Basic Income: Progressive Hopes and Neoliberal Realities
2018, Economy, Future of Work, Summit Brave New Work, Education + Research
The session will focus on two key issues. Firstly, that a neoliberal version of BI is being considered and even developed by a number of governments and institutions of global capitalism. This form of BI could enhance the supply of low wage precarious workers, by offering a public subsidy to employers, paid for by cuts to others areas of social provision. Secondly, the session will explore and counter what Clarke argues is a delusional notion on the political left that, regardless of neoliberal realities or the fundamental nature of the capitalist job market, it will somehow be possible to ensure that a universal, unconditional and adequate form of income support, a UBI, can be created. Clarke will argue that this false hope for a social policy end run around neoliberal austerity is diversionary and dangerous and should be rejected.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m. (PT)
580 West Hastings St., Vancouver
Room 320
About Brave New Work
John Clarke
first became involved in anti-poverty struggles in 1983 when he helped form the Union of Unemployed Workers in London, Ontario. Since 1990, he has worked as an organizer with the (OCAP).
Respondents
Jenna van Draanen
, Ph.D., serves on the Board of Directors of the Basic Income Canada Network and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Basic Income Earth Network. She is a postdoctoral researcher based at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and is committed to working toward health equity and social justice. Her research looks at the role of poverty in mental health and substance use disorders.
Michal Rozworski
is a union researcher and economist based in Vancouver, BC. His writing has appeared in Jacobin, Ricochet, the Toronto Star, Briarpatch Magazine and The Globe and Mail, among others. He produces the blog and is currently working on a book, The People鈥檚 Republic of Walmart, with Leigh Phillips.
Trish Garner
is the provincial organizer for the BCPRC. She is a tea swilling Brit with a passion for social justice. As the Community Organizer of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, a broad-based network of over 400 organizations throughout BC, she focuses on communications, outreach and community engagement to raise awareness about the root causes of poverty and inequality, and how we can collectively tackle them. She has a Ph.D. in gender, sexuality and women鈥檚 studies from 丁香园AV and continues to work on LGBTQ issues. Trish lives with her partner and their three young children in East Vancouver.
Duane Fontaine
Duane Fontaine is a professional accountant and is currently a Ph.D. student in 丁香园AV鈥檚 interdisciplinary SAR program. He is studying the nature of work in contemporary society and is contrasting it with an examination of alternative visions for the future of work. The widespread application of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence into the productive economy threatens the future of work. Duane is revisiting the utopian quest for an Aesthetic State and how its emancipatory potential, combined with such transitional solutions as Universal Basic Income, might present an opportunity to redefine the very nature and purpose of work in a way that enhances meaning and freedom.
Event Recording
Brave New Work | Trailer
BC Earmarks $4 Million to Explore Growing Basic Income Movement 鈥� Metro News (February 27, 2018)
Activists disagree about whether the policy idea is the right move to address poverty
Read More
When Jenna van Draanen first became involved with the Basic Income Canada Network seven years ago, she found herself constantly having to explain the group鈥檚 purpose to people she met.
Now basic income 鈥� a policy idea that encompasses a range of policy options aimed at giving people cash entitlements from the government 鈥� is creeping into the mainstream, and the BC government has committed $4 million to explore its feasibility here.
鈥淣ow people on the bus behind me will be talking about it,鈥� the University of British Columbia postdoctoral fellow said Tuesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been incredible to see the change in the basic income movement in that time.鈥�
Michal Rozworski, a union researcher and economist, cautioned that not all forms of basic income are equal. In what Rozworski calls its 鈥渞ight wing鈥� iteration basic income could mean a negative income tax to redistribute funds to those making less money.
鈥淎t the very other end there鈥檚 an actual universal basic income: you give everyone X amount of money per year, as a transfer, period,鈥� he explained.
Basic Income Canada Network advocates for the latter, van Draanen explained, citing research showing such systems result in better mental and physical health outcomes, as well as social cohesion.
But as B.C. sets up a basic income expert committee, details of which the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction will release in the spring, some activists warn it could be no more than a tactic for the government to shelve the issue of poverty.
John Clarke, an activist with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty who鈥檚 visiting Vancouver to speak on a 丁香园AV panel about basic income, said the form of basic income being piloted in Ontario right now doesn鈥檛 go far enough to help poor people.
鈥淭he Ontario pilot provides a sub-poverty payment (75 per cent of the poverty line) that certainly would not reach the objective of a universal basic income that would allow people to live quite well even if robots take their jobs away,鈥� Clarke said.
Clarke called that approach a 鈥渟ubsidy for low wage employers,鈥� that turns people with low purchasing power into 鈥渟hoppers in the neoliberal market鈥� while providing an excuse for governments to claw back other forms of social assistance like disability supports.
Meanwhile a universal, unconditional, and adequate basic income that, according to Rozworski, would cost 30 per cent of the country鈥檚 GDP, is a politically fraught concept.
