Prof. Sophia Seung-yoon Lee presents her new book and the key concept of “melting labour”

Feb 7, 2024 | News, Topical

On January 24, Sophia Seung-yoon Lee, Professor of Social Policy at the Department of Social Welfare at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea, presented her new book, Varieties of Precarity. Melting Labor and the Failure to Protect Workers in the Korean Welfare State to the members of the FRIBIS Junior Research Group (JRG). At the same time, she introduced the novel concept of “melting labour”. The development she is trying to capture with this term is that traditional, stable employment relationships in South Korea are becoming increasingly rare, while the boundaries between the different types of work and jobs are becoming blurred. She thus draws attention to forms of precarious work that currently exist in South Korea — despite the economic successes and the presence of the welfare state.

We asked her how she felt about the discussion after her lecture:

„An opportunity to deliver a lecture on my newly published book, Varieties of Precarity: Melting Labour and the Failure to Protect Workers in South Korean Welfare State at FRIBIS was an enriching experience for me. The atmosphere during the event was invigorating and intellectually stimulating, underscored by the participants’ enthusiasm and the depth of the discussion. It was particularly impressive to see the audience’s level of interest and understanding regarding the labour market and social policy in Korea, as well as the insightful inquiries about the research methodologies employed. Such interactions are invaluable, encouraging a multidisciplinary approach to tackling complex social issues.“

About Prof. Sophia Seung-yoon Lee

Sophia Seung-yoon Lee, who has a PhD in Social Policy from  Oxford university, is a respected expert in the field of East Asian welfare states and labour markets as well as precarious work. Her expertise has made a contribution to European researchers’ understanding of the challenges of precarious work and protective measures in East Asian countries.

FRIBIS Best Paper Award 2023 for young researchers goes to Franziska Leopold and Tobias Jäger

Jan 8, 2024 | News, Topical

We are delighted to start the new FRIBIS year with the FRIBIS Best Paper Award. The FRIBIS Board of Directors pays tribute to the PhD candidates, Franziska Leopold and Tobias Jäger, for their excellent contributions to the second FRIBIS Annual Conference (2022) “Basic Income and Development”. With their contributions to the anthology, Basic Income and Development. Proceedings of the FRIBIS Annual Conference 2022, Leopold and Jäger have made a significant contribution to both basic income research and the civil debate.

In her paper, I Would Like to Continue to Advocate for the Basic Income, BUT… Barriers to political UBI-participation in German-speaking countries, Leopold examines the crucial role of political education and information in basic income from the perspective of non-profit organizations, against the backdrop of the opportunities and limitations of advocating for a universal basic income. Based on an analysis of qualitative interviews, she examines the socio-demographic profiles of volunteer workers and the hurdles they face, some of which have led to the end of activism in some cases.

In his contribution, In the Face of Double Crises: Crossroads for Social Protection, Tobias Jäger expands on the idea of a universal basic income in the face of current and future crises, referring to Ugo Gentilini’s (World Bank) presentation, Lessons from cash transfers during Covid and implications for the UBI debate, which was delivered at the FRIBIS 2022 Annual Conference. The paper focuses on a discussion of changes in the social protection policies of various countries during the COVID-19 crisis. Leopold points out that the coronavirus crisis has not brought about any new trends in social protection policy but has reinforced existing ones instead.

We would like to thank all the authors once again for their contributions and congratulate Franziska Leopold and Tobias Jäger in particular.

FRIBIS Annual Conference 2023: Care & Gender – Potentials & Risks of UBI

Nov 27, 2023 | News, Topical

The 3rd annual FRIBIS conference was held in Freiburg from October 9 to 11, 2023. It focused on two often overlooked aspects in the universal basic income (UBI) debate, namely, gender and care as central dimensions of social coexistence. The conference aimed to explore the potentials and challenges UBI offers for care work and gender-related issues, such as gender roles and equality. A key emphasis was placed on understanding the interplay between care and gender within the context of UBI. This event was organized by the FRIBIS teams care and UBIG (UBI & Gender).

