In recent years, interest in Universal Basic Income (UBI) has grown around the world. UBI is an unconditional income paid to every individual. It is a payment that is not means-tested or made conditional on work-status. Advocates of UBI argue that it represents a fair, simple and efficient way of supporting individuals, in contrast to the complexity and intrusiveness of existing welfare states. Many also argue that automation and the rise of precarious work make a UBI necessary to replace or supplement wage labour.

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown these issues into sharp relief, as governments around the world have scrambled to close gaps in social safety nets and prevent people falling into poverty. At the same time, treasuries and central banks have mobilised the full range of fiscal and monetary policies to prevent lockdowns tipping economies into deep recessions. State intervention in the economy has expanded, while ideological support for austerity has sharply receded. Arguments about whether a UBI is affordable are being made in a dramatically changed intellectual and political context.

Experiments with UBI schemes or pilots have multiplied in towns, cities and countries across the globe. Coalitions of city and state leaders supporting UBI have sprung up, and many more political parties, in the UK and elsewhere, now include commitments to UBI in their manifestos. In contrast, supporters of increased investment in existing welfare states and universal public services argue that UBI is an expensive distraction that delivers little bang for the buck. Prospects for a fully-fledged UBI, covering whole populations, still appear remote.

At this conference organised by the Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath, and Bristol Ideas, leading thinkers, politicians and policymakers will come together to debate and explore new approaches to macro-economic policymaking, the prospects for Universal Basic Income, and the political economy of social and economic change.

Visit the Bristol Ideas website for the full list of speakers.

Once you have registered, you will be able to navigate between the different sessions by clicking on the 'Schedule' bar just above the video feed.

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Bristol Ideas

Is It Time for Universal Basic Income?