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A Day Long Structured Dialogue to Explore the Tech Economy & Build On its Strengths to Establish Enduring Prosperity

This fall we are convening community & labor organizers along with economic & policy experts to consider what the next steps towards basic income and asset policies could be.  The one-day convening is scheduled for will be held in Silicon Valley at the offices of the Institute for the Future.  

Heretofore, discussions on a universal basic income have assumed we would not be able to pass the policy for another 15 to 20 years.  The goal of our convening is to evaluate concrete immediate and medium term initiatives at the local, regional and state level that can lead to achieving that longer-tern goal.  We would also grapple with how such policies could help to end racial economic exclusion, redefine the role of government and promote greater shared prosperity. 

We're bringing together Bay Area community and labor organizers and advocates to think through these questions with the assistance of economic and policy experts from around the country and world.  The discussion would be organized in three parts:

  • We'd begin with a discussion of the structure of the connected economy,
  • We’d then hear about innovative wage, income and assets ideas,
  • And close with a discussion from what they have learned what ideas sound most promising for local, regional and state policy or issues campaigns.​

Tech Economy Presenters

Carlota Perez, researcher & lecturer

Gar Alperovitz, political economist

Peter Barnes, entrepreneur & author

Mariana Mazzucato, University of Sussex

Chris Benner, UC Santa Cruz

Rod Falcon, IFTF

Leap Forward policy ideas

Ken Jacobs, UC Berkeley

Lane Kenworthy, UC San Diego

Darrick Hamilton, The New School 

Sandy Darity, Duke University

Jim Pugh, business owner

The convening is being co-sponsored by the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley, The Basic Income Collaborative, The Everett Program for Technology and Social Change at UC Santa Cruz, and The Insight Center for Community Economic Development., The Labor Center, University of California Berkeley and Working Partnerships USA