UBI as a solution for care gaps? New perspectives and challenges

It is becoming increasingly clear, especially in Europe, that care work is one of the fundamental prerequisites for a functioning society. In view of increasing life expectancy and falling birth rates, we are confronted with the fact that the need for care will increase significantly in the future. Accordingly, the conference focused on formal and informal care work as well as the phenomenon of “care gaps”: gaps in care or welfare that arise when the need for care and nursing services (such as childcare, care for the elderly or the sick) exceeds the available capacity. The participants discussed the personal and institutional framework conditions necessary to close care gaps and the role a UBI could play in this.

We asked Prof. Klaus Baumann, a member of the care research team, about his impressions as a conference participant.

How did the conference influence your perspective on the topics of care/gender/UBI?

The numerous international contributions on care and gender with regard to the potential of a UBI made it clear how important both topics are; not surprisingly, they overlap time and again. The conference gave me and our care team a lot of encouragement: research is needed, the development of perspectives and their communication in academia, civil society and politics is becoming an increasingly urgent task, not through polarisation and over-simplification but through sustainable arguments and serious narratives.

Klaus Baumann

How did you benefit from taking part in the conference?

 

The conference was of great benefit in terms of exchanging ideas and questions, learning from each other and, in particular, for the diverse encounters and opportunities to get to know each other personally. It was very pleasing to see the willingness of international and German-speaking contributors from academia and civil society cooperating with our FRIBIS care team. We will provide more details once these initial discussions turn into firm commitments.

Bianca Blum, Christine Rudolf, Klaus Baumann

What new ideas or collaborations have emerged?

One new idea was to introduce the term “care ecology” to the Care Panel discussion, a concept that we will continue to develop and expand. After all, our common “house” (oikos) that we inhabit – the planet – can only be protected with thoughtful “care” for the current challenges and sustainably preserved as a life-friendly world for future generations. This will also include making a qualified contribution to the potential of the UBI. The approach will also encompass making a substantial contribution to understanding the potential of Universal Basic Income in this context.

Bianca Blum, Klaus Baumann, Ronald Blaschke

Gender and basic income: Intersectional perspectives at the annual conference

The gender part of the annual conference was characterized by intersectional-feminist perspectives Universal Basic Income. Among other things, the focus was on how the UBI could influence traditional roles in the world of work (production) as well as the private sphere, such as family work and raising children (reproduction). Feminist perspectives, which have been neglected to date, were given greater prominence. Ben Trott’s exciting keynote shed light on basic income from a queer perspective, while Almaz Zelleke’s keynote impressively showed how varying social and control systems shape different genders in different ways. The other presentations also encouraged participants to think about the role of a basic income in a possible social reorganisation based on feminist considerations of the economy and politics.

We asked keynote speaker Prof. Almaz Zelleke about the impressions the annual conference left on her.

My two-week stay in Freiburg began with the third annual FRIBIS conference—the first basic income conference, to my knowledge—with a thematic focus on gender and care. It was energising to attend session after session in which these issues, and their connection to basic income, were prioritised. The experience led a few of us to create a Gender and Basic Income network to collaborate on future conference panels and presentations, research, and publications. In this way I expect the conference’s thematic focus to have far-reaching implications for basic income research and activism into the future.

It was another new experience for me to be in a space like FRIBIS, where there are so many researchers working on basic income in close proximity. I spent time with Professor Neumärker and the doctoral students there, learning about the different projects they’re involved in and the range of methodological approaches being used. I was particularly intrigued by the ordoliberal/contractarian approach being taken in a number of lab experiments to determine the agreements citizens are likely to make on a range of issues related to distribution, redistribution, and basic income.

