Universal Basic Income as a Building Block for Social Transformation. Review of the Lecture Series at the University of Vienna, (Winter Semester 24/25)

Mar 4, 2025 | News, Topical

In the winter semester 2024/25, the University of Vienna hosted a lecture series titled “Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen – Baustein für gesellschaftliche Transformation und Politikgestaltung” (Universal Basic Income – Building Block for Social Transformation and Policy Design). Led by Prof. Barbara Prainsack and organized in cooperation with the Netzwerk Grundeinkommen und sozialer Zusammenhalt, BIEN Austria (Network for Basic Income and Social Cohesion, BIEN Austria), the series examined UBI from a number of perspectives, from the foundations of the Austrian welfare state, through care work and artificial intelligence, to practical questions of concrete policy design.

Several members of the FRIBIS “care” team contributed to the lecture series with presentations and commentaries: Margit Appel commented on October 9, 2024 on a comprehensive analysis of the Austrian welfare state, Prof. Dr. Ute Fischer gave a presentation on October 23, 2024 on the topic complex “Arbeit – Care – Grundeinkommen” (Work – Care – UBI), while Dr. Verena Löffler served as commentator; Ronald Blaschke spoke on November 27, 2024 about the differences between emancipatory and so-called neoliberal UBI concepts, and Gudrun Kaufmann presented scenarios for universal basic income from the perspective of narrative economics on January 15, 2025.

From left to right: Prof. Dr. Barbara Prainsack, Prof. Dr. Ute Fischer, Dr. Verena Löffler

Asked about the need for marginalized groups to be more forcefully included in the UBI discussion, Verena Löffler responded:

The basic income debate must focus more strongly on marginalized groups as the maximin distribution rule, on which many of the justice-theoretical justifications for a basic income are based, calls for prioritizing those who are least advantaged in our society. In concrete terms, this is currently only considered in the basic income debate insofar as people who actively participate in society, and especially in formal employment, are taken into account. There is less discussion about how a basic income could affect people who are currently denied social participation. This is a deficit that needs to be addressed.

Lecture by Dr. Verena Löffler

When asked about the relationship between work, care, and UBI in modern welfare state thinking, Ute Fischer explained:

Care is fundamental to how society functions. It can be provided in family, professional, and civil society contexts. Given this importance and diversity, a welfare state must create opportunities for care work – for everyone, regardless of gender or age. The current social system discriminates against caregivers through poor pay or no pay at all, and it discriminates against women, who perform the majority of this work. With UBI, everyone would have the security to engage in necessary care work in whatever way possible. Care work could fulfil its potential to create meaning without the fear of losing one’s livelihood.

On the question of fundamental differences between emancipatory UBI concepts and so-called neoliberal basic income models, Ronald Blaschke explains:

There are no neoliberal basic income concepts, only proposals for partial basic income. The key differences between neoliberal proposals for partial basic income and emancipatory basic income approaches lie in their fundamental socio-political objectives, orientation, and corresponding design.

While neoliberal approaches aim to create optimal conditions for market functioning, emancipatory approaches seek to completely overcome, or at least politically and democratically transcend, market dominance. Put simply, emancipatory approaches aim for decommodification and democratization of (re)production, social relations, and social relationships, implicitly also targeting decarbonization and dematerialization of this (re)production for ecological reasons. While emancipatory approaches involve criticism of both market and state, neoliberal approaches only criticize the state to enable better market mechanisms. This has implications for their respective relationships to the welfare state. Neoliberal transfer concepts seek to dismantle the welfare state. Emancipatory approaches aim to transform it into an institution that promotes individual capabilities and solidary cooperation.

Ronald Blaschke

The lecture series concluded on January 15, 2025, with a presentation by Gudrun Kaufmann on “Szenarien zum Grundeinkommen aus der Perspektive einer narrativen Ökonomik” (Scenarios for Universal Basic Income from the Perspective of Narrative Economics), with commentary by Manfred Füllsack. Her presentation illustrated how the economic significance of narratives, widely discussed since Robert Shiller’s Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral & Drive Major Economic Events (2019), is also highly relevant for the basic income debate.

Gudrun Kaufmann (right)

To make the content of the entire lecture series accessible to a broader audience, students will be producing podcast episodes in the coming months. Further information will follow.

Review of Symposium at FH Dortmund, January 24, 2025: Debating Basic Income and Social Infrastructure

Feb 27, 2025 | News, Topical

On January 24, 2025, FH Dortmund hosted a symposium entitled Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen und Soziale Infrastruktur?! (Universal Basic Income and Social Infrastructure?!), initiated by Prof. Dr. Ute Fischer. The event was organized by the Department of Applied Social Sciences at FH Dortmund in cooperation with FRIBIS, Netzwerk Grundeinkommen Deutschland, BIEN Austria, Netzwerk Care Revolution, and the association Solidarisch Sorgen. As documented in Ronald Blaschke’s conference report on the Netzwerk Grundeinkommen website (in German), it attracted considerable interest, with around 80 participants from academia, civil society, and social movements. Another informative report can be found on fh-radar, the news portal of Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (in German).

