FRIBIS Director, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Neumärker, was a guest on the show “Das liebe Geld” (loosely translated as “Our precious money”) on Radio Sol in July 2024. In conversation with the hosts, Ilse Pforr and Gerhard Pellegrini, he addressed the topics of basic income and tax policy.

Neumärker advocated the necessity of a paradigm shift in both the world of work and in the tax system. He explained how a Universal Basic Income could enable people to focus on meaningful activities.

Another point of discussion was the need to simplify the existing tax system. Here Prof. Neumärker criticized the current complexity of this system and argued for more transparent, simpler models. He emphasized the need for tax systems to be fundamentally adapted to modern needs and realities.

He also elaborated on the connection between basic income and new tax models, particularly in the context of consumption taxation. FRIBIS research shows surprising results here.Contrary to common economic assumptions, financing a basic income through value-added tax would not lead to decreasing but rather to increasing tax revenue. Here he argued that conventional economic models are unable to capture the positive effects of a basic income because they are based on outdated premises.

FRIBIS is looking for a student assistant to support research with economic experiments

Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS) at the Faculty of Economics and Behavioural Sciences Faculty is looking for a Bachelor or Master Student Assistant to support the department and PhD students on the preparation and execution ofeconomic lab experiments on the theme of basic income and social contracting.

We are ideally looking for someone who is able to work in the position for at least 6 months, preferably longer.

Responsibilities:

• Coding economic lab experiments in Z-Tree (and possibly other software such as Lioness). Z-Tree is a widely used software package created for developing and executing economic laboratory experiments. You can find more information on ZTree here: https://www.ztree.uzh.ch/en.html
• Assisting in the planning, organization, and conduction of experimental sessions including recruiting participants, online marketing, and data bank administration
• Problem-solving and providing support to IT and technical problems
• (Potentially) providing support in preparation of teaching material.

Your profile:

• Good English language. German is a bonus
• Good computer skills
• Ability to quickly learn new software
• Problem-solving and creating thinking
• Independence and initiative
• You enjoy working in an intercultural and interdisciplinary team

Desired:

• Previous experience in coding, or with Z-Tree, O-Tree or Lioness are all desirable but not necessary. We expect that you will be able to learn on the job and become an expert on Z-Tree to support our team
• Economics or IT student.

If you are interested in pursuing further studies or writing your thesis at the Götz Werner Chair of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory under Professor Bernhard Neumärker on themes of basic income, experimental and behavioural economics, or social contracting, this is a good opportunity to work closely with researchers on this topic. Through this role, you can develop the skills to design and execute your own experiments in the contexts of your class work or thesis.

Work Conditions:

• From 40 up to 85 hours/month
• Flexible working hours to fit around your classes and other commitments
• Independent working conditions with regular check-ins and support from supervisors
• International team
• Position is available for 3 to 6 months, with possibility of extension.

Please send your application documents include a short, self-written motivation letter, resume, copy of your academic records and a certificate of enrollment, as well as any other relevant certificates or documents. Please include your expected date of graduation.

We will be particularly pleased to receive applications from women for the position advertised here.

From April 12 to 14, 2024, the FRIBIS activist conference titled Zukunft – Klima – Grundeinkommen (Future – Climate – Basic Income) took place in Freiburg. The aim of the conference was to bring together activists from the fields of climate protection and basic income to learn from each other, open up new perspectives, and create synergies. In the following report, you will find out how the conference went and what impressions and experiences the participants took with them.

Opening and Keynote Speeches

After the welcome by Bernhard Neumärker, FRIBIS director, Enno Schmidt, then managing director of FRIBIS, introduced the structure and character of the conference. Together with him, Helmo Pape (Generation Grundeinkommen Österreich) and Joy Ponader (Expedition Grundeinkommen) accompanied the conference organizationally and as moderators over the next three days. The conference then dove straight into the heart of the matter with keynote speeches by Jana Mestmäcker (Last Generation), Gregor Hagedorn (Scientists for Future), Simone Herpich (Scientists for Future), and Ronald Blaschke (Basic Income Network).

Gregor Hagedorn, academic director of the Museum of Natural History Berlin and co-founder of Scientists for Future, emphasized that scientists are always political – whether they speak out or remain silent. Ronald Blaschke, co-founder and spokesperson of the German Basic Income Network, pointed out that a basic income without an intact planet is not a viable solution, as ecological crises threaten the very foundation of our lives and economy. Jana Mestmäcker shared how she felt truly self-determined for the first time through her involvement with the Last Generation. Jana describes her motivation to participate in the conference as follows:

Discussion Circles and Networking

In the subsequent discussion circles, participants had the opportunity to delve deeper into the ideas sparked by the presentations and develop them further. A central topic was the exploration of the connections and commonalities between the climate and basic income movements. A key point of convergence identified was that both movements critically question the dominance of capitalism and the single-minded focus on paid employment. Instead of an economic system based on perpetual growth and consumerism, which often generates meaningless or harmful work, both the basic income and climate movements advocate for an economic order that aligns with the genuine needs of people and the requirements of the ecosystem.