Beyond the formal conversations in the conference, workshops, and research presentations, perhaps my favourite part of the trip was participating in an informal “Basic Income, Bier, and Bratwurst” conversation on the relationship between basic income and work. This is a great FRIBIS tradition, and one I look forward to participating in again when I am next in Freiburg.

Almaz Zelleke

Almaz Zelleke, Jurgen De Wispelaere

Conclusion

The FRIBIS Annual Conference 2023 was an excellent opportunity for international participants to engage in an interdisciplinary exchange on care and gender in the context of the UBI. The future collaborations that are being established will undoubtedly help to anchor the topics of care and gender more firmly in the basic income discourse. We would like to thank all participants for their enriching contributions and look forward to continuing the discussions in the coming year.

 

Presentation by Prof. John Davis: Technological Unemployment Creates a New Kind of Collective Property that Can Fund Basic Incomes

Nov 26, 2023 | News, Topical

Since the industrial revolution, technological innovation has led to loss in Jobs on a grant scale. Until now, at least the same technologies have created different jobs that ultimately offset these losses. But will this trend keep true?

Prof. Dr. John Davis thinks it might not. In his view developments in the fields of AI and robotics are encroaching on tasks previously only humans were thought able to.  On the 20th of November, he visited FRIBIS, giving a talk on the ethics of private and public property in the aforementioned context. He argues that, when trough progressive automation humans are pushed out of the job market with no future employment in sight, it might be ethically acceptable or good to fund a basic income from the increased profits of “the capitalist”. These profits he claims further are a new form of public property. Instead of falling back on established schools of anticapitalist thought, he structured his argument in a conversational style directly engaging with justifications offered by defenders of the status quo.

Coming to Freiburg to get an economic perspective on his thesis, he entered a productive discussion with the listeners. Although there was much agreement, some points were discussed from both the viewpoint of economics, social science in general and ethics. We thank Prof. Davis for his presentation and look forward to reading the paper that he is planning to publish on the talk’s subject.

Learn more about Prof. John Davis publications here.

 

Review of the FRIBIS Summer School 2023

Oct 30, 2023 | News, Uncategorized

In 2023, FRIBIS organised a three-part Summer School on the topic of “Empirical Methods of UBI Investigations”. The aim of the series was to establish a platform for practice-oriented basic income research and to provide participants with the opportunity to exchange ideas with renowned experts in the field.

Which topics were the focus of discussion? What did the Summer School facilitators and participants take away from the events? Has the summer school changed their perspective on basic income? Find out more in the following report.

FRIBIS Summer School 2023 Part 1/3: “How to Build a UBI Pilot”

The question of how to plan and implement a basic income pilot cannot be answered on a purely theoretical level. That’s why FRIBIS invited the experts Sarath Davala (BIEN) and Neil Howard (University of Bath), who had launched the workFREE UBI+ pilot in India, to lead the first part of the Summer School on 10th July. Under workFREE approximately 1250 residents from four informal settlements in Hyderabad, India, most of whom had previously lived on the margins of subsistence as garbage collectors, will receive an unconditional basic income for 18 months, as well as organisational support to help identify and solve problems.

According to Neil Howard, coordinator of the newly-formed FRIBIS team “UBI Experiments”, the Summer School was the first important activity for his team. Neil and Sarath Davala spent a whole day discussing the critical aspects of pilot project design and implementation “ranging from sample selection through ethics, research methods, and advocacy” (Neil Howard).

“This is one of the first ever such trainings and its recording and dissemination will provide an important resource for the burgeoning piloting community. We look forward to hosting a longer, larger winter school soon!” (Neil Howard)

Learn more about the “How to Build a UBI Pilot” Summer School here.

FRIBIS Summer School 2023 Part 2/3: Social Contract Lab Experiments

What basic social rules should apply when introducing a Universal Basic Income? This normative question is mostly answered by means of theoretical arguments but it can also be approached empirically. Experimental economics and behavioural economics offer approaches for testing the social unification and legitimacy potential for a basic income under laboratory conditions. How this works was the topic of the first part of the Summer School, which took place from July 11 to 14, 2023.

