Blog

We’re hosting an event in Edinburgh next week!

  On November 29th at the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh, Basic Income Network Scotland…
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Are you thinking about attending the BIEN Congress?

You might have heard that Basic Income Network Scotland, along with partners at the University…
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Volunteer at the BIEN Congress 2021

Join the volunteer team that will have a pivotal role in organising the Basic Income…
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Scotland-based project to examine Basic Income’s potential to improve mental health

A newly launched project is seeking to examine the role Basic Income (BI) could play…
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Why is a Basic Income paid on an individual basis?

In the final (for now) instalment of our series of blogs covering the basics of…
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We have changed our name to Basic Income Network Scotland – here’s why

In September 2020, the board of Citizen’s Basic Income Network Scotland formally decided to change…
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Why is a Basic Income unconditional?

Following on from last week's blog about why a Basic Income has no behavioural requirements,…
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Why does Basic Income have no behavioural requirements?

This week, we're continuing our series of blogs covering common questions about Basic Income and…
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Why are Basic Income payments uniform?

CONVERSATIONS about Basic Income have been springing up across Scotland in recent months following the…
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Why is a Basic Income paid periodically?

In the third instalment of our series of blogs covering Basic Income FAQs and core…
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Why is a Basic Income universal?

The second instalment of our series of blogs covering Basic Income FAQs and core principles,…
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Why is a Basic Income paid in cash?

The last few months have seen significant momentum grow behind the Basic Income movement. Distinguished…
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‘Still work to be done’: Overcoming the obstacles to Scotland’s basic income pilot

A NEW briefing paper by Basic Income Conversation has drawn attention to the many barriers…
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Food Ethics Council joins call for a Basic Income

The Food Ethics Council is the latest group to advocate a Basic Income, with their…
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Our Statement: Now is the Time for a Scottish Basic Income

Today Scotland's world leading Basic Income feasibility study research has been published. This work was…
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A huge week for Basic Income

This week represents an incredibly exciting moment for the Basic Income movement as the draft…
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Stay Alert? What do the UK government’s changes actually mean?

As the UK government demands its people stay alert and Rishi Sunak extends the furlough…
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Unskilled workers to Key workers. The foundations of a brave new world?

  Luke explores the transformation of 'unskilled' workers to key workers and how its time…
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We’re out of money and forgotten The voice of the self-employed

Yesterday we published our response to the measures the government announced to support self-employed workers…
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S.O.S: Save Our Self-Employed

Chancellor Sunak yesterday missed the opportunity to provide genuine security and support for self-employed workers…
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A letter from Citizen’s Basic Income Network Scotland: Basic Income Now

  The country and continent are facing unprecedented times with never a greater need for…
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We need an emergency Basic Income now

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal Basic Income has started cropping up in…
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Coronavirus, the budget and Basic Income?

Coronavirus is on everyone's lips and its increasiblgy demonstrating the failure of current systems to…
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It’s a big year for Basic Income.

...Especially in Scotland! What's happening? Where is it happening? Why are we so excited? It…
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What gets CBINS volunteers out of bed in the morning? – Meet some of the team!

With events taking place last week in Glasgow and next week in Edinburgh, CBINS' work…
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Two More Basic Income Events in November

There are another two basic income related events being held in Scotland before the month…
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Scott Santens – ‘Mr. Basic Income’

CBINS volunteer Andrew Moran shares his thoughts on finding out about - and becoming an…
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Basic Income and the blurring of art and life – A Q&A with Toby Lloyd

Toby Lloyd is a Newcastle-based artist who's currently working on a long term project about…
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Re-Imagining Resilience

Jennie Knights makes the case for thinking differently about resilience and considers how a basic…
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Basic Income and Poverty

Today is the final day of ‘Challenge Poverty Week’ and in this article Luke explores…
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Profile: Challenging Inverclyde Poverty

This week is Challenge Poverty Week, so on the blog we're focusing on how Basic…
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Basic Income and mental health: the importance of lived experience

This Wednesday, 25th September, we're hosting an Edinburgh meet-up focusing on Basic Income and mental…
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The RSA’s report “A Basic Income for Scotland” – What you need to know

The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) recently conducted research…
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The rise of Neo-Fascism and the Far Right: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in his recent…
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Ecological Crisis: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in his recent…
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The Advancing Robots: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in…
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Precarity: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in…
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Stress: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in…
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How could a Basic Income support a Circular Economy?

