Recapping the FRIBIS Activist Conference 2024 on “Future – Climate – Basic Income”

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:

Jana Mestmäcker

I participated in the conference because I found the combination of the different circles – climate protest and basic income – intriguing. The atmosphere during the conference felt pleasant and intimate to me. The discussion circles encouraged exchange among participants. After conferences like this, I usually feel the urge to put what I’ve heard into action and bring disruptive protest to the streets to actively work towards political change – and this conference was no exception. I thought the basic income was a good idea before and I still see it that way. In my opinion, nothing would be more liberating for our society. Currently, actively participating in democracy too often remains a “hobby” of those who can afford it.

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: 

Lina Johnson

As a spokesperson for the Last Generation, I was invited to participate in the activist conference, which I was thrilled about. I experienced the conference as a multi-day, intensive, yet incredibly enjoyable space for exchanging knowledge and experiences, with concrete discussions on implementation possibilities. I especially appreciated the event’s personal touch and the diverse age groups that came together, mingled over delicious vegan snacks, and networked. I already considered unconditional basic income important and sensible before, but now I’ve been able to deepen my understanding of its connection to more effective climate protection and safeguarding vulnerable groups in times of escalating crises. I think the idea of combining direct actions of peaceful civil disobedience with the demands for an unconditional basic income is truly excellent, and I hope the movement will organize, connect, and experiment with this approach.

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.

Now on YouTube: UBI in Central and Eastern Europe: Attention, Strategies and Reforms

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).

 

Now on YouTube: Emergency basic income: Distraction or Opportunity (Politics of Basic Income Talk Series)

On May 16th, Jurgen De Wispelaere and Francesca Bastagli explored the implications of Emergency Basic Income (EBI) for social protection systems and its relationship to Universal Basic Income (UBI) as part of the “Politics of Basic Income” talk series. They examined whether EBI can be integrated into existing programs, overcome barriers, and fuel changes towards more generous policies, while also discussing the divided opinions on whether EBI is an opportunity or a distraction for the future development of UBI.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis, the idea of providing the vast majority of citizens with immediate unconditional cash support for a time-limited period gained considerable traction with decision makers as well as the general public. Several countries proceeded to implement cash transfers that mimic EBI in key respects.

The EBI model opens up a series of interesting questions for policy analysts and social protection scholars alike. The speakers focused on how EBI interfaces with existing social protection systems and whether it might be able to build on existing programmes or fuel a change towards designing and instituting less targeted and more generous social protection policies in the near future.

An equally important set of questions arises in relation to how EBI fits with UBI, considering the clear contrasts both in design (temporary versus permanent) and context (short-term emergency versus long-term steady state). The basic income community itself is divided on whether to regard EBI as an opportunity to further boost the public awareness and policy support for basic income or as a distraction that will only sidetrack productive social protection development.

The event built on a plenary session of the 21st BIEN Congress, held on 26–28 September 2022 in Brisbane, Australia, in which policy experts, representatives of INGOs and basic income scholars debated the merits and impact of the EBI proposal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “Politics of Basic Income” talk series, hosted by the Bath UBI Beacon and Freiburg Institute of Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS), in partnership with the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), has been running monthly every 3rd Thursday since October 2023. Experts from around the world continue to share insights on UBI policy, movement building, and research. Stay tuned for upcoming events in the series. 

Book Presentation and Expert Workshop on Universal Basic Income and Social Power at the University of Freiburg (September 4 and 5, 2024)

On September 4 and 5, 2024, FRIBIS is set to host two events on the topic of UBI and its potential to foster social power and freedom.

On September 4, 2024, the new book Unconditional Freedom: Universal Basic Income and Social Power by David Casassas will be presented at the University of Freiburg. The event, organized in collaboration with the Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS), will feature a discussion with the author, joined by Ben Spies-Butcher (Macquarie University) and Bianca Blum (University of Freiburg).

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.

On the following day, September 5, 2024, FRIBIS will host an expert workshop titled “Basic Income as an Exit Device: Possibilities and Challenges” at the Liefmann-Haus. Organized by Jurgen De Wispelaere and Fabienne Hansen, the workshop will bring together proponents and critics of the exit option and its role in a basic income society. Presentations will be held by David Casassas, Ben Spies-Butcher, and various junior researchers.

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.

Now on YouTube: Vincent Liegey – A Degrowth Perspective on UBI (Basic Income Politics Talk Series)

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.

 

Participate in Basic Income Research and Earn Money: FRIBIS Team SoCoBis Hosting Basic Income Experiments in Freiburg (April 22-24)

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.

The experiments will be conducted in English and are open to everyone, not just students. Various time slots are available across the three days, with each session lasting approximately 90 minutes.