The first two days of the first part of the Summer School were led by Prof. Bernhard Neumärker who, in addition to FRIBIS, also heads the Social Contract Laboratory (SoCoLab) Freiburg and thus has many years of experience in the empirical study of social contract selection processes. The last two days of the Summer School were led by three Italian experts, Prof. Lorenzo Sacconi (University of Milan), Prof. Marco Faillo (University of Trento) and Dr. Virginia Cecchini Manara (University of Milan).

We asked philosopher Laura Marcon (Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania) how she benefited from the Summer School and to what extent her view of the BGE had changed as a result:

“The Summer School offered a valuable platform for exploring innovative approaches within distributive justice, with a specific emphasis on universal basic income and minimal income. The presence of attendees well-versed in the subject matter fostered engaging discussions and laid the groundwork for potential future collaborations.

The Summer School significantly shifted my perspective on universal basic income (UBI). It highlighted the importance of employing experimental economics methodologies to investigate UBI and showcased the pivotal role that lab experiments can play in understanding public perceptions and developing more feasible solutions in this domain.” (Laura Marcon)

Learn more about the “Social Contract Lab Experiments” Summer School here.

FRIBIS Summer School 2023 Part 3/3: “Microsimulation and Social Welfare Maximization”

The third and final part of the Summer School was held from July 18 to 20, 2023 and was led by Ugo Colombino (University of Turin) on the topic of microsimulation and wealth maximization. Microsimulation models are computer-based models that simulate individual decisions and behaviours based on big data to analyse the impact of policies or social changes on individuals and households. As far as basic income research is concerned, they provide researchers with the means to find out, for instance, how the payment of a UBI would affect people’s living conditions, what effects such a payment would have on the labour market and how UBI payments would have to be designed in order to maximize social welfare.

The workshop aimed to familiarise young researchers and established researchers new to the field of static modelling with the theoretical foundations and possible applications of microsimulation. It covered the entire spectrum of application, from research design to result analysis.

“The Summer School enabled me to further develop my knowledge in the special field of microsimulation. It gave a good overview of possible applications and theoretical foundations. Microsimulation is an essential method to estimate the effects on the state budget, the labour market and the inequality of reforms of the tax and transfer system.” (Lilly Fischer)

“This year’s FRIBIS Microsimulation Summer School was extremely successful for me as a young PhD student. I had the unique opportunity to learn from a distinguished expert in the field of microsimulation and optimal taxation, Ugo Colombino, and present my own research. The special environment of like-minded young researchers allowed for a unique exchange of knowledge, which continued in social gatherings in the evenings. I would like to express a special thanks to Tanja Kirn, whose smooth planning ensured that this Summer School became an unforgettable event.” (Fabian Boehme)

Learn more about the “Microsimulation and Social Welfare Maximization ” Summer School here.

Conclusion

The FRIBIS Summer School 2023 was a huge success. We are now motivated to host a Summer School in Freiburg again next year, providing a platform for international basic income research. The final word goes to Simon März – research associate at FRIBIS and coordinator of the XUBI research team. Simon participated in all three parts of the Summer School.

“For me as a participant, the Summer School was not only very exciting and diversified in terms of content, but also a wonderful place to exchange ideas with many other researchers in the field about their research and research approaches. Much of the inspiration will continue to accompany me in my own research and I can highly recommend everyone to attend the next Summer School.” (Simon März)

Looking back at the FRIBIS workshop ‘Universal basic income as an economic narrative?’ (September 20-22, 2023)

Oct 27, 2023 | News, Topical

When it comes to ‘narratives’, at least in the German-speaking world, the term is considered an empty phrase by some while others don’t think twice when using the term to explain social phenomena. And while some talk about opposing ideas being “mere narratives”, others claim that we “need new narratives”. In the basic income discourse, in particular, the concept of narrative plays an important role. Is UBI for example a “mere narrative” or is there a need for new narratives, such as a counter-narrative to the idea of performance in order to give basic income more social acceptance?