Next week, on Wednesday 31 July, we're hosting an Edinburgh meet-up looking at how a…
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Debt: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in…
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Insecurity: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in…
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Inequality: Standing’s Eight Giants

In this series Luke explores the Eight Modern Giants introduced by Economist Guy Standing in…
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Standing’s Eight Giants: Introduction

In this blog Luke Brotherdale Smith talks about how his passion for the Basic Income…
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As an artist, a Basic Income would transform my life

Scottish artist Jenny Lupton details the difficulties she finds trying to sustain a living through…
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Exploring Basic Income in Scotland Project Launch

Exploring Basic Income in Scotland is a cross-disciplinary project, funded by Scottish Universities Insight Institute,…
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Why we’re optimistic about the potential Scottish Basic Income pilots

The potential Basic Income pilots in Scotland have the time and resources that other recent…
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The preliminary results of the Finnish Basic Income experiment – what you need to know

The preliminary results of the Finnish Basic Income experiment seem to show receiving a Basic…
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Basic Income fulfils our need for creativity, community and connectedness

Chris Grant explains how becoming a leader at work and a parent at home made…
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Basic Income: Real Lives

At CBINS we believe in giving voice to as many as possible, so we would…
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Ontario Basic Income Pilot: A participant’s perspective

When discussing basic income it is easy to get lost in ideological and political discussion,…
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Why universal basic income costs far less than you think

Want to get rid of poverty, lessen inequality and provide financial stability in a world…
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Closing Reflections, BIEN Congress 2018

The Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) held their annual congress at The University of Tampere,…
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Exploring Basic Income in Scotland

From September - November 2018 we are hosting a series of workshops to unite practitioners,…
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Feasibility Study: Is there institutional support for a basic income pilot?

This is the final instalment in our feasibility study series. So far we have looked…
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Feasibility Study: Will the public support a basic income pilot?

Previously we looked at what a feasibility study is, and what it is trying to…
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Feasibility Study: Can basic income gain the necessary political support for a pilot?

In this second instalment of our feasibility study series we examine a key question the…
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Feasibility Study: What is the Government doing right now around basic income?

The proposed basic income pilots in Scotland are receiving a lot of attention in the…
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Tories’ Attack on Basic Income Pilots is Based on Fear of Results

The Scottish Conservatives' Social Security Spokeswoman, Michelle Ballantyne has recently called the basic income pilots…
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The Changing World Of Work

The way we work is changing. From flexible working to the gig economy, many people…
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New Basic Income Event Series in Edinburgh

If a basic income is to become a reality for Scotland we need everyone to…
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Basic Income Pilots – What are they and what do you need to know?

If a basic income pilot is implemented in Scotland the public will need to be…
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Volunteer Social Media Coordinator

Citizen’s Basic Income Network Scotland is a charity campaigning for a basic income in Scotland.…
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Volunteer Event Coordinator

Citizen’s Basic Income Network Scotland is a charity campaigning for a basic income in Scotland.…
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Bairns Come First

In this guest blog, Rhona from Fife Gingerbread looks at how a basic income could…
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Inside the DWP – Debt and UCD372

A current employee of the Department of Work and Pensions approached us wanting to share…
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Creating Better Working Days

Why don't people spend time on their true passions? Here Alyona argues that, by providing…
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Health, Poverty and Basic Income

I work in a busy, urban hospital in Canada. People come to our Emergency Department…
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Should we welcome Silicon Valley’s support for basic income?

An excellent recent article in Wired, The Paradox of Universal Basic Income, made several interesting…
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Ronnie Cowan MSP welcomes Reform Scotland report on Citizen’s Basic Income

On December 5th Ronnie Cowan issued the following press release: SNP MP WELCOMES SUPPORT FOR…
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Is Automation a Man’s Argument for CBI?

The bulk of contemporary political and economic arguments in support of a universal citizen’s basic…
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Alternative Economics and UBI from Upstream

Upstream is a podcast about alternative economics and the role it could play in systemic…
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Stubborn over Modern

I’m 32. Born 1984. Margaret Thatcher was my Prime Minister (Scotland had no parliament).  I…
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Basic Income changed my life

By Anne van Dalen, first woman to receive a BI in the Netherlands @vanDalenAnne How…
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Taxing Questions

Let's look at how the UK can pay for UBI in the future. Any stats quoted…
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A New Social Contract

In the previous blog post, I highlighted how rapidly our world of work is being…
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The AI Curve and Why Universal Basic Income is The Only Solution

You’ve probably heard of a `tick’ or hockey stick curve. It’s a device statistics experts…
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Individualism has had its day

A Citizen's Basic Income (BI) is an idea I've believed in for many years, without…
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Flashback to Kelty: Maddy’s opening address at our Pilot event

The following is the opening address from Maddy Halliday at our event in Kelty about…
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A progressive way forward

With the current social security budget being deemed to be unacceptably high by most political…
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There are no ‘magic bullets’

'Magic bullets' don't come around very often. Frankly, they don't really exist. So why do…
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The flaws in the inflation argument against a basic income

One of the most common objections to a basic income is that it would increase…
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Individual Freedom and Basic Income

A basic tenet of Conservatism is that the individual ought to be able to get…
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Universal Basic Income would de-commodify our lives

For me the most important thing about a universal basic income is that it begins…
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Near unanimous support for Citizen’s Income at Scottish Independence Convention

It was noticeable that there was near unanimous support for the idea of a citizen’s…
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A Citizen’s Basic Income would directly address gender inequality

From time to time, reports from the financial sector highlight the fact that women are…
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Today’s welfare system is not one we would design today

If you had a blank sheet of paper and were asked to design a welfare…
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Livorno’s Basic Income Trial

Local ‘citizen’s basic income’ (CBI) schemes are being launched across the globe, so it is…
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