Against the backdrop of current societal challenges, various concepts of social security were discussed. Against the background of current societal challenges, various concepts of social security were discussed. We asked Margit Appel (FRIBIS team “care”), whose presentation focused on Infrastructures of Care, what specific connections between basic income and public services became particularly clear to her during the conference:

My contribution was an inquiry into both approaches – UBI and UBS – from the perspective of Infrastructures of Care: Aspects of Unconditionality. I find that both approaches do not attribute the central importance to gender-equitable care work, corresponding framework conditions, and facilities that they have as a “arena” for the success of a socio-ecological transformation.

In the UBI approach, the separation of employment and income – in other words, overcoming the compulsion to work – is rightly seen as a central lever for transforming the capitalist social system. The highly system-relevant organization of unpaid work, its framework conditions, and institutions is wrongly given less importance – this is a justified criticism of the UBI approach.

In the UBS approach, a changed mode of production and provision of public goods, services, and facilities is – also for good reasons – the central lever for transforming the capitalist social system. The persistent gender-hierarchical dynamics of employment seem less important in comparison. It also remains unclear how, given hegemonic sexist and racist social patterns, disadvantaged groups could participate equally or even particularly in the envisioned processes of achieving “Public Luxury” (to quote this appealing image from Lukas Warning and colleagues).

In my contribution, I raised the question of whether groups engaged in socio-ecological transformation are thinking sufficiently about what good, gender-equitable, largely discrimination-free “Infrastructures of Care” could be. Whether we know well enough what a special activity caring is and what resources and framework conditions it needs. I showed examples of how crises in the recent past have always led to comprehensive access to the work and care capacity of discriminated groups, especially women.

In socio-ecological transformation, it’s about changing access to resources: healthy environment, income, time, political influence, public goods and services, … . From my perspective, both a Universal Basic Income and Universal Basic Services will be needed to overcome the existing capitalist social order, which is centrally based on marking certain person(groups) as being better suited than others to do the devalued care work.

Tim Sonnenberg’s talk: Wohnungslosigkeit und UBI und/oder UBS?! (Homelessness and UBI and/or UBS?!)

A key focus was the relationship between the German concept of Soziale Infrastruktur (Social Infrastructure) and the British approach of Universal Basic Services (UBS) in their respective relationships to basic income. These conceptual differences emerged as a central point of discussion during the symposium. The variety of positions became particularly apparent in an intensive exchange between Richard Bärnthaler (University of Leeds) and Ronald Blaschke (Netzwerk Grundeinkommen, FRIBIS team “care”). Bärnthaler, advocating for the British UBS approach, argued:

While both UBI and UBS can have redistributive effects, UBS is inherently more redistributive. Both can be financed through progressive taxation, but UBS leads to additional redistribution on the expenditure side as lower-income groups spend a higher proportion of their income on basic services. While it could be argued that certain UBI models also have additional redistributive effects, this is only because they are combined with measures such as rent caps. However, this argument misses the key point: UBS is inherently more redistributive than UBI as UBS can also be supplemented with additional measures.

The UBI debate overlooks central questions of socio-ecological transformation – in particular, how goods and services are produced and provided. It is not enough to merely redistribute purchasing power within the existing economy when the economy itself – its goals and structures of provision – needs fundamental transformation. Who controls the provision? What are the ownership structures? Who produces what, under what conditions, and for whom? These questions are central to the UBS debate. Empirical evidence also shows that a higher degree of collective provision and public services correlates with better need satisfaction while requiring less energy consumption.

A basic income can be a significant component of a transformative and emancipatory package of measures – alongside UBS and a public employment guarantee. However, as a primary focus, this discourse falls short of achieving the urgently needed radical economic transformation.

In response, Ronald Blaschke has provided a fundamental analysis of the different concepts:

Unlike the British UBS concept, the German concept of ‘Social Infrastructure’ includes the introduction of basic income – for good reasons. A starting point of this Social Infrastructure concept is the radical rejection of any work compulsion. Similarly, a large part of the basic income movement advocates for complementarity between basic income and universal, unconditional, largely fee-free access to public goods, infrastructure, and services. This particularly includes their democratic and user-oriented design. Many feminists, Christian organizations, the independent unemployment movement in Germany and other countries see it the same way – as do researchers in the care and ecology sectors.

The British proponents of the UBS concept also emphasized the complementarity of basic income and basic services six years ago. However, recently, voices from their ranks have increasingly opposed this complementarity – making claims about basic income that do not withstand scrutiny. For instance, they argue that basic income would not be as redistributive as UBS, would be more expensive, and would ignore questions of production and provision of public goods. These claims point to a significant need for discussion and clarification, including the necessary examination of basic income concepts, as well as critical reflection on one’s own concept.

The Basic Services (BS) concept is criticized for failing to provide universal access to public goods, despite the term ‘Universal Basic Services’, as it only offers access to certain groups in specific areas and involves means testing. Thus, it is not universal. This alone creates a significant risk of social exclusion, division, and corresponding social ineffectiveness. Moreover, many goods and services mentioned in the BS concept (e.g., food, housing) must still be paid for by the users themselves, albeit with state subsidies and, therefore, to a lesser extent than before. The claimed decommodification of public goods, infrastructure, and services thus does not occur, also because these public goods and services continue to be produced and purchased by the state in a market-oriented, commodity form. Another point of criticism is that the issues of work compulsion in general, and the unconditionality of care work in particular, are not problematized or politicized in BS approaches. Furthermore, some BS proposals with supplementary conditional cash transfers risk monetizing social relationships deep into the lifeworld and private sphere.

