Dr Guy Standing has produced a report for Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell setting out the case for piloting basic income
News | 07.05.19
In this new publication, published by the Progressive Economy Forum, Dr Guy Standing makes the case for basic income and outlines how a basic income scheme could be piloted in the UK.
The report deals comprehensively with the common objections to a basic income, but importantly moves the debate on to the question of pilot schemes, how to design them and where they should be carried out.
The report is an important step forward in finding an alternative to the broken Universal Credit system and it offers the UK Labour Party the chance to develop the kind of positive and radical policies that the UK desperately needs.
The report is available to download at:
Dr Simon Duffy, Director of the Centre and also a member of UBI Lab Sheffield, a group which advocates that basic income should be tested in Sheffield, said:
“The model of Income Security adopted across the Western world is no longer fit for purpose. Governments are increasingly bullying people with sanctions and threatening families with starvation. The result is low productivity, high carbon use, increased domestic violence and a reduction in cooperative and community action. We are making ourselves poorer than we need to, while failing to address the needs of the planet and basic human rights. Guy Standing has been one of the leading advocates of a better way forward, built on a real understanding of how the global economy has evolved. It is very encouraging to see a dialogue on these issues begin in the Labour Party and John McDonnell should be congratulated for engaging with the issues so seriously.”
You can find out more about UBI Lab Sheffield here: https://www.ubilabsheffield.org
You can also express support for basic income via Basic Income UK: https://www.basicincome.org.uk
