John Michael
John Michael is a social policy practitioner and researcher working on Universal Basic Income (UBI) in the Asia-Pacific region. He previously served as the Asia-Pacific Regional Hub Manager at the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), where he led regional coordination, supporting pilots, advocacy, and policy engagement, and edited UBI Times. He has helped organise basic income conferences and programmes in Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and India, and continues to contribute to regional dialogue and collaboration.
Trained in Political Science, Public Administration, and Social Work, his work focuses on situating UBI within contexts of caste, gender, labour precarity, and environmental justice, with particular attention to care, dignity, and social protection in the Global South. Based in India, he coordinated the WorkFREE UBI+ pilot in Hyderabad and contributed as a researcher to the Basic Income and Care for Transgender Persons (TG-BIC) project. His work is informed by an Ambedkarite commitment to equality and democratic social transformation.
Relevant recent outputs:
Michael, J. & Williams, G. (2024) ‘Universal basic income (UBI) is a kind of freedom more effective than ad hoc welfare systems — John Michael and Geoffrey Williams’. The Malay Mail, November 4. https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2024/11/04/universal-basic-income-ubi-is-a-kind-of-freedom-more-effective-than-ad-hoc-welfare-systems-john-michael-and-geoffrey-williams/155770
Davala, S., Nin. S.S., Chheangkhy, H., Rajesh, A. & Michael, J. (2025). ‘The Right to Stand on Solid Ground: Why Cambodia Needs an Income Floor for All’. KiriPost, October 21. https://kiripost.com/stories/the-right-to-stand-on-solid-ground-why-cambodia-needs-an-income-floor-for-all
Michael, J. (2025 - Jan) ‘UBI Times: Basic Income Earth Network, Asia-Pacific.’ https://basicincome.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/UBI-Times-1.pdf
Michael, J. (2025 - Feb) ‘UBI Times: Basic Income Earth Network, Asia-Pacific.’ https://basicincome.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/UBI-Times-APAC-2.pdf
Michael, J. (2025 - May) ‘UBI Times: Basic Income Earth Network, Asia-Pacific.’ https://basicincome.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/UBI-Times-3.pdf