Photo 1: Prof. Dr. Ute Fischer (right) and students of the “Social Sustainability and Demographic Change” master’s programme, the main organizers of the symposium / Photo 2: Lecture by David Petersen: “UBI and post-growth: paths to a sustainable economy?”

Even the moderator, Dr. Verena Löffler (FRIBIS team “care”), was surprised by the intensity of this debate:

I was particularly struck by the vehemence of the discussion between UBI and UBS advocates. In my view, criticism functions as a medium of academic discourse and can be quite productive, but only if one truly listens to the other side. I hope the symposium contributed to this.

In conclusion, not only does the high attendance of around 80 participants from academia, civil society and social movements demonstrate the significant interest in this topic, but the intensive and at times controversial discussion also highlights the importance of examining how different approaches to social security can contribute to a sustainable and future-viable society. “A lot of work, great results!” summarized Ute Fischer after the event. “I particularly liked the strong participation of the younger generation in the event, both from the student side and with the young speakers, who brought new ideas to the debate on social justice and socio-ecological transformation.” Ronald Blaschke agrees: “The symposium was a prelude to a fruitful discussion on the theoretical foundation and political design of social guarantees, including basic income and social infrastructure or basic services. May it take place in the spirit of mutual promotion.”

New paper published in “International Journal of Educational Research” on the impact of financial and time scarcity mindsets on students’ sense of agency

Feb 10, 2025 | News, Topical

A new study by Jessica Schulz, team coordinator of the FRIBIS Team UBI and Gender (UBIG), and her co-authors Ai Miyamoto and Matthias Nückles has been published in the International Journal of Educational Research. The paper shows that financial scarcity leads to reduced feelings of competence and relatedness as well as a diminished academic self-concept among students, while time scarcity particularly affects their sense of autonomy. We asked Jessica Schulz about the relevance of these research findings on ‘scarcity mindset’ for basic income research and whether there are plans to pursue this research further in the context of basic income studies:

Financial scarcity and time scarcity are closely related as they correlate significantly in our study. If students do not have enough money, for example because they do not receive support from the state, the support is not sufficient or their parents cannot support them, they have to work alongside their studies, which considerably limits their time for studying and also their time for regeneration and leisure. Furthermore, scarcity is  a psychological concept that not only affects cognitive resources (as many studies show), which are absolutely essential for learning, but also – as we show in our study – motivational factors such as academic self-concept, self-efficacy, a sense of autonomy and competence, as well as a feeling of social inclusion, which are just as important for academic success as cognitive factors. Psychologically scarcity draws attention to the scarce resource, which leads to the neglection of other important factors. Students with financial scarcity, for example, describe how they are constantly thinking about whether they can really afford what they are spending and are constantly doing the math in the supermarket. Students with a lack of time are also constantly calculating in their heads what they can and must do and when, whereby regeneration, health and exercise are usually neglected. In a follow-up study (under review), in which we asked the same students about their attitudes towards the personal benefits of a basic income, we found a connection between financial and time scarcity and implicit attitudes towards an unconditional basic income. Students who experience scarcity were significantly more likely to describe how a basic income would relieve the mental stress caused by financial and time scarcity.

In addition, we found that female students were more affected by this relationship between scarcity and mental load than male students. In a follow-up study, we want to take a closer look at these gender differences under the term gender scarcity gap. The FRIBIS Gender Team is already discussing and reflecting on this topic.

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FRIBIS Best Paper Award 2024 for young researchers goes to Maria Franchi

Feb 7, 2025 | News, Topical

Once again, we’re delighted to begin the year with the FRIBIS Best Paper Award. This year, the FRIBIS Board of Directors chose Maria Franchi, PhD student at the University of Bath and member of the FRIBIS Gender Team, for her outstanding contribution to the FRIBIS Annual Conference Volume Care & Gender – Potentials and Risks of Universal Basic Income. Proceedings of the FRIBIS Annual Conference 2023.

In her paper, Towards a Feminist UBI: The Potential of a Relational Approach Alongside UBI on Care and Gender, Maria Franchi explores the conference’s core themes—Gender & Care—through an interdisciplinary lens. She examines definitions of Universal Basic Income from a feminist perspective, addressing issues of gender equality and the distribution of care responsibilities.

We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all the authors for their contributions and congratulate Maria Franchi.

Poster Presentation by Larissa Walter at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society in New York

Dec 23, 2024 | News, Topical

Report by Larissa Walter, member of FRIBIS staff

This year the 65th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society was held in New York City, from November 21 to 24, 2024. The conference is a significant international gathering for cognitive psychologists from over 40 countries. I was delighted to be able to take part in the event, which was attended by approximately 2,700 participants and where I presented my research in the form of a poster to an international audience and could meet and exchange ideas with researchers whom I had previously known only from research articles.

During the four days, I gained many inspiring and exciting insights into the research of other cognitive psychologists. The presentation of my own research findings, based on two experiments on the influence of performance-independent compensation on cognitive control processes, led to stimulating discussions. I found it very enriching to present my results and take the opportunity to reflect on and discuss existing limitations.

