Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, in collaboration with the Stanford Basic Income Lab and with support from the Economic Security Project, will host a three-day workshop May 18-20, 2018, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The workshop will be the first to take an in-depth look at basic income as a poverty alleviation strategy and spur the next generation of research on basic income studies

Basic income studies seek to address poverty in the simplest way possible—by providing cash aid. In particular, interest is growing in a Universal Basic Income (UBI)—unconditional cash stipends with no strings attached—have gained support across the political spectrum. Such a proposal, advocates argue, might address poverty, structural unemployment, growing inequalities, economic instability, and automation, in a disarmingly simple way.

The workshop will provide opportunities to learn about basic income projects and shape the long-term research agenda. Nearly fifty scholars from across the U.S. will participate in a series of in-depth research workshops over the weekend, and several talks and panels are open to the public. Experts will explore basic income as a poverty alleviation strategy and the next generation of research on the topic. Public talks and panels will include:

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018
Location: Michigan League

2:00-3:15 pm: Keynote Address
Chris Hughes, Facebook co-founder and co-chair of the Economic Security Project
Livestreamed at: https://ummedia01.umnet.umich.edu/ps/its.html
3:15-4:30 pm: Framing the Conversation
Dylan Matthews, Vox Media
Michael Lewis, Hunter College
Sam Hammond, Niskanen Center
Olga Lenczewska and Avshalom Schwartz, Stanford Basic Income Lab
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2018
Location: U-M Rackham Graduate School

9:00 – 10:30am: Keynote Address: Basic Income: What Can We Learn from the Past, and How Could we Move Forward?
Yannick Vanderborght, Université Saint-Louis, Brussels
10:30am – 12:00pm: Cutting Edge Basic Income Research, Findings Future Directions
Elizabeth Rhodes, YCombinator Research
Evelyn Forget, University of Manitoba
Taylor Jo Isenberg, Economic Security Project
2:00 – 3:30pm: Basic Income and Racial Equity
Dorian Warren, Roosevelt Institute
3:30 – 5:00pm: The Politics of Basic Income
Richard Caputo, Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work
Catherine Thomas, Stanford Basic Income Lab
SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2018
Location: U-M Rackham Graduate School

1:00 – 2:30pm: Keynote Address: The Devil’s in the Caveats: A Critical Discussion of Basic Income Experiments and Parting Advice
Karl Widerquist, Georgetown University
Contact povertysolutions@umich.edu with questions.