Activism as a Way of Life

On Friday evening, Swiss Fridays for Future founder and youth delegate, Marie-Claire Graf, shared her journey as an activist and the motivation behind her social engagement. She spoke about the fears younger generations harbor about the future in the face of climate change and stressed the importance of viewing activism not merely as an activity, but as an integral part of one’s way of life.

Initiatives and Projects

Saturday began with a lecture by Herbert Jauch, who is committed to a basic income coalition and the training of activists in Namibia. Jauch recounted how the unconditional basic income pilot project in Otjivero, launched in 2008, initially yielded very positive outcomes, such as reduced poverty, improved health, increased school attendance, and a boost to the local economy. Despite these successes, the project was not continued or expanded after its conclusion. Instead, it faced fierce opposition from the Namibian government, churches, and international donors like the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Following Herbert Jauch’s presentation, Rebecka Ambjörnsson introduced the KARUNA Family project, where young people can develop themselves in a voluntary year. Susanne Wiest and Uschi Bauer told the story of the “Coronation Wave” of 2012 – an initiative by their basic income movement where people were symbolically crowned as “true sovereigns” by donning paper crowns. The underlying idea was that a basic income would empower people to walk through life with dignity and self-determination.

Next, Christina Strohm and Dorothee Herzog from “My Basic Income” presented interim findings from their project. A preliminary report indicated that recipients of a basic income place greater value on climate-friendly behavior, suggesting that a basic income could positively influence ecologically sustainable conduct.

Ulrich Schachtschneider (Universal Basic Income Europe) presented reflections on an ecological basic income. He argued that approaches such as the climate money bonus already represent steps towards linking social security and ecological sustainability. Schachtschneider put forward the thesis that a basic income could contribute to reducing the demand for ecologically questionable consumer goods and services. As a result, a basic income reform could lead to a downsizing of the economic system in the long term and thus have positive effects on the environment.

Civil Disobedience and Resistance

On Saturday afternoon, the stage was taken by Lina Johnson (Last Generation), Kali* (Ende Gelände), and Werner Rätz (Attac BGE Network). Lina Johnson shared her personal activism journey and, referencing theorists like Erica Chenoweth and Gene Sharp as well as historical examples, highlighted the often underestimated power of peaceful civil resistance. Kali* presented a diverse array of video footage showcasing acts of civil disobedience against open-cast lignite mining. Werner Rätz’s subsequent lecture matched the passion and commitment of his younger fellow activists’ presentations. Lina Johnson’s reflection on the conference: 

Last Day of the Conference

Sunday began with a summary of the personal impressions shared by all remaining participants. As a final activity, Rebecca Panian moderated the format “Voll auf die 12” (a German phrase meaning “to get hit hard” or “to be knocked for a loop”, used here to describe an intense, high-energy discussion format), in which 12 randomly selected “jurors” had to agree on a proposed solution within a limited time. Rebecca Panian had suggested this format to Enno Schmidt to generate concrete approaches for how the climate and basic income movements can collaborate. “I thought bringing together the climate and basic income movements was fantastic!” Rebecca Panian emphasized. She praised the conference’s structure, which offered not only informative presentations but also space for in-depth exchange and networking: “The structure of the conference was excellent because it wasn’t just one presentation after another. After about 4 input sessions, there was an opportunity to engage in deeper discussions with the person whose contribution resonated most with oneself.”

The event left a lasting impact on her, “because this merging of the two worlds – climate and basic income – was truly wonderful and important. Especially because a basic income would enable so many more people to get involved for the common good – and the planet!” Many valuable contacts emerged from the conference, and Rebecca is eager to see what else will develop from them. When asked if the conference changed her view on unconditional basic income, she replied: “No. It only confirmed that the idea is absolutely brilliant, and I want to do my best to make it a reality soon – as a human right.”

Conclusion

Throughout the conference, there was a pleasant and collegial atmosphere, enhanced by the delicious vegan catering provided by Sin Carne Schwarzwald GmbH. The event’s structure, with keynote speeches followed by discussion circles, allowed for both in-depth exploration of the topics and fostered exchange and networking among participants. The conference attracted an average of about 70 attendees, demonstrating significant public interest in the event.