Of course, the city of New York itself was an impressive and in many ways overwhelming highlight that will remain in my memory for a long time. After the lectures and poster presentations, we were offered many opportunities to spend the evenings in a convivial atmosphere with other researchers and enjoy the unique ambiance of the metropolis.

A special experience at the end of my stay was meeting up with Otto Lehto after the conference. As he had spent some time in Freiburg at FRIBIS, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit his current workplace in New York. Here he showed me around and we took the opportunity to discuss current and especially professional topics. This meeting was a successful conclusion to a trip that was enriching in every respect.

FRIBIS Annual Conference 2024: A Review

Nov 12, 2024 | News, Topical

The FRIBIS Annual Conference 2024 (7 – 9 October), held at the University of Freiburg, was titled “Towards the development of a full UBI? Perspectives for partial approaches in various welfare systems.” The conference attracted over 40 speakers and 79 registered participants with a hybrid format that allowed for both in-person and online attendance via Zoom. The program comprised eight sessions with up to three parallel tracks, and addressed key issues in the basic income discourse – ranging from partial basic income approaches and ecological perspectives to gender-specific aspects. Keynote speeches were delivered by Alexander Spermann (FOM University of Applied Sciences Cologne), Jörg Althammer (the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt), Bernhard Neumärker (FRIBIS) and Fabio Waltenberg (Fluminense Federal University, Brazil), each offering distinct perspectives on the feasibility and challenges of various basic income models.

Photos: Elza Loginova

Main Conference Themes

The conference was structured around three main themes. The first focused on UBI as social security and its role in the welfare state, in particular the relationship between unconditional support and targeted assistance for vulnerable groups. The second theme explored the connection between basic income and sustainability, focusing on approaches such as climate dividends and carbon taxation. The third addressed international perspectives, examining the potential of supranational UBI models, including the concept of a European basic income dividend.

The thematic diversity of the conference proved enriching as well as challenging. As Simon März, a member of the FRIBIS team XUBI, put it: “For me personally, one of the greatest challenges was processing and organizing the variety of topics and their underlying concepts. This requires more mental effort than at conferences that focus on a single subject.” Ulrich Schachtschneider, energy consultant, independent social scientist and member of the FRIBIS UBITrans team, was also impressed by the breadth of the discussions. He was positively surprised by an innovative methodological contribution from Gudrun Kaufmann of the FRIBIS team care: The analysis of basic income narratives. He found Professor Bernhard Neumärker’s discussion of the “libertarian trap/authoritarian trap” particularly stimulating, especially with regard to its exploration of various concepts of freedom and their significance for the basic income debate.

Photos: Elza Loginova

Controversy over Partial Basic Income Models

The first thematic stream, “UBI as Social Security and/or Social Protection Floor,” addressed the controversial debate surrounding partial basic income models. While Alexander Spermann in his keynote advocated for a partial UBI as a realistic option for Germany, Jörg Althammer’s keynote highlighted the fundamental tension between various UBI objectives, i.e. distributive justice, fiscal feasibility and economic efficiency cannot be optimally achieved simultaneously. This fundamental debate proved particularly challenging, as reported by Verena Löffler, member of the FRIBIS “care” team:

The argument that from an activist perspective it makes sense to introduce a basic income regardless of its specific amount, which should for example secure a subsistence minimum, met with considerable resistance. This friction within the research community (and among activists) can be both productive and divisive.

Verena Löffler

Constitutional Challenges in Focus

Beyond this fundamental debate about partial versus full basic income models, specific implementation hurdles were also addressed. A workshop on the constitutional prerequisites for introducing UBI proved particularly challenging, as co-moderator Otto Lüdemann, emeritus professor of educational science at HAW Hamburg, reports:

While I can say that this topic interests me greatly, even fascinates me,personally, I must admit that I am neither a lawyer nor a constitutional law expert. It was therefore particularly unfortunate that an invited expert, Maximilian Bauer, head of the legal editorial department at ARD [Germany’s largest public broadcaster] and SWR [Southwest German Broadcasting Corporation] in Karlsruhe, was unable to attend and had to cancel. Among the interested participants, no one was found who could fill this gap. Neither I nor my co-moderator, Bernhard Neumärker, possessed sufficient expert knowledge to effectively counter a participant who questioned certain expert opinions from authors of the German Bundestag’s Research Service from 2016 that I had cited in my introductory contribution. Specifically, it concernedthe view that the German Basic Law currently lacks the necessary legislative competence for introducing a UBI – a belief with potentially far-reaching consequences. Should the political will to introduce a UBI emerge one day, this circumstance could indeed block the implementation of such political will, if not permanently, at least for a number of years.

Otto Lüdemann

As a constructive way forward, Lüdemann suggested exploring these constitutional issues in an ARD podcast featuring experts and representatives from the Research Service of the German Bundestag.

Photos: Elza Loginova

UBI and Ecological Transformation

The second main theme of the conference explored ways in which basic income and ecological sustainability could be combined. Various instruments were discussed that could support both social security and ecological transformation – from climate dividends to specific basic income models for nature conservation. Simon März was particularly impressed by the work of the FRIBIS BINC team:

 

Their approach of systematically countering ecological degradation through basic income payments struck me as promising. What I found especially interesting about the FRIBIS team’s work is that they are researching this concept in a number of locations, such as Indonesia, Cambodia and India. This means the concept is being studied in diverse contexts. So I’m eager to see what results the team’s research projects will yield.

