4all.org

New Raffle Rules: Ensuring Fair Wealth Distribution

To ensure that UBI4ALL’s life-changing impact is distributed equitably across global income levels, the total sum of €9,600 remains the same for every winner, but the monthly amounts and payout periods will vary based on the winner’s country of residence:

Low-Income Countries (e.g., Ethiopia, Yemen, India):
Winners will receive €160 per month for 5 years

Lower-Middle-Income Countries (e.g., Ghana, Albania, Georgia):
Winners will receive €200 per month for 4 years

Upper-Middle-Income Countries (e.g., Thailand, Ukraine, Mexico):
Winners will receive €267 per month for 3 years

High-Income Countries Non-OECD (e.g., Turkey, Argentina, Greece): Winners will receive €400 per month for 2 years

High-Income Countries OECD (e.g., Japan, Italy, Australia):
Winners will receive €800 per month for 1 year

This approach ensures fairness and inclusivity while addressing global wealth disparities. By tailoring payouts to local contexts, UBI4ALL fosters meaningful wealth redistribution and ensures that no one is left behind. UBI4ALL ensures that no country can win twice in a row, except for the UBI Beavers, whose contributions make every raffle possible.

UBI4ALL remains dedicated to its vision of a future where everyone has the financial security to pursue their dreams, contribute to their communities, and live fulfilling lives. Various UBI experiments worldwide have already shown positive impacts on equality, innovation, and health. Having more winners worldwide is another significant step toward realizing this vision.

If you have questions about the new rules or wish to discuss specific scenarios, feel free to reach out to us.

Media Contact: Sandra Vahle
sandra@ubi4all.org

For more information about UBI4ALL, its winners, and how to participate, visit:
ubi4all.org.

PCCI Direct Cash Transfer project final report

Read here

To sign up click here

Seminar on rural livelihoods and social protection in Malawi

On Thursday 27 February, Professor James Copestake and the Centre for the Study of Global Development (CSGD) will host a seminar on rural livelihoods and social protection in Malawi.

Learn from pilots that have successfully improved livelihoods in rural communities and explore how these initiatives can inform policy decisions. Engage in discussions on social protection programs that have made a positive impact on vulnerable populations in Malawi.

To register click REGISTRATION.

When: Thursday 27 February

Time: 13:00 – 14:00 hrs UK/GMT

Event Type: Online, Zoom link will be sent to all registered attendees two days prior.

Spanish Language version of the BIG: LEAP Pilot from Los Angeles

Centre for Guaranteed Income Studies- Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania

Read here

Release of the findings from the American Guaranteed Income Studies: Providence, Rhode Island

which contains unique findings around civic engagement.

Centre for Guaranteed Income Studies- Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania

Read here

Policy Framework

Centre for Guaranteed Income Studies- Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania

Outlining how US wages have not kept pace with the cost of living, and the potential of Guaranteed income to function alongside the safety net to fill the gaps.

Read here

Vibhor Mathur

Abstract

The number of cash-transfer programs around the world, as academic experiments and government policies, has grown multi-fold in the last few years, generating great political, policy, and academic interest. However, little is explicitly discussed around the ethical implications of conducting research on such programs. This paper draws on learnings from conducting qualitative research in a universal basic income pilot in urban slums in India over 24 months. It highlights the unique challenges of power and positionality, informed consent, and respect and sensitivity that arise when researching cash-transfer projects. It argues for a recognition of the unique research dynamics engendered by such programs, and the need for more embedded, long-term, relational, reflexive, and trauma-informed research practices to navigate them. The paper concludes by reflecting on the role of university ethics boards in building a more robust and supportive ethical literacy and oversight infrastructure for research capacity and responsible research.

Full Article here.

News Article on “How's the income pilot going in Wales?” by David Westlake and Zoe Bezeczky

Full Article Found here

Major Announcement from Community Spring

Community Spring is excited to share a significant update with the UBI Piloters' Network. We are pleased to announce the launch of the third cohort of our Just Income program, a cornerstone initiative in our work to disrupt the cycles of poverty and incarceration. This program, uniquely designed by and for justice-impacted individuals, offers guaranteed income to support their reintegration and economic stability.

Program Details:

• Participant Selection: Twenty participants have been randomly selected from a pool of eligible applicants, ensuring equal opportunity for all qualified individuals.

• Financial Support: Each participant will receive an unconditional $800 per month for one year, beginning in January 2025.

• Eligibility Criteria: Participants include those released from prison or jail with a felony conviction, or who began felony probation within the past year.

• Program Evolution: Originally a pilot, Just Income has become a permanent fixture due to the significant positive impacts observed in our initial cohorts.