Overall, the conference underscored the importance and value of an interdisciplinary and trans-activist dialogue between the climate protection and basic income movements. Many participants left with new insights, contacts, and impulses for concrete action. It remains exciting to see what further developments and initiatives will emerge from the connections formed during the conference.

On June 20, 2024, the ‘Politics of Basic Income Talk Series’ featured an online event titled ‘UBI in Central and Eastern Europe: Attention, Strategies and Reforms’. Two experts discussed Universal Basic Income (UBI) in their regions:

Maciej Szlinder presented a proposed pilot program in the Polish-Russian border region, outlining its design and public reception despite lack of implementation due to funding issues.

Boglárka Herke examined UBI in Hungary, focusing on public perception, particularly in relation to AI, and analyzed obstacles to its popularity.

Speakers’ bios:

Boglárka Herke is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Sociology, HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences. She obtained her PhD at Corvinus University of Budapest. Her main research interests include welfare attitudes, social and family policy, and single-parent families. She is involved in a research project examining attitudes towards UBI in Hungary within the context of the future labour market. A recent publication from the project is: Herke, B., & Vicsek, L. (2022). The attitudes of young citizens in higher education towards universal basic income in the context of automation—A qualitative study. International Journal of Social Welfare, 31(3), 310–322. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12533

Maciej Szlinder is a philosopher, sociologist, and economist. He did his PhD at the Institute of Philosophy of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. He is President of the Polish Basic Income Network, a member of Unconditional Basic Income Europe and the Spanish Basic Income Network, and author of the Unconditional Basic Income: Revolutionary reform of society in the XXI century (2018). He edits the academic journal Theoretical Practice, and is a member of the National Council of the Polish political party Razem.

This series is organized monthly by the Bath UBI Beacon and the Freiburg Institute of Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS) in partnership with the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN).

In his book, Casassas explores how UBI can help mitigate social exclusion and precarious employment while enhancing the bargaining power of individuals and collectives. The presentation marks the beginning of a two-day focus on UBI and its potential to provide an exit option for workers.

The book presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

The workshop aims to address recent criticism of the exit option, which argues that UBI may not offer a real or robust exit option, that exit options are not easily generalizable across the diverse population of workers, and that they may not confer real social power or equalize bargaining power between workers and employers.

Speakers and presentations:

• David Casassas (University of Barcelona): Bargaining Power: Exit Options for Entry Doors and the Emancipatory Potential of Basic Income
• Clem Davies (University of Freiburg): Universal Basic Income and Exit Options – An Experimental Approach
• Jurgen De Wispelaere (University of Bath) & Tobias Jäger (University of Freiburg): Basic Income Exit as a Social Good
• Jeeeun Jang (Tampere University): Why Context Matters: The Role of Basic Income in Exit Mechanisms
• Ben Spies-Butcher (Macquarie University): Exits Both Ways? Reflections on Basic Income, Care and Work
• Mike Howard (University of Maine) and Bernhard Neumärker (University of Freiburg): Basic Income as an Exit Device: Ordoliberalism Meets Socialism. Discussion moderated by Jurgen De Wispelaere (University of Bath)

For more information about the workshop, click here.

Please note, this is a closed event. If you are interested in participating or want further information, please contact Fabienne Hansen.

Vincent Liegey gave a talk on April 18, 2024, about the integration of Universal Basic Income (UBI) into the degrowth movement. His talk was part of the “Basic Income Politics Talk Series,” which is organized by the Bath UBI Beacon and the Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS) in cooperation with the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN).

Liegey explored the potential of UBI as a tool for systemic change and discussed how it can be aligned with the principles of the degrowth movement to contribute to a sustainable and equitable future. He discussed the conditions under which UBI could serve as an effective tool for degrowth initiatives. Furthermore, he aimed to situate UBI within a broader framework. He addressed aspects such as universal basic services, local, alternative, non-speculative exchange systems, maximum income, wealth redistribution, decommodification, and commons.

About Vincent Liegey: Vincent Liegey is an engineer, interdisciplinary researcher, and coordinator of the international degrowth conferences and the Observatoire de la Décroissance. He has co-authored several books on degrowth, including “Exploring Degrowth: A Critical Guide” (Pluto Press, 2020), “Décroissance, Fake or Not” (Tana Editions, 2022), “Sobriété (la vraie): mode d’emploi” (Tana Edition, 2023), and “Un Projet de Décroissance” (Utopia, 2013). Liegey also leads Cargonomia, a Budapest-based center dedicated to research and experimentation on degrowth. Cargonomia also functions as a social cooperative, offering sustainable logistical solutions and facilitating local food distribution using cargo bikes.