Simon März

International Perspectives and Global Implementations of a UBI

The international dimension of basic income research, exemplified by the previously mentioned BINC team, was at the heart of the conference’s third main theme. Here Fabio Waltenberg provided detailed insights in his keynote on the “Citizens Basic Income” in the Brazilian city of Maricá. In this city of approximately 200,000 inhabitants, almost 50% of the population receives a form of unconditional basic income, paid in a local currency, “mumbuca”. Other international implementations of basic income were also focused on: Verena Löffler was particularly fascinated by the panel discussion on the basic income study in India:

The researchers spent several months on site and the experimental design shows promise for exciting results. I find the qualitative approach of the British researchers particularly encouraging in this context.

Verena Löffler

Photos: Elza Loginova

Conclusion

Once again the FRIBIS Annual Conference 2024 proved to be a productive forum for exchange between academia and civil society engagement. Participants drew particular attention to the diversity of concepts and ideas discussed, from which all those present could benefit. Nevertheless, the collegial atmosphere of the event, aptly described by Ulrich Schachtschneider as a “family reunion,” did not detract from its intellectual depth. The integration of a variety of perspectives was widely appreciated. This included the connection between care work and gender aspects within the basic income debate as well as the discussion around ecological transformation potentials. The questions raised – from the controversy surrounding partial basic income and constitutional hurdles to the link between social and ecological sustainability – will continue to shape the future basic income discourse.

Finally, special thanks are extended to Sin Carne Schwarzwald GmbH for their excellent vegan catering and to Elza Loginova for her professional photographic documentation of the conference.

Workshop on Universal Basic Income and Social Infrastructure at Fachhochschule Dortmund (Dortmund University of Applied Sciences), January 24, 2025

Nov 12, 2024 | News, Topical

Now more than ever: The dispute over the German federal government’s budget draft, obligations due to acute crises such as the Ukraine war, economic downturn, and looming revenue losses due to the outcome of the US election seem to leave no room for social policy demands or visionary thinking. Yet it is precisely these crises that expose the dead ends of austerity politics: the rise of right-wing movements in parts of the country bears witness to the consequences of deep-seated insecurity and existential fears. Against this backdrop, open discussions and bold thinking about alternative futures are more urgent than ever. This is exactly what the Social Policy Conference in Dortmund sets out to achieve.

The Department of Applied Social Sciences at Fachhochschule Dortmund, in cooperation with the Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS), the “Netzwerk Grundeinkommen Deutschland” (German Basic Income Network), and “BIEN Austria” (Basic Income Earth Network Austria), is organizing a workshop on “Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen und Soziale Infrastruktur?!” (Universal Basic Income and Social Infrastructure?! Connections and Contradictions on the Path to a Sustainable Society).

Topic: Some advocate for universal financial security as a foundation for existence, participation, freedom of self-determination, and engagement in care work; others focus on access to education, health, transport, housing, energy, and political participation. Two approaches: Universal Basic Income (UBI) and Universal Basic Services (UBS) – two paths toward the same goals? Do they contradict or complement each other? Do both lead to a sustainable, future-oriented society? What would such a society look like? And how could such a transformation be initiated?

Objective: The workshop aims to introduce both concepts and discuss their strengths, weaknesses, connections, incompatibilities, and implementation paths. Both approaches will first be presented and critically examined at an academic level, relating them to associated debates (de-growth, everyday economics). Next, two popular political initiatives (Public Luxury, Care Revolution) will be presented and analyzed through the lens of their respective theories. Finally, the practical viability of these approaches will be tested using the example of homeless people’s living conditions and interests. The change of location from the university to the city district of Nordstadt represents a change in perspective: How could societal transformation succeed considering these approaches and ideas? What do the stakeholders themselves think?

Organizers: The workshop is hosted by Fachhochschule Dortmund in partnership with FRIBIS, the “Netzwerk Grundeinkommen Deutschland,” and BIEN Austria. Key participants from FRIBIS include Roland Blaschke, Margit Appel, Ute Fischer, and Gudrun Kaufmann from the FRIBIS Care Team.

Target Audience: The event is designed for master’s students, academic colleagues specializing in homelessness, other guests and cooperation partners, as well as the broader urban community and civil society initiatives.

The event takes place at Fachhochschule Dortmund, with an excursion to the city district of Nordstadt to promote a change in perspective and dialogue between the university and the urban community.

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FRIBIS Members Report: BIEN Congress 2024 in Bath

Nov 5, 2024 | News, Topical

This year’s BIEN Congress took place at the University of Bath (UK) from August 29 to 31. Titled “Reclaiming radical roots: Basic income and Socio-Ecological Transformation,” the event explored the potential of basic income to create an economically just, politically inclusive and ecologically sustainable world. Among the participants from academia, civil society and politics, were members of FRIBIS and its teams.

