CALL FOR PAPERS
July 1-3, 2020. University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Organizer: UBIEXP Research Project, Centre for Ethics, Politics & Society, University of Minho
Collaborators: Stanford Basic Income Lab, Stanford University, &
Associação Rendimento Básico Incondicional, Portugal
Description: The debate about basic income requires our attention, especially when a growing number of countries and cities are conducting experiments to test out new schemes of cash transfer. This conference aims to evaluate experiments from both normative and empirical perspectives, drawing on the insights of philosophy, political science, and economics, amongst others. It seeks to bring together those who are engaged in experiments both at a theoretical and practical levels to foster the debate between those involved in designing and implementing pilots with scholars in the fields of political philosophy, social sciences and policy analysis. We are particularly interested in assessing the political and the philosophical implications of these pilots and their results, the nature of those experiments, the epistemic status of the data and the impacts it generates, the manner in which the results can be translated into a real policy, to what extent they might inform other social policies, and which are the main limitations and challenges when conducting them.
Structure: Three-day conference, divided into one book symposium and 2 thematic panels along two sessions per day:
Wednesday afternoon, July 1
Book Symposium on Karl Widerquist, 2018. A Critical Analysis of Basic Income
Experiments for Researchers, Policymakers, and Citizens, Springer International Publishing.
Thursday, July 2
Political theory and epistemology of experiments
Session 1 (9:30am-12pm) | Session 2 (2:30-5pm)
Political dilemmas in experimenting, epistemological dimension of results, ethical dilemmas of randomised control trials, normative implications of designs.
Friday, July 3
Conducting experiments as public policies
Session 1 (9:30am-12pm) | Session 2 (2:30-5pm)
Problems and challenges, economic and political feasibility, evidence to inform policies, engaged agents, ongoing political support, oppositions, etc.
Confirmed speakers include: Guy Standing, Jamie Cooke, Rebecca Hasdell, Stuart White, Juliana Bidadanure, Karl Widerquist.
Participation: If you are interested in attending, please send an e-mail to Roberto Merrill at: nrbmerrill@gmail.com and Bru Laín Scandell at: bgrafic@gmail.com with your name, affiliation, and a short biography by March 20, 2020. If you are interested in presenting your research, either in the sessions or in the symposium on Professor Widerquist’s book, please send a title and an abstract of 300-500 words by March 20th.
Registration fees: There are no registration fees for presenters nor for attendance only.