Begrüßung durch Prof. Andreas Urs Sommer

 
About the event

The FRIBIS team “Participation and UBI – ‘Narratives’ of the Future” (PartUBI) organised a workshop from 20 to 22 September, 2023 to shed light on the topic. The event, in German, was organised by Leon Hartmann, Sebastian Kaufmann and Robert Krause and was entitled “Universal Basic Income as an economic narrative?’’ (original title: “Das bedingungslose Grundeinkommen als ökonomisches Narrativ?”). Among the speakers were both young researchers and well-known scholars from a number of disciplines (click here to find the programme).

The most obvious differences between the speakers were in their methodological premises and use of the word ‘narrative’. Some, for example, adopted methodological meta-perspectives to address the connotations and denotations of the term ‘narrative’ and its use in particular discourses. Others were less interested in analysing discursive practices than in the social phenomena around basic income, which they were trying to grasp analytically using the concept of narrative. Despite these differences, the fact that both sides entered into dialogue with each other in the course of the conference proved to be extremely fruitful.
Conclusion and further proceedings of PartUBI

In the course of the workshop it became clear how seminal the topic of narratives is in its connection with basic income and how decisively the concept shapes current social debates. The members of PartUBI were therefore encouraged in their aim to further investigate the use of the concept and the function of ‘narratives’ in the context of culture, science and politics.

Next up is an anthology in the FRIBIS series in which the final papers from the workshop participants will be published.

Prof. Dr. Michael Roos

Interview with Toru Yamamori (Doshisha University) from the Gender-Team on his stay in Freiburg

Oct 23, 2023 | News, Topical

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon in Freiburg, Professor Toru Yamamori presented his paper as part of his guest stay at FRIBIS: Is a penny a month a basic income? A historiography of a threshold in basic income to the members of FRIBIS, as well as external interested listeners. The professor of economics at Doshisha University in Kyoto won the essay prize of the renowned journal Basic Income Studies for this paper for the second time.

As part of his work as co-chair of the BIEN working group on the clarification of basic income definitions, Toru Yamamori posed the question of whether a threshold for basic income should be included in the definition of basic income and gave an overview of the development of implicit and explicit definitions of basic income. The lecture, with the title kindly adapted to the German audience Is a cent a month a basic income? was followed by a lively discussion that continued into the evening hours during the subsequent joint dinner. We would like to thank Professor Toru Yamamori for his stimulating lecture, the professionally exciting and pleasant conversations during his stay and his work for the FRIBIS Gender Team, which after years of online meetings could finally meet partly in person.

How was your stay in Freiburg/at FRIBIS?

It was really great. I have been in UBI and Gender research team and have known Jessica and Clem for a few years, but this is the first time to meet them in person. Also, the head of FRIBIS, Prof. Neumärker, and the people in FRIBIS are friendly and made me feel like I am at a home institution.

What suprised you or you expected as a reaction to your lecture?

People listened to my lecture attentively and gave me important feedback. It is a shame I could not stay longer to communicate more, but I would like to come back to Freiburg again.

Follow-up report on the Science Talk at Liefmann-Haus

Oct 23, 2023 | News, Topical

Many of the most pressing problems of our time, whether climate change, inflation or demographic change, have an economic connection. Dr. Denisa Sologon (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research), Dr. Tanja Kirn, Ass.-Prof. (University of Liechtenstein) and Prof. Dr. Bernhard Neumärker (Götz-Werner-Professorship for Economic Policy and Theory of Order at the University of Freiburg/FRIBIS) discussed which solutions current economic research can offer at a Science Talk in the historic Liefmann-Haus at the University of Freiburg.

