In Ireland, Artists Will Be Paid to Be Artists

Basic income schemes work to provide regular and unconditional payments to individuals who qualify, helping to reduce poverty and support economic security. While many countries have attempted to implement basic income programmes, these initiatives have often been temporary, functioning as trials rather than permanent fixtures. In 2022, Ireland initiated one such trial to test out a Basic Income for the Arts scheme. The test scheme was introduced in response to the damaging effects of Covid-19 on the arts sector, aiming to support its recovery. The programme selected 2,000 artists and creative worker applicants at random and provided them with a €325 weekly stipend. Although the stipend was modest and taxed, it provided artists with a reliable source of income, allowing them to work fewer other jobs and focus on their art. 

The pilot ran for three years and was widely successful. Artists included in the trial commented that they were benefiting from being able to self-fund community groups, afford medical appointments, and feel more confident about starting and supporting families. Beyond improving the lives of the artists involved, a cost-benefit analysis published by the DCSS found that the pilot was profitable, bringing in €1.39 for every €1 spent. This profitability was driven by participants earning more, paying higher taxes, and relying less on social and healthcare support. Just last year, following the pilot’s positive outcomes, the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce made the decision to implement the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) as a permanent scheme.

The permanent scheme will begin in May of this year, when artist applications will open for assessment over the summer. Though the exact applicant criteria have yet to be released, they will most likely resemble those of the pilot scheme, rendering a broad range of artists — including writers, visual artists, actors, musicians, designers, and directors — eligible to apply. The structure of the scheme itself is also set to mirror the pilot, paying successful applicants €325 weekly over the course of a three-year cycle. In preparation for the scheme, Ireland has allocated €18.27 million in its 2026 budget. 

Contrary to recommendations made by the Artists’ Union of Ireland, the task force decided that artists selected for a cycle are ineligible to reapply for the following three-year cycle. Put simply, artists can only receive funding for three out of six years at a time. This decision has given rise to anxiety surrounding the length of each cycle of the scheme. Some have argued that three years is an insufficient amount of time for artists to develop their craft and achieve economic stability. And further, some have contended that the repeating three-year cycle merely replicates the pilot scheme continually instead of establishing a permanent programme.

Other worries include the scheme’s exceptionally limited capacity and random selection process. The pilot trial in 2020 received 8,200 applications for 2,000 available spaces. The number of applicants is only expected to grow as the scheme becomes more established. Many have noted that, given the scheme’s limited capacity, it benefits only a small minority. Ethical questions have also been raised about the fairness of random selection, which does not prioritise artists facing the greatest financial need. Despite these concerns about the scheme’s initial approach, public sentiment appears largely positive. A recent public consultation recorded 97% of the 17,000 respondents as supportive of making the BIA scheme permanent. 

Inspired by Ireland’s success, current campaigns are lobbying to introduce a BIA scheme in Scotland. Equity Scotland recently commissioned research showing that local councils are investing 18% less in the arts than they did in 2010. In response to this significant decrease in arts funding, many organisations and individuals have begun advocating for change. Organisations such as Equity Scotland, along with artists’ unions and industry figures, are urging the Scottish Government to consider piloting a BIA scheme. With arts funding under pressure, these calls for a Scottish BIA scheme underscore the urgent need to support artistic livelihoods and strengthen Scotland’s arts sector.

Image from Wikimedia Commons