Switzerland was the first country in the world to hold a referendum on universal basic income, but — despite a very loud campaign in favor — it never stood a chance of going through amid huge opposition within the deeply conservative nation. Despite this, other countries are considering the idea.
The idea of a basic income for every citizen — Switzerland was looking at US$2,563 per adult — has been gaining ground among academics and politicians. They argue that — in an increasingly digital world — means-tested benefits and other welfare payments are becoming too complicated to administer.
Many countries in Europe have complicated webs of welfare and benefit allowance, from unemployment benefits to income support, tax benefits to child allowances. Proponents of the universal basic income say that paying everyone the same basic salary will reduce bureaucracy, solve social poverty and wipe out unemployment — hence the "Marxist Dream" tag.
'Sane Economy'
According to the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), based in Brussels, the merits of universal basic income are that it is paid to individuals, not households, does not require means testing, it is paid regardless of any other income and it is paid without requiring the performance of any work or the willingness to accept a job if offered.
BIEN Founder @pvpbrussels shares his views on the result of the Swiss referendum #BasicIncome https://t.co/m1O6dUinnv #ThankYouSwitzerland
— Basic Income Earth (@BasicIncomeOrg) 6 June 2016
Philippe Van Parijs, Professor at Université catholique de Louvain and Ethics Chair of BIEN's International Board, said the Swiss vote was not surprising, as the country has a low unemployment level, but the holding of a referendum has given weight to the arguments for a basic income elsewhere.
"The Swiss citizens who devoted a tremendous amount of time, energy and imagination to the 'yes' campaign deserve the warm gratitude not only of the basic income movement worldwide, but of all those fighting for a free society and a sane economy," Van Parijs said.
Look forward to @johnmcdonnellMP speaking at the launch of our #basicincome report tonight. You can read it here: https://t.co/5T7FdRqNZl
— Compass (@CompassOffice) 6 June 2016
A report from campaign group Compass, in London, published Monday (June 6), said:
"The principle of a UBI has a long pedigree. It has been promoted over time by a diversity of British, American and European thinkers as diverse as Tom Paine, Bertrand Russell, Friedrich von Hayek, Martin Luther King Jr, Paul Samuelson, JK Galbraith and Milton Friedman. Significantly, and unusually for such a radical change, a UBI has gained support across the political spectrum, from right and left, from pro-marketeers as well as social democratic interventionists."
In the UK, the Labour Party is considering UBI and the idea is also being mulled in Finland and the Netherlands, both of which are planning pilot schemes.