During the interactive exchange, possible approaches to mitigate undesirable effects of the above-mentioned problem areas were discussed. For example, Dr. Sologon shed light on the impact of inflation within Europe, pointing out that the inflation rate is higher for lower income groups because they consume a larger share of their income. This regressive effect, i.e., the higher burden on lower-income households, is also observed with the CO2 tax. According to Prof. Neumärker, this effect could be mitigated or eliminated if the resulting tax revenues were returned to the population through a so-called partial basic income. Dr. Tanja Kirn drew a parallel with the effects of rising health care costs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Here, too, a regressive burden effect is evident, she said. However, moving away from the concept of a uniform premium would mean a change in the system.

In order to find politically viable and economically sustainable solutions, detailed microsimulation analyses are necessary – a research area in which all researchers involved are active. The new Erasmus+ research project ecoMOD (Project: 2023-1-LI01-KA220-HED-000157594), in which Prof. Dr. Neumärker from the University of Freiburg/FRIBIS is involved as a project partner, aims to further develop existing models and strengthen the analytical skills of young scientists and students. The event took place within the framework of the ERASMUS Days, which raise awareness across Europe of the activities of ERASMUS+ projects co-funded by the European Commission.

Starting in Oct 2023: Politics of Basic Income Talk Series!

Oct 5, 2023 | News, Topical

Starting in October 2023 and continuing monthly on every 3rd Thursday, join us for a global exploration of Universal Basic Income (UBI) politics, hosted by the Bath UBI Beacon and Freiburg Institute of Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS), in partnership with the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN). Experts from around the world will share insights on UBI policy, movement building, and research.

Extended Information
The contemporary politics of universal basic income (UBI) conjures up a paradox. The level, breadth and sophistication of policy attention afforded to UBI is as impressive as it has ever been, with organisations such as the IMF and World Bank engaging with its potential to transform social protection. Experiments and pilots have emerged all over the world in Finland, South Korea, Kenya, Brazil and cities all across the US, while movement building has grown at an impressive rate in many countries. Yet, in terms of tangible policy development, progress has often been slow or non-existent. The introduction of a nationwide UBI scheme still eludes us and many social security systems have seen increasing levels of conditionality and means-testing rather than steps in a more universal direction. It is the perfect time for a global stock-taking of the opportunities and challenges facing UBI advocates, reflecting on policy successes as well as failures, and to ask the important questions needed to develop strategic thinking for building (inter)national movements and getting policy wins.

Hosted by the new Bath UBI Beacon and Freiburg Institute of Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS) through their Experiments Team collaboration, this online seminar series will invite people engaged in policy experimenting, movement building, research and activism from every corner of the globe to present their work and experience and reflect on what this means for the politics of basic income. Speakers will cover topics as diverse as experimentation, legislative processes, managing the media, fundraising, coalition building, community outreach and public opinion. The seminars will be open to all who have an interest in basic income and social policy more widely and will have a sizeable Q&A, allowing for discussion and debate. Seminars will be recorded and posted online afterwards.

Events will be scheduled for 90 mins and chaired alternately by Drs. Neil Howard and Joe Chrisp. If the event has a main speaker, presentations will last roughly 20 minutes followed by an hour of Q&A. For panels of 2-3 speakers, presentations will last 10 minutes each followed by an hour Q&A.

📅 Schedule (tentative):

Oct 2023             #PayTheGrants: The Universal Basic Income Guarantee in South Africa.

Nov 2023            How to Grow a Movement: The Importance of Strategic Funding & the Case of the US.

Dec 2023            What has happened in Catalunya?

Jan 2024             Basic Income and Reparations. Movement for Black Lives.

Feb 2024            Basic Income, De-Growth and Climate Politics.

Mar 2024           International Aid and the Politics of Unconditional Cash.

Apr 2024            UBI and UK Party Politics.

May 2024           UBI in CEE countries: Attention, Strategies and Reforms.

Jun 2024             How Much Public Support for Basic Income Is There?

Jul 2024              The Case of Marica in Brazil.

