Degrowth Group Assembly Process

Basic income

About

Working group formed for the International Conference on Degrowth 2014.

Can basic income be financed in a way compatible with ecological goals and social justice in a degrowth context and if so how?

What is the relation of basic income proposals to other proposals to re-organize work (e.g. the shortening of working hours, income ceilings...)?

Papers

H. Aoki and Kawamiya, N., “The Ultimate Dilemma For Artificial Capitals: ever scarcer natural resources claim ever larger artificial capital”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aoki_TheUltimateDilemma(handout).pdf (1.06 MB)PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aoki_TheUltimateDilemma(ppt).pdf (1.86 MB)PDF icon 3743.pdf (368.2 KB)
C. Apostolidi, “Is there still no alternative? Self-management under a degrowth perspective: a comparative approach between two case studies in France (Fralib) and Greece (VioMe)”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.File Degrowth2014_Apostolidi_Is there still no alternative? Self-management under a degrowth perspective: a comparative approach between two case studies in France (Fralib) and Greece (VioMe).pptx (260.36 KB)PDF icon 3759.pdf (233.66 KB)
viviana asara and Kallis, D. Prof. Gior, “The Indignados movement: between prefiguration and creation of alternatives”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.
C. Ax, “Growth vs Degrowth - Do we rally have the choice?”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3594.pdf (36.8 KB)
R. Bakshi, “An Economy of Permanence and Rethinking Value”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Baks.pdf (216.46 KB)
G. Barbas Baptista, “Learning and building knowledge for degrowth: communities of practice and peer production across scales and beyond roles”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3734.pdf (86.53 KB)
G. Barbas Baptista, “Scaling up collective action and advancing knowledge on degrowth from the grassroots”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Bapt.pdf (227.61 KB)
stefano bartolini, “GREAT RECESSION AND U.S. CONSUMERS’ BULIMIA: DEEP CAUSES AND POSSIBLE WAYS OUT”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3406.pdf (437.88 KB)
stefano bartolini, “Do people care for a sustainable future? Evidence from happiness data.”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3409.pdf (311.7 KB)
stefano bartolini, “Happy for How Long? How Social Capital and GDP relate to happiness over time”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3365.pdf (365.62 KB)

Participants

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Results from Leipzig 2014

  • Universal Basic Income (UBI) would improve social justice and decrease inequalities which is a precondition for degrowth.
  • UBI would provide free space for discussing and testing meaningful lifestyles and production, and re-appropriating autonomy and democracy.
  • UBI would liberate the people from social pressures and not having enough and so could decrease compensatory consumption pressures and open the way to a need based economy.

  • UBI should be individually guaranteed without any obligation for the individual.

  • UBI should be high enough to guarantee societal participation, received in cash and kind with respect to the environment

  • UBI should be universal and ideally global.

  • Next to existing sources of revenues, we should consider ecologically based taxation, other levies and fees, and property income.

Open Questions Universal Basic Income (UBI)

  • Is Universal Basic Income (UBI) limiting freedom too much?

  • How is Basic Income to realize in a situation of international competition?

  • Why is Basic Income a right?

  • Can UBI merge social and environmental issues?

  • How can UBI lead to less consumption?

  • How will social distinction work with UBI?

  • How can people be inspired to organize their UBI societies?

  • Do eco-taxes lead to degrowth?

  • How to gain the political support for UBI?

  • What examples are there already of local currencies and how do/would they work with national and global currencies?

  • On which level (regional, national, continental) can we start?

  • How to finance a UBI?

  • Bottom-up or top-down implementation?

  • Can a single country implement a BI in a globalized world?

  • Does a UBI help or hinder population issues?

  • Can UBI change the role of positional goods?

Results from Barcelona 2010

Here you can find the results of the GAP at the Degrowth Conference 2010 in Barcelona that are particularly relevant for this working group. More