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A Citizen’s Basic Income – often called a Basic Income, or a Citizen’s Income – is an unconditional income paid automatically to every individual. Until a couple of years ago the idea was on the far fringes of political debate. Now it’s well into the mainstream. How should we think about it theologically? Is it a good idea? Is it feasible?

Join us for a conversation around these questions with Dr. Malcolm Torry, the director of the Citizen’s Income Trust, and Prof. Philip Booth, Research Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs and Professor of Finance, Public Policy and Ethics at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Dr. Torry will present his case for around 30 minutes. This will be followed by a formal response from Prof. Booth, with a general Q & A session afterwards. 

Bios:

Dr Malcolm Torry is the author of Money for Everyone: Why we need a Citizen’s Income (Policy Press, 2013), 101 Reasons for a Citizen’s Income (Policy Press, 2015), The Feasibility of Citizen’s Income (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), and Citizen’s Basic Income: A Christian social policy (Darton, Longman and Todd, 2016). He has first degrees in mathematics, theology, philosophy, economics and management, and higher degrees in social policy and in theology, and is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics. Until 2014 he was an incumbent in the Diocese of Southwark and responsible for the Greenwich Peninsula Chaplaincy. 

Prof Philip Booth is Academic and Research Director at the Institute for Economics Affairs and Professor of Finance, Public Policy and Ethics at St. Mary’s University, Twickhenham. On 1st November 2016 he became Director of Research and Public Engagement at St. Mary’s. From 2002–2015 Philip was Professor of Insurance and Risk Management at Cass Business School. Previously he worked for the Bank of England as an advisor on financial stability issues. He has written widely, including a number of books on investment, finance, social insurance and pensions as well as on the relationship between Catholic social teaching and economics.

We are pleased to be organising this event in association with the The Benedict XVI Centre for Religion and Society at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Join us at Theos on Monday 16th January, 6.30pm for 7pm start.

77 Great Peter Street

London

SW1P 2EZ

Booking for this event here

Image by Russell Shaw Higgs from Flickr, available under this Creative Commons Licence