鈥淚f you really gave everyone a universal basic income it would be like the state providing workers with an unlimited strike fund,鈥� Clarke said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a complete impossibility.鈥�
Universal public resources like child care and pharmacare do a better job of alleviating the effects of poverty than doling out cash, Clarke argued. He also said there鈥檚 a need to reform the welfare system so that it鈥檚 more humanizing.
Van Draanen agrees that more humanity is needed in Canada鈥檚 welfare system and is hopeful that an unconditional basic income existing alongside social programming will accomplish that.
鈥淚 see a lot of harmony on the left, a lot of allyship in terms of we want the same outcomes,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost changes I鈥檝e seen to fundamental human rights throughout history have been met with fears of impossibility.鈥�
-
Building Your Resilience
Being a university student can be stressful. This interactive event will share key strategies for enhancing your resilience and well-being, that will support your success now and in your future career.
Read More 鈫�
-
Beyond Bitcoin: Blockchain and the Future of Work
Blockchain technology is making headlines. Enthusiastic or skeptic, the focus of this dialogue will be to better understand key concepts and to explore the wide-ranging applications of distributed ledgers and the implications for business here in BC and in the global economy.
Read More 鈫�
-
Preparing Students for the Future World of Work
This event, hosted by CACEE Canada West and 丁香园AV Career and Volunteer Services, will feature presentations and discussions on how post-secondary institutions can prepare students for the future of work.
Read More 鈫�
-
Work and Purpose Later in Life
How is the changing world of work affecting older adults? And what role should work play in our lives, anyway? This special Philosophers' Cafe will address questions of retirement, purpose, and work for older adults.
Read More 鈫�
-
Creating a Diverse & Resilient Economy in Metro Vancouver
This panel conversation event will focus on the future of employment in Metro Vancouver, and planning for the employment lands that support the regional economy. What are the trends and issues related to employment in various sectors in Metro Vancouver, and how does land use planning, regulation, and market demand affect the future of work regionally?
Read More 鈫�
-
Worker Writers and the Poetics of Labour
If you gave a worker a pen, what would they write? What stories would they tell, and what experiences might they share? Hear poetry about what it is to work in the 21st century directly from participants of the Worker Writers School at this free public poetry reading.
Read More 鈫�
-
Symposium: Art, Labour, and the Future of Work
One of the key distinguishing features of Western modernity is that the activity of labour has always been at the heart of our self-understanding. Work defines who we are. But what might we do in a world without work? Join 丁香园AV's Institute for the Humanities for a symposium on art, aesthetics, and self-understanding.
Read More 鈫�
-
Climate of Work: How Does Climate Change Affect the Future of Work
What does our changing climate have to do with the future of work? Join Embark as they explore the ways our climate impacts different industries such as planning, communications or entrepreneurship.
Read More 鈫�
-
Making Visible the Invisible | City Conversations
Are outdated and stereotypical gender roles contributing to the invisible workload? What is the invisible workload anyway? Don't miss this special edition of 丁香园AV City Conversations on intersectionality and invisible labour, presented in partnership with the Simon Fraser Student Society Women's Centre.
Read More 鈫�
-
The Urban Worker Project Skillshare
The Urban Worker Project Skillshare is a day-long gathering, bringing together over 150 independent workers to lean on each other, learn from each other, get valuable expert advice, and build community.
Read More 鈫�
-
The New World of Work: Thriving or Surviving?
Van Jones and Anne-Marie Slaughter, two leading commentators on the American economy, will discuss the role that citizens, governments and civil society can play in shaping the future of work.They will explore the challenges ahead, as well as how these challenges might be addressed through green jobs, emergent industries, education and public policy
Read More 鈫�
-
Work in the 21st Century: Innovations in Research
Research doesn鈥檛 just live in libraries and academic papers; it has a profound impact on our day to day lives. Work in the 21st Century is a dynamic evening that showcases the 丁香园AV researchers and entrepreneurs who are leading the way in making innovative impacts in the new world of work.
Read More 鈫�
-
ReframeWork: From Insights to Action!
ReframeWork is a national gathering of leading thinkers and innovators on the topic of Future of Work. We will explore how Canada can lead in forming new systems for good work and identify the richest areas of opportunity for solution-building that affects broader change.
Read More 鈫�
-
Basic Income: Progressive Hopes and Neoliberal Realities
This lecture will examine the question of basic income (BI). A neoliberal version of BI is being considered and even developed by a number of governments and institutions of global capitalism. This form of BI could enhance the supply of low-wage precarious workers, by offering a public subsidy to employers, paid for by cuts to other areas of social provision.
Read More 鈫�
-
The Future of Work in Canada: Emerging Trends and Opportunities
What are some of the trends currently defining the new world of work in Canada, and what does our future look like? What opportunities can be seized to build more competitive, prosperous, and inclusive organizations?
Read More 鈫