Global organizational consensus agrees that “basic income” must be both universal and unconditional.

Each of these organisations has the authority to construct its own definition, but because each organisation’s definition reflects common usage, and because the organisations are in network relationships with each other, and also with numerous writers on the subject, we might expect a certain amount of consistency. Quite often, ‘unconditional’, ‘nonwithdrawable’ and ‘individual’, or similar words, will be found, and the five assumptions (regularand frequent payment, payment incash, permanence, nonvarying but upratable payments, and possibly payments varying with age) will also be found.

Because BIEN is a global organisation with affiliated organisations, its own definition of Basic Income will need to reflect current usage, and in particular it will need to reflect current usage among its affiliates. This is not difficult to achieve. The wording on BIEN’s website runs as follows:

A basic income is a periodic cash paymentunconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement. That is, basic income has the following five characteristics:

1.

Periodic: it is paid at regular intervals (for example every month), not as a one-off grant.

2.

Cash payment: it is paid in an appropriate medium of exchange, allowing those who receive it to decide what they spend it on. It is not, therefore, paid either in kind (such as food or services) or in vouchers dedicated to a specific use.

3.

Individual: it is paid on an individual basis—and not, for instance, to households.

4.

Universal: it is paid to all, without means test.

5.

Unconditional: it is paid without a requirement to work or to demonstrate willingness-to-work. (BIEN 2019)