Conference at the University of Freiburg

In October 11-12, 2018 about 50 participants from both social sciences and Basic Income movement all over Europe met at an interdisciplinary conference at the University of Freiburg, Germany. They discussed the Euro-Dividend as sociopolitical pillar of the EU and its member countries.

The public debate about a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is usually a national one. In recent years, though, a European version of a UBI attracted more and more attention – primarily pushed by a suggestion of Philippe Van Parijs titled by him as a “Euro-Dividend”.

The conference aimed to shed light at pros and cons of a EU wide UBI regulation and its relation to national approaches from an interdisciplinary perspective. The first day the conference addressed general issues of a UBI while the topics of the second day were the Euro-Dividend and other EU-related concepts.

Keynote speakers were Philippe Van Parijs (Université Catholique de Louvain), Olli E. Kangas (KELA, Finland), Malcolm Torry (London School of Economics) and Antje Schrupp (political scientist)

Also UBIE members held a contribution:

  • Alexander de Roo: A realistic Basic Income needs two pillars. Answer to the trilemma (work incentives, inclusiveness and fiscal costs)
  • Ulrich Schachtschneider: Ecological Euro-Dividend – a Step to Unconditional Basic Income in Europe
  • Leire Rincon: Understanding the impact of basic income experimentation on policy-maker attention
  • Hilde Latour: How self owning autonomous machines can generate a basic income for mankind

Find more information about the Conference here.

As one result some participants agreed upon forming a scientific working group on the issue of the feasibility of a Euro-Dividend.