Aug 2024            The Case of India.

Sep 2024            The Policy Impact of Basic Income Experiments.

Oct 2024             The Case of Canada: Ontario, Climate Action Incentive Payment and COVID.

Nov 2024            What Happened in Iran?

Dec 2024            Welsh Pilot Results and Where from Here?

Jan 2025             UBI and Trades Unions.

International research project “ecoMOD” will be developing policy options for a resilient society

Aug 31, 2023 | News, Topical

Starting in autumn 2023, a new research project named ecoMOD will be launched under the coordination of FRIBIS member Dr. Tanja Kirn. The goal is to evaluate policy options for a resilient society. Central to this are the effects of demographic change on old-age security, the causes of poverty and inequality and the possibilities of recovering CO₂ tax revenues.

The research project is co-funded by the European Commission, under the Erasmus+ funding program. Project partners are prominent institutions such as the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER/Luxembourg), Freiburg University (Germany), NUI Galway (Ireland) and FPB Brussels / KU Leuven (Belgium).

Pensions – what reforms are needed to respond to demographic change?

Pay-as-you-go pension systems are coming under pressure from demographic change as life expectancy rises and fewer and fewer contributors are having to deal with more and more retirees. This raises the question of which reform options are most suitable. The spectrum ranges from an increase (coupling) in the statutory retirement age (to life expectancy), an age-dependent crediting of contribution years and thus a flexibilisation of retirement (and the pension amount), an increase in contribution rates, adjustment of survivors’ pensions, to an increase in incentives to work (beyond the statutory retirement age).

EcoMOD analyses the effects individual and combined reform measures have on future pension income. The project will also examine the effect of changes in labour force participation (e.g. an increase in the female labour force participation rate) on the pension system.

Poverty – what are the main causes of poverty and inequality?

The number of people permanently threatened by poverty has increased in Europe in recent years. One reason for this development is the rise in unemployment and the consequences of the financial crisis, which have led to lower household incomes in Europe. In addition, studies indicate that a university degree is no longer as strong a protection against poverty as it used to be. Instead, employment stability and good childcare facilities have played a more important role since the financial crisis. In addition, short- and long-term poverty reduction policies, such as those implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy price crisis, seem to have become more important.

EcoMOD aims to improve existing simulation models that depict impacts of economic crises on income distribution. Modules from geographic information systems will also be added to the models to identify regional patterns and develop spatial economic indicators.

Environment – how can revenues from a CO₂ tax be refunded?

CO₂ taxes are considered the most cost-effective lever to reduce carbon emissions swiftly and comprehensively in order to combat climate change. However, CO₂ taxes are generally regressive, meaning that the percentage tax burden decreases as income increases. So low-income households tend to spend a higher proportion of their income on emissions-intensive goods and services than higher-income households.

For this reason, ecoMOD is investigating ways to make the CO₂ tax more progressive, e.g. by redistributing the revenue from the CO₂ tax in favour of low-income groups, by reducing property and employment taxes or introducing a climate premium.

Dialogue between policymakers, the public and academia.

In addition to the further development of teaching and research, another goal of the project is to promote dialogue between policymakers, the public and academia. Therefore, we will use different information channels (print and online media) to inform the public about the project. The interim results will be presented at a conference in winter 2024/25 at the University of Liechtenstein. In addition, we will provide ongoing information about the project through evening lectures, blogs and podcasts.

Contributing Researchers

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Neumärker; Projectleader Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

Dr. Tanja Kirn, Ass.-Prof.; Projectcoordinator & Projectleader Universität Liechtenstein

Dr. Denisa Solognon; Projectleader LISER – Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research

Prof. Cathal O’Donoghue; NUI Galway (contractual partner)

Dr. Gijs Dekkers; FPB Brussels, KU Leuven (associated partner)

Dr. Philippe Liégeois, LISER – Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research

Project: 2023-1-LI01-KA220-HED-000157594