The FRIBIS team SoCoBis is hosting a series of behavioral economics experiments at the University of Freiburg from April 22 to 24, 2024. Participants will have the opportunity to actively engage in basic income research within an interactive setting while also earning money in the process.

Call for Papers for FRIBIS Annual Conference 2024: Towards the Development of a Full UBI? (7-9 October)

FRIBIS invites you to its Annual Conference 2024 from October 7th to October 9th in Freiburg, themed “Towards the Development of a Full UBI? Perspectives on Partial Approaches in Different Welfare Systems.” By examining feasible designs of partial basic income, the conference aims to identify ways to advocate for the idea of an unconditional basic income politically. FRIBIS is particularly interested in contributions related to social protection floors, sustainability, and issues in an international context.

The conference consists of a core part, with keynotes, plenary sessions, core conference panels and presentations from the respective core FRIBIS teams on a current central theme of the basic income discussion and an open conference part. The publication of a collected volume is planned; the best contribution will be awarded the FRIBIS Best Paper Award, valued at €1,000.

Topics and submission process

The FRIBIS Annual Conference will cover three core themes: social security, sustainability, and global perspectives on Basic Income. For a detailed description of the topic areas and specific questions, please visit the event page.

• Call for Papers: Researchers and activists are encouraged to submit their abstracts and manuscripts on the aforementioned topics.
• Call for Workshops: Space for creative and experimental workshop formats.

Registration for Attendees and Further Information

Registration for audience members will be available from July 5th, 2024, via the FRIBIS event page. Participation is free of charge.

On March 21, 2024, our four guests, Nika Soon-Shiong, Liz Fouksman, Richard Wallace, and Elise Klein, spoke about the connections between Universal Basic Income (UBI) and the increasing calls for reparations as tools for global social justice. They explored how UBI can address the historical and contemporary harms of racial capitalism, coloniality, and ongoing dispossession, questioning whether UBI can serve as a mechanism for achieving repair and if it can advance justice without integrating with broader reparations efforts.

Abstract: “America’s systems of welfare and mass incarceration have historically criminalized and harmed Black, brown, Indigenous, poor, immigrants, and more. 65% of Black Americans were made ineligible for Social Security when it was first introduced, followed by the legal exclusion of Black citizens from the wealth-building mechanisms of the New Deal and G.I. Bill. Discriminatory social services and tax laws have consistently provided fewer resources to people and neighborhoods of color. In contrast, the US spends $300 Billion annually on mass incarceration. A system of direct, recurring income support cannot wait for further evidence that reducing poverty decreases poverty. Real success requires unraveling the corporate construction of crime, fraud, and safety. Nika discussed movement-led efforts to intervene in procurement processes, emphasizing that policy implementation should not rely on the same old companies and consultants who built what needs to change.”

Speaker Biographies:

Elise Klein (OAM): An Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Crawford School at the Australian National University. Her research is situated in the intersections (and cracks) of development, social policy, de(coloniality), and care. She is the co-director of the Australian Basic Income Lab.

Nika Soon-Shiong: Executive director of the Fund for Guaranteed Income, an organization that raises money to advocate for and distribute universal basic income payments to certain communities, using identity politics as a basis for determining which communities should receive the payments, prioritizing ethnic minorities and impoverished people.

Richard Wallace: Founder and Executive Director of Equity and Transformation (EAT), an artist & community organizer dedicated to advancing racial equity in the US. In 2021, EAT launched the Chicago Future Fund, a groundbreaking Guaranteed Income pilot for formerly incarcerated people. He currently sits on the Global Advisory Board for the Atlantic Institute and serves on the Strategy Table for the Movement for Black Lives.

Dr. Liz Fouksman: A Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Social Justice at the Centre for Public Policy Research at King’s College London. Liz’s research focuses on understanding moral, social, and cultural attachments to work and working. It looks at the impediment such attachments pose to new imaginaries of the future of labor and distribution in an increasingly automated world, drawing on long-term empirical fieldwork in South Africa and Namibia to understand resistance to radical redistributive policies such as universal basic income.

Politics of Basic Income Talk Series

The event is part of the Politics of Basic Income Talk Series, initiated in October 2023. This time is was hosted by Dr. Joe Chrisp, a Research Associate at the Institute for Policy Research (IPR), University of Bath, who completed his PhD on the political feasibility of basic income in high-income countries, and Joseph Cooke, an Undergraduate Research Assistant and Politics and International Relations BSc student at the University of Bath. This event series, a collaboration between the Bath UBI Beacon and Freiburg Institute of Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS), in partnership with the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), continues to bring together experts globally to share insights on UBI policy, movement building, and research.