Interested individuals can sign up for the experiments via the Eventbrite page, which also provides further details on the specific dates, times, and locations of the experiments. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to the organizers at socobis@fribis.uni-freiburg.de.

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

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.

Event Details:

 

    • Period: October 7th, 2024, 1:00 PM to October 9th, 2024, 3:30 PM CEST
    • Format: Hybrid
    • Submission Deadline: June 30th, 2024
    • Contact: conference@fribis.uni-freiburg.de

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.

 

 

Basic Income and Reparations (Nika Soon-Shiong, Liz Fouksman, Richard Wallace & Elise Klein)

Streamed on: March 21, 2024, 06:00-07:30 pm (UK)

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.

WEF-FABI Online Seminar Series: Ubuntu, Social Contracts, UBI, WEF-Nexus, Social Protection, and Empirical Research

Together with our partners at UNAM the WEF-FABI Team will host an online seminar series on “Ubuntu, Social Contracts, UBI, Water-Energy-Food Nexus, Social Protection, and Empirical Research,” starting on 21/03/2024. With assorted guests, the series will create a path of interconnections and differences between these topics and ask how their elements fit together. We want to examine how Ubuntu can be used in social experiments. Finally, the workshop findings will be incorporated into joint work (e.g. joint papers or field studies).

“Ubuntu” is a bond of unity amongst the people of Africa (Asike 2016, p. 7). In this sense, ubuntu is a philosophy that justifies norms and deliberate rules. With that, it touches common ground with the tradition of the social contract theory. In our series, we will follow various questions connecting these two traditions of thought: What are the main positions in these philosophical traditions? What are the similarities/differences between ubuntu and social contract theory? How can the shared features of the two of them be connected? We will then confront philosophical insights with the idea of a universal basic income and further link the various strings to possible impacts on social policy interactions. We take a look at the trade-offs between different policies and sharpen our awareness of the water-energy-food nexus and social protection. Finally, we will see how we can use empirical methods to normative justify policies and contribute to solving trade-offs.

If you are interested in a workshop, see the dates below and join (register) through the registration form on the workshop eventpage. The presentations are free to join using the zoom link provided in the event.

Program

All events will be held from 2 – 4 pm (CAT)

Presentations

21/03/2024       I’m Because We’re: Understanding the African Ubuntu Philosophy
Robert Senath Esuruku (University of Makerere, Kampala)

28/03/2024       Social Contract
Bernhard Neumärker (University of Freiburg)

04/04/2024       Universal Basic Income
Jurgen De Wispelaere (University of Bath)

11/04/2024       Water-Energy-Food Nexus
Mike Jacobson (Penn State University)

18/04/2024       Social Protection
Leo de Haan (International School of Social Studies, The Hague)
AF Kamanzi (University of Namibia)

25/04/2024       Empirical Normative Research
Tobias Jäger (University of Freiburg)

Workshops

02/05/2024       Debating Connections: Bringing the Different Ideas Together

09/05/2024       Different Philosophical Traditions: What Can We Learn for Social Policy?

Publication of two policy papers on the topic of empirical methods in basic income research

FRIBIS is pleased to announce the publication of two policy papers resulting from the discussion and insights of the second part of the FRIBIS Summer School 2023, “Empirical methods of UBI investigation”. The event took place from 11th to 14th April 2023 under the aegis of Prof. Bernhard Neumärker, the FRIBIS team SoCoBisTeam and its leader, Lida Kuang.

Does voluntary social cooperation promote liberal egalitarian justice?

The first policy paper, from Hedvig Mendonca, Lida Kuang, Simon März and Larissa Walter, explores the question of how voluntary social co-operation can promote liberal-egalitarian justice. On the basis of social contract assumptions and by carrying out an experiment, the authors investigate the extent to which voluntary social cooperation influences people’s decisions in favour of a liberal-egalitarian principle of redress, or not. In the context of a balloon game, in which participants have to decide together how to divide up the points they have scored, the relevance of cooperation in fostering fair distribution decisions soon becomes evident.

Decision-Making of Disadvantaged Individuals – A Proposal for an Experimental Extension

The second paper, from Patrick Oschwald, Eva Jacob, Adalbertus Kamanzi and Gudrun Kaufmann, addresses the question of the role that one’s social status plays in their decision-making when it comes to resource allocation and political redistribution measures. By analysing the psychological foundations of decision-making – such as preferences for redistribution due to economic disadvantages and the pursuit of justice within one’s own social class – the paper provides practice-oriented recommendations for making political measures more just and inclusive.

PDF Distributional Decision-Making of Disadvantaged Individuals – A Proposal for an Experimental Extension