In the following reports FRIBIS members share their impressions of the congress. They reveal the range of topics discussed, from linking basic income to opportunities for exiting precarious situations, through gender perspectives in basic income research and the role of basic income in socio-ecological transformation, to innovative methodological approaches, such as narrative economics. The significance of local basic income initiatives was also addressed. Below you can find out what FRIBIS members thought about the congress, what new insights they gained and the role that personal exchange and networking within the international research community played for them.

Clem Davies und Carlota De Novales, FRIBIS-Team UBI & Gender: “Voice and Representation in Basic Income Research”

Carlota De Novales presented a paper titled “Voice and Representation in Basic Income Research,” co-authored with Clem Davies, which examined gender disparities in contributions to the field of basic income studies, with a focus on the journal Basic Income Studies. The research analysed both the gender composition of authors and the extent to which gender issues are addressed within the published literature. The study revealed that women comprised only about 25% of the contributing authors and that fewer than 10% of the published papers meaningfully engaged with gender-related topics. Additionally, it was observed that women were predominantly responsible for the research addressing gender issues. The ensuing discussion was constructive, with participants encouraging further exploration and publication opportunities on this subject.

Jessica Schulz, FRIBIS-Team UBI & Gender: “Equalizing Educational Opportunities: Basic Income, Scarcity Mindset and Students’ Academic Paths”

At this year’s BIEN Congress in Bath, I had the opportunity to contribute in a number of ways. In my presentation “Equalizing Educational Opportunities: Basic Income, Scarcity Mindset and Students’ Academic Paths,” I presented the qualitative analysis of my questionnaire study on Universal Basic Income and the scarcity mind set. Philippe van Parijs chaired the panel “Transformative Effects of Basic Income” in the “Social Policy” stream. Presenting to an international audience was a valuable exercise in communicating my research and responding to the thought-provoking questions from both audience and moderator. The subsequent discussion provided numerous insights for the paper I will be writing this autumn.

As the coordinator of the FRIBIS Gender Team, I was also involved in organizing and moderating a round table, titled “Exploring Gender Balance and Perspectives in Basic Income Research.” Speakers included Almaz Zelleke (Professor at NYU Shanghai and Gender Team member), Fabio Waltenberg (Professor at Universidade Federal Fluminense in Niterói and editor of Basic Income Studies) and Carlota De Novales Coronel (Erasmus student and Gender Team member). The active participation of the audience in the discussion about gender distribution in basic income research was particularly gratifying, with the multitude of questions and contributions demonstrated the considerable interest in the topic.

The congress was a very enriching experience for me as I was able to act both as presenter and moderator. These two formats require different approaches in conversation management and presence and I am grateful for the opportunity to have practiced both. The positive feedback I received was very motivating. I particularly appreciate the sense of networking that has developed through my work at FRIBIS and especially in the FRIBIS Gender Team. So I already knew many of the congress participants from previous events. I also had the opportunity to join the newly founded BIEN PhD Network, which met for the first time at the congress. Overall, it was a positive educational experience for me, both professionally and personally.

Presentation: “Equalizing Educational Opportunities: Basic Income, Scarcity Mindset and Students’ Academic Paths”

Another highlight: BIEN featured a slide from my presentation on the congress’s social media channel

Round table: “Exploring Gender Balance and Perspectives in Basic Income Research”. From left: Jessica Schulz, Carlota De Novales Coronel, Almaz Zelleke, Fabio Waltenberg

Conference dinner, from left: Carlota De Novales Coronel, Almaz Zelleke, Jessica Schulz, Fabienne Hansen

Gudrun Kaufmann, FRIBIS-Team care: “Narratives of Change – Basic Income through the Lens of Narrative Scenario Analyses & Conviction Narrative Theory”

When I learned that the BIEN Congress 2024 would take place in England, I immediately wanted to attend in person this time. My aim was not only to present part of my current research but also to experience the international basic income research community up close and to reconnect with some acquaintances and friends. The unique opportunities offered through my work at FRIBIS became clear to me once again, for over the past few years, I have met many key figures in basic income research in Freiburg and now had the opportunity to meet some of them again in England.

The title of my presentation was “Narratives of Change – Basic Income through the Lens of Narrative Scenario Analyses & Conviction Narrative Theory”. Here I presented my theoretical perspective of “narrative economics” as well as various approaches to “narratives of change”, using basic income studies as an example to demonstrate the potential of narrativist methods for further basic income research. There were interested inquiries immediately following the presentation and further exchanges with other researchers. The positive feedback has reinforced my research approach and provided additional motivation.

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in the BIEN Congress this year. It was my second time to attend the congress but the first in person. I was happy  to get to England in an environmentally friendly manner, by train. I had offered my services to the local organizing committee as a volunteer in advance  and was quickly integrated into a highly motivated. team So I was able contribute to the success of the congress as a whole. In addition to the professional exchange, such a congress offers excellent networking opportunities and I am eager to see how some of the projects will develop further.

