BIEN CONGRESS 2006 PROGRAMME

2nd November
First day of BIEN Congress

09:00 – 10:30 Welcome and Plenary
• Dr. Guy Standing Co-Chair BIEN
• Zackie Achmat Treatment Action campaign
• Dr. Michael Samson Research Director EPRI
• Bishop Jo Seoka South African Council of Churches
10:30 – 11:00 TEA and Press Conference
11:00 – 12:30 BASIC INCOME IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Chairperson: Keith Vermeulen
• Claudia & Dirk Haarmann Desk for Social Development at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia
“Why a universal income grant needs to be
universal: The quest for economic
empowerment vs. charity in Namibia.”
• Isobel Frye National Labour and Economic Development Institute
“A study of international examples of cash transfer programmes”
• Margaret Legum South African New Economics Network
“The introduction of a universal grant”
PHILOSOPHICAL DEBATES
Chairperson: Philippe van Parjis
• Dr Sascha Liebermann University of Dortmund
“Political Communities – Constituents of Universalism”
• Monika Wallmon Institut für Kernphysik – WWU Münster
“Basic Income Beyond Wage Slavery – In Search Of Transcending Political Aesthetics”
• Karl Widerquist Tulane University
“Property Rights by General Agreement”
• Dr Richard Caputo Yeshiva University
“Standing Polanyi on His Head: The
Basic Income Guarantee as a
Response to the Commidification of
Labor”

12:30 – 13:30 LUNCH
13:30 – 15:00 POLICY ISSUES FOR BASIC INCOME IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Chairperson: Dr Michael Samson
• Anna McCord
“Are Public Works an alternative to a Basic
Income Grant?”
• Katherine Hall Children’s Institutre, UCT
“Under what conditions?
Social Security for children in South Africa”
• Lena Lavinas Institute of Economics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
“Evidences on How a Basic Income Would Reduce Informality and Precarious Jobs in Brazil”
• Dr. Maria Ozanira da Silva e Silva Universidade Federal do Maranhão/Brazil
“THE SCHOLARSHIP FAMILY PROGRAM: a national program to universalize income transfer to all poor families in Brazil?”
WORKSHOP – DEVELOPING COUNTRIES EXPERIENCES
Chairperson: Eduardo Suplicy

• Vanessa Witbooi South African New Economics Network
“Local Economic Development”
• Lisinka Ulatowska
• Peter Dwyer & Simphiwe Dada Right to Work Campaign
“Lessons from India’s Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme”
15:00 – 15:30 TEA
15:30 – 17:00 RIGHTS-BASED APPROACHES TO INCOME
Chairperson: Ingrid van Niekerk
• Karen Kallmann Community Law Centre, University the Western Cape
“Towards a BIG paradigm shift: A rights based approach to poverty alleviation”
• Karen Allan Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security-ACESS South Africa
“Social Security for Children is a Human Right”
• Eric Patry Institute for Business Ethics, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
“Basic Income and Developmental Potential of
Swiss Republicanism”
• Pablo Yanes
“Universal Citizen Pension in Mexico City: An Opportunity to Open the Debate on Basic Income in Mexico” UNDERPINNINGS OF UNIVERSALISM
Chairperson: Michael Lewis
• David Casassas Hoover Chair on Economic and Social Ethics
“Corporate Watch, Consumer Responsibility, and Economic Democracy: Forms of Political Action in the Orbit of Basic Income”
• Philip Harvey Rutgers University
“The Relative Cost of Income and Job Guarantees”
• Dr Robert van der Veen
“Gift-sharing as the Basis of Real Freedom for All”

3rd November
2nd day of Congress

9:00 -10:30 POVERTY AND ITS REMEDIES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Chairperson: Dr Guy Standing
• Charles Meth
• Jeremy Seekings UCT
“The Size and Shape of South Africa’s Public Welfare System”
• Pieter Le Roux
• Discussant: Dr Michael Samson POLITICS AND THE FUTURE OF BASIC INCOME IN INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES
Chairperson: Karl Widerquist
• Michael Howard Philosophy Department, University of Maine
“A NAFTA Dividend:A proposal for a guaranteed minimum income for North America”
• Fabian Schuppert University of Helsinki
“Justice and Income for All? The Limits of Political Reality for a Truly Universal Basic Income.”
• Philippe van Parijs
“Basic Income and Subidiarity. The future of the European social model.”

