Basic income: some basic information

After sharing my previous blog I received quite a lot of positive reactions on twitter for my plea for a basic income. I was surprised to notice the enormous activity going on worldwide with regards to this topic.
And I was pleased about that. So I decided that basic income deserves some more promotion from my side as well. Today I'll give some basic information about it which I mainly found on the web site of Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), founded in 1986, at http://www.basicincome.org/

This Network has grown massively in the past 10 years, after expanding their focus on Europe to a worldwide focus in 2004. Their aim is "to serve as a link between individuals and groups committed to or interested in basic income", and it "fosters informed discussions on this topic [...]"

What is a basic income in the first place? BIEN defines it on their web site as "an income unconditionally granted to all on an individual basis, without means test or work requirement".

Following their web site information, the idea of a basic income is not new. Already in the 16th century humanists came up with the idea of a minimum income, and in the 18th century the unconditional factor of an income was brought up. The idea of an unconditional basic income first appeared in the middle of the 19th century. In the 20th century basic income discussions took place in England between the world wars, in the USA in the 1960s and 70s, and since the late 70s and early 80s North-Western Europe has been debating the subject. But apparently it was Alaska who introduced a real basic income through a permanent fund for all its inhabitants.

Nowadays quite some debating is going  in several countries in Europe, such as Switzerland, Portugal, France and UK about the pro-s and con's and about the feasibility of introducing a basic income.
Finland and a few cities in the Netherlands are right now the only ones who are on the edge of starting a basic income experiment. And the whole world will be watching.

Continuing the job search - a plea for a basic income

The manuscript editing, the contract proposal review and the creation of the backcover text have all been taken care of. My to-do list for this week with regards to book publishing is now empty. I always enjoy checking off action items.

So I had some spare time to hunt for income sources again. I started scrolling through the job web sites, and did not find any relevant vacancies. Then I remembered the open job posting for professional blogger that I had noticed before my holiday and which has my interest. And I applied. Hopefully I get lucky!

I wouldn't mind working for a while in a non-interesting job, but my educational level is too high to be eligible for even an interview. I do of course send out applications for such jobs now and then, with a negative result. When I request an explanation, I usually get the information that due to the enormously high amount of applications, the employer is able to pick exactly the candidate that he/she is looking for, with the optimal experience, age (they don't say that of course) and educational level. One time I received a notification that the employer did not even have the possibity to go through all applications; they just selected a part of them and went through it.

The job market in the Netherlands for 50+ (and younger) people is so extremely tight these days, mainly because of the structural automatization and outsourcing effects, that I would like to suggest to the government to seriously start considering a basic income, at least for the unemployed.
Switzerland is considering a basic income for all inhabitants, Finland is studying the possibilities for it, and in the Netherlands some cities are on the edge of experimenting with a basic income.
Can't wait for an introduction of it in Amsterdam!!

Working on the publication preparations after a sunny holiday

A week break, it was lovely. I went last minute to Corralejo on the Canary Island Fuerteventura with my mum, my 50th birthday present from my brother who deserves a gold medal. We had a relaxed and sunny stay with bikini temperatures, lying next to the pool in the adult-only section of the Atlantis suite resort. I have never slept so noiseless in my entire life, I think. And we ate a lot. There was a substantial choice of very eatible food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nice staff and relaxed co-tourists.
Lots of kite-surfing on the Corralejo beaches. 

Before the holiday I had a good and productive meeting with my publisher. We set up action items and a few deadlines. We discovered we are aligned, and we got on well. Pleasant atmosphere.
One of my action items was to go through and finish the manuscript for publication. I did that this morning, and sent the file to the publisher. Last week he created a contract proposal; I will go through that tomorrow and provide feedback. On Thursday I will create a text for the back cover of the book, and next week will be dedicated to creating a list with marketing targets for lectures and PR purposes.

Very pleased with these publication preparations. The book will become available around April/May is our current estimation. Looking forward to that!
In the meantime I aim to find some source(s) of income, in the writing area. I noticed a few weeks ago that a blogging site is recruiting professional bloggers for a couple of areas, such as science. Sending them my application can't hurt.