Tobias Jäger, FRIBIS-Team Basic Income for Peacebuilding: “Basic Income and Exit as a Social Good”

At this year’s conference in Bath, I had the opportunity to present the current state of a collaborative study with Jurgen De Wispelaere, titled “Basic Income and Exit as a Social Good”. The presentation took place on the first day as part of the “Labour and Exit” panel. I delivered the talk on my own as Jurgen was concurrently presenting at another session. The panel was well-attended and, to my knowledge, recorded. The primary objective of this presentation was to solicit initial feedback on the concept of exit as a “social good”. The 20-minute talk was followed by an extended Q&A session. A key point of the discussion was the hypothesized negative correlation between the value of the exit option and its utilization. This feedback was particularly valuable in identifying areas requiring more robust substantiation in future iterations of the work. Prof. Almaz Zelleke suggested expanding the model to incorporate gender-related considerations. On a personal note, the presentation provided an excellent opportunity to refine my presentation skills and deepen my engagement with current debates in this field. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and encouraging for further research. Our paper has been invited for consideration in a special issue, though the final outcome is pending.

The conference featured numerous interesting events related to labour and exit. Notable examples include “Rethinking Rawls on Employment and A Universal Basic Income” by Larry Udell, “Rawlsian Arguments for and against Basic Income and Job Guarantees” by Michael Howard, and “Between Charity and Entitlement: Unconditional Basic Income as a Gift” by Catarina Neves. All three presentations offered valuable insights, particularly from a social contract perspective.

In my capacity as coordinator of “Basic Income for Peace Building”, I found the lack of substantial development in debates within this area somewhat disappointing. One panel on this topic, in particular, seemed to lack the depth I had anticipated. But on reflection, I acknowledge that a more proactive role as a FRIBIS coordinator might have been beneficial.

Overall, my assessment of the conference was very positive. It provided opportunities for skill development, networking with fellow researchers, and garnered constructive feedback on my work.

Fabienne Hansen: “The Making Of Moeda Social Arariboia: Mapping A Network Of Concepts Through Federal And Local Exchange In Brazilian Municipal Social Policies”

The 23rd Congress in Bath was a rich and diverse experience for me. I had the chance to contribute to various presentations and initiatives, with the launch of the UBI Early Career Network being a particular highlight. The keen interest in this initiative was both surprising and encouraging. So I’m hopeful that the network will significantly enhance academic collaboration among emerging UBI researchers in the years to come.

I also took part in two panel discussions. One was a roundtable titled “The Municipal Path to Basic Income: What Can We Learn from the Maricá Model?”. It drew considerable attention and the panel even made it into the local news in Maricá, which was an unexpected bonus. In another panel focused on Maricá, I presented some of my research on the Moeda Social Arariboia. The audience was very interested in the topic and I received valuable feedback. For me, the discussions that followed, especially the informal conversations, reinforced the importance and relevance of our work in the UBI community.

Overall, I found the atmosphere at the congress intellectually stimulating and open. The productive exchanges with fellow UBI researchers were invaluable, providing insights that will undoubtedly shape my future projects and collaborations.

Round table, participants (from left): Fábio Waltenberg, Adalton Mendonça, Marc Doussard, Bru Laín, Fabienne Hansen, Leandro Ferreira

After the Maricá panel (from left to right): Leandro Ferreira, Eduardo Suplicy, Adalton Mendonça, Fabienne Hansen, Fábio Waltenberg, Marc Doussard

Dominik Schröder and Bianca Blum, FRIBIS-Team UBITrans: “Climate Justice in the Eco-Social State: The Role of Universal Basic Income in Commons Regulation”

In our presentation at the BIEN Congress, we explored the role of Universal Basic Income (UBI) within an eco-social state framework. Our primary focus was on how UBI could facilitate climate-just commons regulation. Drawing on the concept of the “tragedy of the commons,” we illustrated how shared resources, such as the Earth’s atmosphere as a CO2 sink, are frequently overexploited in the absence of incentives for sustainable use. We posited that an eco-social state that aims to reconcile ecological and social sustainability must not only prevent the overuse of common goods but also ensure an equitable distribution of the resulting costs and benefits. While carbon pricing could address the issue of overuse, its regressive effect disproportionately burdens lower-income households through higher energy prices. A UBI could potentially mitigate this effect and can be normatively derived from the principle of climate justice, which we define at its most basic level as equal rights to natural resources. Consequently, we propose that revenues from taxing natural resources should be redistributed equally per capita, potentially in the form of a UBI.

Implementing a UBI as a redistribution mechanism for carbon pricing revenues promotes the concept of universal entitlement to fair participation in common goods, such as the atmosphere. It also ensures that a majority of the population would experience a net benefit from such a reform, potentially securing broad political support for higher carbon prices and, by extension, more effective CO2 emission reduction. This could represent a significant advantage of UBI in the context of socio-ecological transformation, an aspect that has received limited attention in the current eco-social state literature.

The congress provided us with valuable feedback, diverse perspectives, and new ideas for our research project. The post-presentation discussion and the contributions from other panel participants were particularly beneficial in critically examining and expanding our concept. Our participation in the congress has reinforced our conviction that the discourse on UBI’s role in socio-ecological transformation has substantial developmental potential and that the nexus between social and ecological sustainability is of increasing significance.