Participant Engagement: We continue to actively involve past recipients in refining Just Income. Their lived experience and feedback are crucial in continually enhancing the program to meet the evolving needs of new participants more effectively.

Upcoming Evaluation: We are eager to share the independent evaluation of our pilot year's outcomes, conducted in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research. Scheduled for release in February 2025, this evaluation will provide critical insights into the program’s effectiveness and help shape future initiatives.

Community Spring's Broader Mission: Just Income is a vital part of Community Spring's mission to promote economic justice. Alongside direct financial support, we are engaged in systemic change efforts, including significant policy victories such as:

• Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance: In December 2022, Gainesville became the first city in Florida to pass a fair chance hiring ordinance for private employers, a campaign initiated by our inaugural fellowship class.

• Elimination of Local Fees: In 2023, we successfully advocated for the removal of approximately 15 locally imposed jail and court services fees across six programs, alleviating financial burdens that perpetuate cycles of poverty and incarceration.

Through initiatives like Just Income and our advocacy work, Community Spring is dedicated to creating a more equitable society where all individuals have access to the income, power, and community necessary to flourish.

For more information about our programs and mission, please visit our website: Community Spring

Basic income and services would reimagine welfare, our leaders just need the courage try something new

Vibhor Mathur- 4th November, 2024

Anew government with significant majority now holds power in Westminster. Starmer claims to have grand visions for a new Britain, but to date he has only carried forward the myopic legacy to welfare he inherited. His main intervention so far has been to take away winter fuel subsidies from pensioners and retain the two-child benefit cap. Even the recent budget of ‘giveaways’, including a boost to universal credit and public spending, will lead to net funding cuts for many by 2029.

To say we could do better would only be re-stating the obvious. We need to stop tinkering at the edges and move towards more radical reform.

Read Vibhor Mathur's article in full here

UBI4ALL’s 7th Raffle Announcement: November 24, 2024

UBI4ALL is excited to announce its 7th UBI Raffle, taking place on November 24, 2024! This is another opportunity to experience UBI in real life and to inspire even more people with the idea of Basic Income. Registration is simple and free of charge:

Step 1 – register with UBI4ALL: https://www.ubi4all.org/register

Step 2 – confirm your participation https://www.ubi4all.org/raffle-participation

Remember, UBI Beavers automatically participate in every raffle, as they are the primary supporters who make these raffles possible with their generous donations. Good luck everyone!

New report on the Ethics of Basic Income Piloting

Increasing calls for reform to welfare provision have seen growing support for basic income (BI) – the unconditional provision of cash transfers to all. As a result, recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of pilot experiments of BI, across all parts of the world. However, to date, there has been little discussion of the ethical considerations of such experiments. This paper is the outcome of a workshop whereby BI piloters came together to discuss such ethical considerations, share case studies, and begin to formulate general principles to guide ethical BI experiments. The paper discusses the ethical considerations relevant to the various stages of a pilot experiment and concludes with some general principles: to do-no-harm, maintain respect, dignity, and agency; mitigate power inequalities, promote trust and transparency, and ensure substantive unconditionality. The authors of the paper hope to stimulate discussions towards an ethical protocol for better practice in BI experiments and provide a useful resource to those working on, or interested in, BI research.

To read the report click here.

Unconditional Film Launch – Monday Nov 18, Chancellor’s Building2.1, Bath Uni, 6.15pm | UBI

Sign up here

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.

Episode 41 of the Socialprotection.org Podcast is on the topic of "The Evolution of Universal Basic Income: From Pilots to Policy”, featuring Eduardo Suplicy (State Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo) and Jurgen De Wispelaere (IPR Policy Fellow, University of Bath and BIEN EC).

Across the world, interest for universal social protection mechanisms has skyrocketed, in particular following the pandemic and its transversal effects on the poor, vulnerable and not so  vulnerable populations. Social assistance mechanisms such as child benefits or elderly pensions have already had a history of encompassing the entire group with universal mechanisms in some countries; however, universal basic income (UBI) schemes are still in the stage of theoretical and policy discussion, without having been set up.

In this context, Brazil is an interesting case: in 2004, Brazil adopted a law that establishes a “Renda Básica de Cidadania” (Basic citizenship income). That effort was pushed by its rapporteur, Mr. Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy, who was a senator at the time and a vigorous UBI advocate to this day. In this podcast episode, we will talk about how the Basic citizenship income came to be, the possible advantages of adopting an UBI, the main challenges and what lessons have been learned with the recent discussions on the theme.

For our Quick Wins segment, we are joined by Jurgen De Wispelaere, discussing his recently launched publication at the International Social Security Review, a Special Issue called "Emergency basic income: Distraction or opportunity".

News interview with Nika Soon-Shiong on the Long Beach Housing Pledge.