10:30-11:00 TEA
11:00-12:30 PLENARY

Dr. Daniel Raventos President of the Xarxa Renda Bàsica
Bishop Zaphania Kameeta
Nicoli Nattrass University of Cape Town

12:30-1:30 LUNCH
1:30 – 3:30 WORKSHOP – DEVELOPING COUNTRIES EXPERIENCES
Chairperson: Ingrid van Niekerk
• Engelhardt #Unaeb Desk for Hostels and Kindergartens at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia.
“Namibian experience on forming a coalition and working on advocacy for a Basic Income Grant”
• Patrina Pakoe HOPE Africa
“Relief, Development and the quest for Comprehensive Social Security”
HIV/AIDS AND BASIC INCOME
Chairperson: David Casassas
• Amon Ngavetene Legal Assistance Centre: AIDS Law Unit and Member of Basic Income Grant Coalition Namibia
“The relationship between HIV/AIDS and Income Security”
• Hubertus von Heynitz Institut für Kernphysik – WWU Münster (retired)
“Basic Income Model for SA confronted by an AIDS
Pandemic”
• Nicoli Nattrass University of Cape Town “HIV AIDS ????”
3:00-3:30 TEA
3:30-5:00 THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S WELFARE SYSTEM
Chairperson: Jeremy Seekings
Dr Waldie Terblanche (Chief Director of Social Delivery)
Mrs Tovhowani Josephine Tshivhase (ANC MP and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development)
Mike Waters (DA, MP and DA spokesman on Social Development)
Sandy Liebenberg (Professor of Public Law, Stellenbosch) COUNTRY CASES FOR BASIC INCOME IN INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES
Chairperson: Eri Noguchi
• Jennifer Mays Queensland University of Technology and the Centre for Social Change Research
“Australia’s Disabling Income
Support System”
• Nanna Kildal The Rokkan Centre for Social Studies University of Bergen
“Universal old age pensions: Arguments at time of introduction in Canada, Mauritius and Norway”
• John Tomlinson Queensland University of Technology
“Australia: Basic Income and
Decency”

4th November
3rd Day of Congress

09:00-10:30 LABOUR AND BASIC INCOME
Chaiperson: Nicoli Nattrass
• Dr Guy Standing
“Why trade unionists should support a basic Income?”
• Sydney Kgara
• Christian Bruetsch University of Zurich
“Trade Union Politics in Developing Countries: Survival, Universalism, or both?”
• Cons Karamata Labour Resource
“Effects of free trade on Namibian Workers – Is BIG part of the solution?” THE SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF BASIC INCOME
Chairperson: Louis Haagh
• Michael Lewis Stony Brook University
“The Cost of Caring: The Impact of Caring for the Elderly on Women’s Wages”
• Irkus Larrinaga University of Barcelona, University Autonomus of Barcelona, Ponpeu Fabra University
“Basic Income for immigrants”
• Julieta Elgarte Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina)/ Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium)
“Good for women? Advantages and risks of basic income
from a gender perspective”
• Rev. Japhet Gaomab Evangelical Lutheram Church in Namibia/University of Kwazulu Natal
“Biblical justification for BIG: The contribution of silenced
voices through a dialogical reading of John 5:1-9”
10:30-11:00 TEA
11:00-12:30
Final Session: PLENARY
• Philippe van Parijs “Selective Synthesis of Congress”
• Senator Eduardo Suplicy Brazil Sao Paolo
“The Political Difficulties and Budget Obstacles to Implement the Basic Income in Brazil”
• Archbishop Emeritus Tutu Short Video message
• Guy Standing “Closing”
12:30-1:30 LUNCH
1:30-3:30 BIEN GENERAL MEETING
AGENDA:
Report on Regional Networks
Voting on new rules for BIEN
Voting on new Executive members
3:30-4:30 TEA