THE FIRST CONGRESS OF THE U.S. BASIC INCOME GUARANTEE NETWORK

FUNDAMENTAL INSECURITY OR BASIC INCOME GUARANTEE

March 8-9, 2002
The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York City

Sponsored by
The Center for Social Justice, School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University,
The Center for the Study of Culture, Technology, and Work at the CUNY Graduate Center,
Continuing Education and Public Programs at the CUNY Graduate Center, and
The Citizen Policies Institute

This past March, at the end of the longest period of uninterrupted economic growth in U.S. history, millions of U.S. workers remained in poverty. Apparently, even in the best of times, the market economy cannot eliminate poverty on its own without a change in policy. By March of 2002, millions of Americans can be expected to fall deeper into poverty. One policy—or perhaps the only policy—that could completely eliminate poverty is the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG). This policy is the assurance by the federal government that no citizen’s income will fall below a minimum level for any reason. The term “Basic Income Guarantee” was chosen because it is similar to both “basic income” (as the best-known version of BIG is known in Europe today) and “guaranteed income” (as the idea was known in the United States when it was seriously considered in the 1960s and 70s). The U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network (USBIG) is an organization dedicated to increasing public discussion of the Basic Income Guarantee. As part of this effort, USBIG will hold its first Congress on March 8-9, 2002 at The CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets in New York City). The Congress will be sponsored by the Center for Social Justice of the SUNY School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook, The Center for the Study of Culture, Technology, and Work at the CUNY Graduate Center, Continuing Education and Public Programs at the CUNY Graduate Center, and the Citizen Policies Institute. The purpose of the Congress is to bring together a wide group of academics, policy analysts, students, activists, and others interested in exploring the merits of BIG. It will consist of a series of panels, discussion groups, and speakers and it will include an organizational meeting for USBIG.

Confirmed speakers include:

Stanley Aronowitz, professor of Sociology at CUNY and coauthor of The Jobless Future.
Guy Standing, director of the Socio-Economic Security Programme of the International Labour Organisation and author of Global Labour Flexibility: Seeking Distributive Justice.
Brazillian Senator Eduardo Suplicy, author of Citizen's Income—The Exit is through the Door, and sponsor of a bill for a national referendum on BIG in Brazil.
Anne Alstott, professor of Law at Yale University and coauthor of The Stakeholder Society.
Harold Watts, emeritus professor, Columbia University, and coeditor of The New Jersey Income Maintenance Experiment, Volumes II and III.
Alice O’Connor, associate professor of history at UC Santa Barbara, and author of Poverty Knowledge: Social Science, Social Policy and the Poor in Twentieth Century U.S. History.
Frank Kirkland, professor of philosophy, Hunter College.
Sumner M. Rosen, professor emeritus of social policy, Columbia University and vice-chair of the National Jobs For All Coalition.
Edward N. Wolff, professor of economics, New York University and author of Top Heavy: A Study of the Increasing Inequality of Wealth in America, and Economics of Poverty, Inequality, and Discrimination.
Lynn Chancer, professor of sociology, Fordham University, and author of Sadomasochism in Everyday Life.
Walter Williams, professor of public affairs, the University of Washington, and former director of Research, Institute of Governmental Research.
Robinson Hollister, professor of economics, Swarthmore College, and coauthor of Labor Market Policy and Unemployment Insurance.
Mimi Abramowtiz, professor of social policy, Hunter College School of Social Work, and author of Regulating the Lives of Women.
Steven Pressman, professor of economics and editor of several books including the Encyclopedia of Political Economy and Poverty in America: An Annotated Bibliography.
Ruth Brandwein, professor of social welfare, the SUNY School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook, author of Battered Women, Children and Welfare Reform: The Ties That Bind
Barbara Bergmann, emeritus professor of economics, American University, author of The Economic Emergence of Women, author of In Defense of Affirmative Action, and coauthor of America's Child Care Problem: The Way Out.
Joel Blau, professor of social welfare, the SUNY School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook, and author of Illusions of Prosperity.
Jeff Manza, professor of sociology, Northwestern University.
Fred Block, professor of sociology, University of California-Davis, and author of Post-Industrial Possibilities.
Allan Sheahen, author of Guaranteed Income. The Right to Economic Security.
Irwin Garfinkel, Columbia University, co-author of Single Mothers and Their Children: A New American Dilemma.
Steven Shafarman, executive director of the Citizen Policies Institute and author of Healing Politics: Citizen Policies and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Walter Van Trier, of the Catholic University of Leuven, and a founding member of the Basic Income European Network.
Robert Harris, former Executive Director of the President's Commission on Income Maintenance and former Vice President of the Urban Institute.
Charles M.A. Clark, professor of Economics, St. John’s University
Amy Wax, professor of law, University of Pennyslvania Law School.

The conference will include a series of panel discussions, a round table of activists, a keynote address by Senator Suplicy, an organizational meeting for USBIG, and a screening of the film “A Day’s Work, a Day’s Pay” by Jonathan Skurnik and Kathy Leichter.

To register, send your name, address, telephone number, email address, affiliation (if applicable), and the registration fee of $25 ($15 for students, the unemployed, and anyone on public assistance) to:

Edith Lundgren
The SUNY School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook
Health Sciences Center Level 2
Stony Brook, NY 11794

Registration is limited so please reserve your space early.

The conference organizer is Michael Lewis, of the SUNY School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook, with the assistance of the conference committee: Eri Noguchi, of Columbia University, Stanley Aronowtiz, of the City University of New York, Heather Gautney, of the City University of New York, and Karl Widerquist, of the Educational Priorities Panel. For additional information about the Congress contact Michael A. Lewis, mlewis@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.