Seminar med Philippe Van Parijs på CEP

Professor Philippe Van Parijs from the Université catholique de Louvain is visiting the Centre for European Politics on the 1. November 2013. Here he will give the lecture: "No Euro-zone without a EU-dividend".

Philippe Van Parijs' point of view is that if the EU is to survive in the future it is necessary to create transnational transaction mechanisms within the EU. However, in the present time it is difficult to imagine that the nation states will hand over the right to impose taxes and the right to distribute transfer payments to the EU authorities. It is not realistic to imagine the creation of an entire new bureaucratic machine which can harmonize the different types of European welfare states. 

Professor Van Parijs suggests that it is more realistic to imagine the creation of a EU-dividend which can pay the EU citizens unconditionally. A EU-dividend would be fairly easy to create and manage. However, first and foremost it would be possible to finance the EU-dividend through value added taxes (VAT) where a percentage of the VAT from every member state was transferred to the EU to finance the EU-dividend. The EU-dividend would thus replace the present systems of discounts on taxation and transfers. Also it would create a common minimum level of income. A common minimum level of income could be the starting point of a common base level of income high enough to prevent poverty and make it possible for all citizens to take an active part in society.

There is thus a lot of benefits with a EU-dividend. It would be an important solidary stabilisation mechanism for the entire Euro zone. Also it would be a simple, transparent and an unbureaucratic transfer mechanism and it would imply that all EU citizens would gain a direct relation and interest in the EU institutions.

Following Professor Van Parijs' lecture there will be a debate with Professor Ben Rosamond (CEP), Professor Emeritus Niels I, Meyer (DTU) and freelance journalist Kenneth Haar.

Time: 2-4pm, 1. November 2013 Venue: Room 35.01.06., Building 35, CSS, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5. Registration: The lecture is open to all, but registration is necessary. You can follow through to registration here. Language: The lecture and debate will be held in English.

Schweizerne skal stemme om borgerløn!

Arbejdsparadigmet

Fin artikel i The Guardian om det paradoksale ved at vi arbejder som aldrig før, selv om maskiner og robotter har overtaget så stor en del af tidligere tiders slid og slæb.

Noget for noget eller noget for intet?

Borgerløn, basisindkomst, eller hvad vi ellers vælger at kalde det, et tværpolitisk projekt. Der er lige så gode grunde til at gå ind for borgerløn, hvis man er borgerlig-liberal, som hvis man er socialistisk indstillet. Der vil måske bare være forskelle i den konkrete udformning af forslaget. En anden ting, der heller ikke er uvæsentlig at påpege er, at det en løsning for alle, hvad enten man er i ordinært job, er selvstændig eller står uden for arbejdsmarkedet. Alle vil have gavn af det, fordi basisindkomst rummer både fleksibilitet og tryghed. Det er den ultimative frihed, så vidt samfundet kan tilbyde den. Den indre ufrihed må vi stadig slås med. Og det er den ultimative tryghed, igen, det er kun rammerne, resten er et livslangt projekt. Ordet eksistensangst er tvetydigt, og vi kan kun lindre den ene del, men det er vi til gengæld som samfund også forpligtet på. Det er det, der menes med solidaritet. Ægte solidaritet er ikke et noget for noget, men et noget for intet.