Te Utu Tika Hei Oranga i Aotearoa – Basic Income New Zealand

Resources

For Articles and other material relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, see our pandemics page.

Click on underlined items or Bold titles to go to links. The most recent items are at the top of each section.

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Books

Click here for Scott Santens’ list of Basic Income books.

Books listed below are either about Basic Income or strongly support the case for a Basic Income. They are in release order, with the most recent at the top.

Our list is incomplete. Please let us know the details of any books that we have not included or any errors in the list.

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

* Read more – Pope Francis: Let us dream

Pope Francis explicitly mentions and supports Universal Basic Income (UBI) in his book, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. [1, 2] First published by Simon & Schuster on December 1, 2020. This support has been endorsed by his successor, Pope Leo XIV. See details below.

See the BIEN Review by Malcolm Torry.

In the book, he advocates for UBI as a tool to recognise the value of non-earners and to provide dignity to workers. Key points regarding his support include: [3, 4]

  • Exploration of the Concept: He states that it is “time to explore concepts like the universal basic income,” which he also refers to as a “negative income tax”.
  • Dignity and Labour: He argues that UBI could reshape labour market relations by allowing people the “dignity of refusing employment terms that trap them in poverty”.
  • Post-Pandemic Vision: Francis views UBI as a way to “humanise our surroundings” and ensure that the integration of the poor is a central objective of society as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis.
  • Practical Implementation: He describes it as an “unconditional flat payment to all citizens” that could potentially be distributed through a country’s tax system. [1, 3, 5, 6, 7]

The proposal is part of his broader “Plan to Rise Again,” which calls for an economy that prioritizes human dignity and the common good over mere profit. [4, 8, 9]

Other economic reforms are included in the book.

[1] https://worldmissionmagazine.com

[2] https://books.google.com

[3] https://www.catholicvoices.org.uk

[4] https://www.tandfonline.com

[5] https://dg.saveriani.org

[6] https://worldmissionmagazine.com

[7] https://transformaeconomia.org

[8] https://uscatholic.org

[9] https://www.mayonews.ie

Update

Pope Leo XIV has explicitly chosen to carry on the reformist legacy of Pope Francis regarding poverty and social justice. While the term “Universal Basic Income” (UBI) is often used in political debates, both popes use slightly different terminology and theological framing: [1, 2]

  • Explicit Endorsement of Continuity: In his first major teaching document, the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te (“I Have Loved You”), Leo XIV stated that the text was originally being prepared by Pope Francis. Leo expressed he was “happy to make this document my own,” officially adopting Francis’s focus on eradicating “unjust” economic structures.
  • “Universal Basic Wage” vs. UBI: Like Francis, Leo XIV has focused on a “universal basic wage”. This is often interpreted by scholars as a call for a guaranteed minimum income that dignifies “invisible” or “unprotected” work (such as caregiving or community service), which current market systems often ignore.
  • Response to Modern Challenges: Leo XIV has specifically updated this position to address Artificial Intelligence (AI). He argues that as technology replaces human labour, the Church must propose new social protections—like a guaranteed income—to ensure human dignity remains the priority over profit. [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

In summary, Leo XIV does not just support Francis’s position; he has integrated it into his own platform as a necessary moral response to modern inequality and technological displacement. [8, 9]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org

[2] https://www.facebook.com

[3] https://www.cnn.com

[4] https://www.youtube.com

[5] https://cruxnow.com

[6] https://www.catholicworldreport.com

[7] https://www.americamagazine.org

[8] https://www.pbs.org

[9] https://en.abouna.org

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2019

2018

2017

This list of books on Basic Income published before 2017 is incomplete. Please help us complete it.

2016

Before 2016

Government reports and comments on the reports
Journal Articles and other papers
Articles in the media
Blogs
Video and audio

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Miscellaneous
Items by date

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Examples of Basic Incomes in action

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Submissions

United Nations

New Zealand Submissions advocating Basic Income

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260428

260402-7, 251027, 250915, 250911, 250719, 201105, 220706, 230225, 230628, 230713, 230717. 231006, 250718