In Ireland, early results have shown a positive impact of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme. The Basic Income Scheme was first introduced as a measure to help the arts and cultural sector adapt and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Minister Martin allocated a budget of €25 million for the launch of the pilot scheme.
The programme will run for three years, with participants receiving payments of €325 per week. The first results of the pilot are now being reviewed and published. They provide an insight into the impact of a basic income on artists.
Here are some of the key findings:
- BIA recipients reduced the amount of time spent working in another sector each week
- BIA recipients are 12 percentage points more likely than the control group to be able to support themselves through arts work alone.
- Depression and anxiety experienced in the previous 4 weeks decreased by almost 10 percentage points for BIA recipients compared to the control group.
- BIA recipients were 19.2 percentage points less likely to have difficulty making ends meet compared to the control group.
The full list of results can be found on the website of the Government of Ireland.
It should come as no surprise that a basic income has been shown to significantly improve the working environment of artists, as well as their mental health.
The problematic working conditions in the cultural sector are also being discussed on a European level. In Europe, MEPs have recently adopted their proposals for EU action to improve living and working conditions in the arts, cultural and creative sectors. It is now up to the Commission to either take action or reject the proposed legislation.
Comments are closed.