Larissa Walter: “How can Cognitive Psychology Contribute to the Discourse on Basic Income? Integrating Basic Income and Cognitive Control Research through Laboratory Methodology”

At the BIEN conference, I presented my research on bridging cognitive control research and Universal Basic Income (UBI) discourse through laboratory experiments. My presentation, titled “How can Cognitive Psychology contribute to the Discourse on Basic Income? Integrating Basic Income and Cognitive Control Research through Laboratory Methodology” began with an overview of current UBI research and laboratory methodologies. I then presented my own research as a case study, highlighting the significance of cognitive control processes. After defining the key terminology, I outlined the essential parameters of cognitive psychology laboratory experiments and shared findings from my systematic review.

The audience showed particular interest in the practical applications of my research, specifically how cognitive research findings could inform UBI discourse and how the implementation of UBI might influence cognitive outcomes. There was significant interest in the potential integration of these findings into existing pilot projects. This response has encouraged me to focus future presentations on concrete applications, demonstrating the practical intersection of cognitive research and UBI discourse.

Beyond the formal presentations, the conference provided valuable opportunities for informal discussions about my research focus. These exchanges revealed both substantial interest in my topic and the need to further clarify certain cognitive psychological concepts and methodological approaches. The exchange with other participants proved especially enlightening, offering fresh perspectives on my research. Moreover, I was able to contribute practical insights from my expertise, enriching these dialogues further.

FRIBIS Team “care” Welcomes New Expert as University of Vienna Launches UBI Lecture Series

Nov 4, 2024 | News, Topical

The University of Vienna is hosting a lecture series in the winter semester 2024/25 on “Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen – Baustein für gesellschaftliche Transformation und Politikgestaltung” (Universal Basic Income – A Tool for Social Transformation and Policy Making). The series, led by Prof. Dr. Barbara Prainsack, is organized in cooperation with the “Netzwerk Grundeinkommen und Sozialer Zusammenhalt – BIEN Austria” (Network for Basic Income and Social Cohesion – BIEN Austria).
 
One of the network’s co-founders, Margit Appel, will now join the FRIBIS team “care” as a member of the transfer team. With Margit Appel, the team gains a distinguished expert on feminist perspectives on basic income. She explains her motivations for joining the Care Team:

I have been engaged with Universal Basic Income from a feminist perspective for a very long time. Within the basic income movement itself, the question of how unpaid work is distributed under current conditions is insufficiently addressed. Similarly, there is a lack of systematic consideration regarding the potential impact of UBI on the distribution of poorly paid and unpaid care work. I co-authored a book on this topic with Barbara Prainsack, published in early 2024. At the 2023 FRIBIS Annual Conference, where I was invited to present theses from the book, I got to know the Care Team. I immediately and gladly accepted the invitation to join because I had found ‘a place’ where the questions that matter to me are being discussed.

When asked about her expectations for team membership, she responds:

Having already participated in several meetings, I no longer need to rely on hopes alone. I have experienced how the team works in a very non-hierarchical, open manner to contribute to the particularities and challenges of care-related issues and to reflect on the impact of UBI in a nuanced way. Every conversation has brought valuable insights so far, and I hope this will continue in the future.

Regarding the UBI lecture series taking place at the University of Vienna in the winter semester 2024/25, Appel explains:

The twelve-part lecture series examines how Universal Basic Income can drive social transformation and shape policy making through various disciplinary lenses. The opening sessions tackled the structural challenges within Austria’s welfare state, explored how AI is reshaping labor markets, and investigated the complex relationships between work, care, and UBI – with the latter featuring insights from FRIBIS Care Team members Ute Fischer and Verena Löffler. The upcoming lectures will delve into several key themes: the synergy between UBI and public infrastructure, labor unions’ perspectives on UBI, and financing models that distinguish emancipatory from neoliberal UBI approaches and their political ramifications (including a presentation by Care Team member Ronald Blaschke). The series will also contrast two real-world initiatives in Lower Austria: a UBI pilot in Heidenreichstein and a job guarantee scheme in Marienthal. To address pressing environmental concerns, a panel discussion featuring activists from Fridays for Future and System Change not Climate Change will explore UBI’s role in the ecological poly-crisis. This will be followed by an analysis of Austria’s climate bonus as a potential stepping stone toward UBI implementation. The series culminates in an international online panel showcasing perspectives from Catalonia, Ireland, and the UBI-European Initiative, concluding with Care Team member Gudrun Kaufmann’s examination of narrative economics.

The lecture series takes place every Wednesday from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM CET in HS III NIG at the University of Vienna. Detailed program information can be found here (in German).

FRIBIS “Basisgeld” team: Presentation of Basisgeld concept in German Parliament and climate premium proposal

Oct 31, 2024 | News, Topical

Two members of the FRIBIS “Basisgeld” team recently contributed to the public debate on direct transfer payments. On October 17, 2024, Dr. Wolfgang Strengmann-Kuhn, Member of the German Parliament and FRIBIS Basisgeld team member, presented the Basisgeld concept developed by team leader Prof. Alexander Spermann in the German Bundestag:

Additionally, Dr. Stefan Bach, research associate at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and Basisgeld team member, presents proposals for implementing a per-capita climate premium in a recent audio interview, which is also detailed in the DIW Weekly Report. Bach proposes an annual climate premium of 124 euros that could be paid out unbureaucratically via tax ID starting in 2026. A distinctive feature of his concept: The premium would be gradually reduced for higher incomes through the tax system, thereby freeing up additional funds for targeted support of low-income households.

Dr. Stefan Bach