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Description,

Post-pandemic, direct cash payments have proven effective in addressing housing and poverty issues. Are we ready to embrace this innovative approach? 🌟 HUD is working to integrate GI strategies into the current supportive housing system.

Today, @katecagle covered the Long Beach #HousingPledge for @spectrumnews1socal

Discover how these developments could impact our approach to housing justice by exploring our latest Policy Brief in the link in our bio! 📚🔗 #HousingJustice #DirectCash

7th International UBI Regulars’ Tables

On Friday, September 20, 2024, marks the 7th International UBI Regulars' Tables, held as part of the 17th International Basic Income Week we organized with UBI4ALL over 60 UBI Regulars' Tables worldwide, here please find the Details: https://www.ubi4all.org/regulars-table

UBIdata: Data for Basic Income Research and Policy

At its most recent congress, BIEN launched UBIdata, an innovative new tool with a mission to match reliable information about basic income with a rapidly growing global user base of individuals and organisations eager to learn more.

UBIdata gathers, processes and displays data about basic income pilots and experiments, survey and micro-simulations, political and media debates, and the development of grassroots organisations and networks. When completed, UBIdata will feature different interfaces and tools for interested audiences to engage with available information to meet their diverse needs and demands.

UBIdata is an ambitious project which is currently in its prototype starting phase. The current beta-version focuses on collecting and disseminating key data of a small selection of pilots and experiments in six countries. In its starting phase, the goal is to demonstrate and test the utility and user experience of the project on a small scale. 

You can get involved and support us by sharing UBIdata with your networks, by trying out the tool, and by providing feedback at contact@ubidata.io. Your input and suggestions are vital for making UBIdata a helpful tool for everyone interested in the basic income idea.

Visit us at

http://ubidata.io

Pilot news from Catalonia

The Office of the Pilot Plan to Implement the Universal Basic Income of the Government of Catalonia has made available to the public the conferences of the events carried out during the previous mandate. This agency, in charge of the design, implementation and evaluation of a universal basic income pilot plan in Catalonia, held conferences in 2023 and 2024 on universal basic income as an emerging human right, on the effects of a universal basic income on women and the impact of a basic income in a changing labor market. The materials, also in English, can be found at this link: https://presidencia.gencat.cat/ca/ambits_d_actuacio/renda-basica-universal/Documentacio-i-enllacos-dinteres

The programme for the Basic Income Earth Network annual Congress has just been released and is available here. Three full days of discussion and debate around basic income, with an entire stream of papers, presentations and panels on pilots taking place on all continents. Registration is still open for the world’s largest basic income gathering in Bath at the end of August: https://www.bien2024.net/registration.

Call for Papers

Elliott Johnson (Northumbria University), Simon Duffy (Citizen Network and Citizen’s Basic Income Trust) and Dave Beck (University of Salford) are co-editing a special issue of Global Discourse on Basic Income Plus (BI+), a form of Basic Income that accommodates additional and diverse needs. The details are below.

If you would like to propose a paper for the issue, please email a 300-word abstract to Elliott Johnson at elliott.johnson@northumbria.ac.uk. Each accepted article with be accompanied by at least one reply and a final response from the author.

Issue title: Basic Income Plus: Can radical welfare reforms accommodate diverse needs?

Abstract: Basic Income has been proposed as a means of addressing a range of issues relating to welfare systems, including by removing disincentives to economic, social and physical activity. However, UK disability organisations and figures have expressed concerns about whether Basic Income could lead to unintended consequences for people who currently receive support conditional on needs, means and/or behaviour. Recent research suggests that while there are reservations about the intentions and designs of Basic Income, there are means of securing positive outcomes and collaboration between its supporters and the disability rights movement. Building on recognised need for engagement with people who have additional needs and the policy detail that affects them, this issue explores those implications and advances a framework for development of principles by which to design and evaluate less conditional welfare schemes.

The American Guaranteed Income Studies: City of Los Angeles BIG:LEAP RTC report

Read the report here

First Latin American Congress on Unconditional Universal Basic Income

Dolores Medina Foussadier, Sociologist from the Office of the Pilot Plan to Implement Universal Basic Income in Catalonia, participated in the I Congreso Latinoamericano de Renta Básica Universal Incondicional (First Latin American Congress on Unconditional Universal Basic Income), held in July 17-19, 2024, in San José (Costa Rica). This event brought together academics, public officials, social movements, and community organizations to explore and discuss the implementation and impact of a UBI in Latin America, featuring keynote speeches, specialized discussions, and presentations of academic research projects. Medina explained to a Latin American audience the design of the Catalan pilot project, the current situation of the office in charge of implementing and evaluating it, and the results obtained from the research carried out to date. You can read more about the Congress here.