Past Event


  • Labour economist and Professorial Research Associate at SOAS

Basic Income as Common Dividends: A Report for the Shadow Chancellor

This event has now passed, you can watch a recording of the launch here.

You can read a copy of Guy Standing’s report here.

Dr Guy Standing (Professorial Research Associate at SOAS, a founder and honorary co-president of Basic Income Earth Network and member of the PEF Council) is a world authority on basic income and the author of the bestseller Basic Income: And How We Can Make It Happen (Pelican).

On Tuesday 7 May, the Progressive Economy Forum and the Royal Society of the Arts launched Guy Standing’s independent report into basic income. The report, entitled Basic Income As Common Dividends – Piloting A Transformative Policy, was presented to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell MP.

Guy Standing launched the report alongside John McDonnell MP; Margaret Greenwood MP, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary; Ed Miliband MP, former leader of the Labour Party; and Caroline Abrahams, Director of Age UK.

Guy Standing (Left) and John McDonnell MP (Right)

Basic income is still the subject of much debate. This report deals comprehensively with the common objections but importantly moves the debate on to the question of pilot schemes, how to design them and where they should be carried out. Pilots have been tried in many countries – recently Finland and the Netherlands. Now it is our turn.

View a full album of photos from the event on Flickr here. Banner photo: Flickr / Russell Shaw Higgs.

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