A Basic Income Handbook

In this informative book, Annie Miller does not only explore the idea of basic income: she exhaustively explains what it is and what it would mean to implement, using extensive economic data. Miller starts off from a broad, existential position, outlining why the current system is no longer suitable for the times and needs to change. Her proposed solution is a society with BI, which she first outlines abstractly before diving into its internal workings, explaining who would be eligible for BI, what would happen to the rest of the welfare system, and other crucial details. Miller backs up her statements with substantive economic research and analysis. She ends with a section on how to achieve a society with BI, giving examples of pilot schemes elsewhere and discussing the politics behind implementation. Thus she brings the reader full circle from aspiring to a BI society, to seeing what it would take to reach it.

Annie Miller spent the major part of her working life in the Department of Economics at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh teaching mainly business economics, econometrics, mathematics and statistics for economists. In 1991, with her colleague Douglas Mair, she co-edited a book comparing different schools of economic thought in the late 20th century (Mair et al, 1991). In 1984, Annie was a co-founder of the Basic Income Research Group (BIRG), which changed its name in 1993 to the Citizen's Income Trust (CIT). She has been a trustee since 1989 and is currently its Chair. She contributes regularly to its Citizen's Income Newsletter. She gives talks to groups around the UK, and has presented papers on BI at conferences here in the UK, on the continent and in North America. In January 2014, her local MSP, Jim Eadie, hosted a seminar and round-table discussion on 'Beyond Welfare Reform to a Citizen's Income' at the Scottish Parliament, at which Annie and the late Professor Ailsa McKay were keynote speakers. In her personal capacity, she presented written evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Expert Working Group on Welfare (2013) and to the Smith Commission (2014). Since politics in Scotland is now different from elsewhere in the UK, her fellow trustees at CIT encouraged her to set up a sister organisation in Scotland, the Citizen's Basic Income Network Scotland. Annie became a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1978. Her faith, her belief in 'that of God in everyone', and her commitment to the Quaker testimonies (values) of peace, equality, integrity and simplicity inspire all her work.