Our Staff

Patrick Brown

Campaigns and Operations Director

  • Patrick is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland, with 10 years of experience as an elected representative in local and national government. He has a background in international development and a PhD in politics from Queen’s University, with his thesis looking at the role of cash transfers in post-conflict peacebuilding. He has extensive experience in grassroots organising, environmental advocacy and political campaigning, including as the founder of a political travel company and as the Campaigns and Development Officer for the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. He is currently based in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.

Laura Bannister

Research Director

  • Laura is a political economist, justice activist and researcher. In various roles she has worked on global justice, trade justice, universal basic income, child rights and environmental issues, and she has helped to draft basic income manifesto proposals during general elections. She studied political economy with research focused on worldwide inequality and the potential for a global minimum wage. She has worked with the Eastern Africa Greens Federation in Uganda and Kenya and with NGOs in Zambia. In 2016 she set up Equal Right (formerly World Basic Income) to campaign for North-South redistribution and a secure income as a human right.  Laura is currently on sabbatical and will be back with Equal Right soon!

Lucy Shaverin

Senior Communications Manager

  • Lucy is a communications specialist with over a decade's worth of experience working for purpose-driven teams in the third sector. She has worked for organisations in the humanitarian, development, peacebuilding, and climate justice spaces, including key work on Global Witness highly successful 'Toxic Friends' campaign against the fossil fuel industry. She has a strong grounding in all areas of communications and has a track record of bringing complicated and technical subjects to a broader audience Lucy. She is currently based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Zainab Bie

Regional Campaign Manager
- Asia & the Pacific

  • Zainab is an expert in Climate Justice and Public Policy with a strong background in Economics. She has spearheaded initiatives across diverse regions, representing India and the Global South at key international forums such as COP27, COP28, G20, and SBs. Zainab has authored research papers for UN-HABITAT and GIZ, and has collaborated with global organizations including Greenpeace International and USAID. Trained by UNITAR, she has amplified social impact and the youth climate movement. Based in Delhi, India, Zainab is a dynamic advocate for change

Malama Mwila

Regional Campaign Manager
- Africa & the Middle East

  • Malama is a seasoned advocate and campaigner with over 14 years of experience driving social and economic justice globally. With a strong background working with International Non-Governmental Organizations and local Civil Society Organizations, Malama has established a robust network within key global and regional governance structures. Driven by a passion for empowering marginalized communities, Malama is dedicated to challenging inequality and discrimination worldwide. Firmly believing that poverty is a consequence of political decisions, Malama strives to create a world where everyone's basic human needs are met, tapping into the globe's abundant wealth

Carlos Adrian Perez

Regional Campaign Manager
- Latin America

  • Carlos has over a decade of experience in environmental sustainability, social justice, and peacebuilding. His career encompasses international organisations & NGOs, where he has fostered dialogue with communities affected by conflict, women, & ethnic groups to develop social projects and advocate for environmental sustainability. His expertise also extends to political and consultancy work, where he has built bridges and facilitated collaborative efforts between the private and public sectors for the benefit of the most vulnerable. Additionally, his work in academia involves researching alternative perspectives on socio-environmental issues & global justice.

Tomás Paes de Carvalho

Regional Campaign Manager
- Brazil

  • Tomás is an economist with extensive research experience on inequalities and the precariousness of labour in Brazil and Latin America. With a strong background in basic income and sovereign wealth funds, he has worked with the development and evaluation of cash transfer policies in the region. Since 2021, he coordinates a network of young economists focused on economic and climate justice. He graduated from the Universidade Federal Fluminense, with a year abroad at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Our Directors

Paul Harnett

  • Paul is an economist. He works on macroeconomics, public finance management and poverty reduction, with specialisms in healthcare, agricultural economics, anti-corruption schemes, community participation, and safety nets including cash transfers. He has worked with the World Bank, European Commission, UNDP, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Health Organisation, the UK’s Department for International Development, the African Development Bank, SECO, USAID and various NGOs, and he sits on the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department expert panel. He has worked throughout Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe and the USA.

Louis Strappazzon

  • Louis is an active campaigner for universal basic income in Manchester, UK. He helps run UBI Lab Manchester, a group which is part of the global UBI Lab Network and is pushing for a local basic income pilot to build evidence and pressure for wider scale UBI implementation. He has volunteered for World Basic Income since 2020, producing our podcast Act Global and providing research support. Louis has a BA in History and Politics and and MA in Political Economy from the University of Manchester. He currently works at the same university's Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, in their Teaching and Learning office.

Christopher Nwafor

  • Christopher is the Executive Director at Africa Observatory, a public-benefit organization engaged in research and advocacy around social and economic issues in Africa. He is the founding Director and Program Manager at Coastal Resources Centre South Africa, the Africa Coordinator at Citizen Network, and Chief Executive Officer at Inclusion Alliance. He has a background in partnership work to empower communities and producer groups, and capacity building of NGO partners and public agencies across West and Southern Africa. He currently provides advisory, programme management and fundraising support to the non-profit sector as an independent consultant. He holds a Doctorate in Agriculture and Masters’ degrees in Public Administration and Development Studies.

Mike Dowden

  • Mike is an economist. He works on microeconomics, regional economic development focussing on labour market issues and dynamics (un/employment, routes into work, gender, training et al), SME and entrepreneur matters (especially survival entrepreneurship), programme development and financing. Mike’s experience has been with DfID, the European Commission, the World Bank and various NGOs. This work has taken place throughout Europe, Africa, the MENA and Gulf States, Asia and North America.

Elena Klaudis

  • Elena started her career in marketing agencies working on database management and account planning. After briefly managing a small theatre marketing department, she re-trained in video production and facilitated youth video projects on conflict resolution and social enterprise education. As part of UBI Lab Network & UBI Lab Lambeth she researches UBI in the context of climate change, new economy and transition. She has also founded a small literary project linking readers, writers and publishers expanding creative opportunity through an alternative model of copyright licensing.

Sarah Methven

  • Sarah is a governance and social development consultant. She works on empowering citizens and civil society organisations to engage with governments and decision makers on rights, livelihoods, justice, community resource management and monitoring. After completing a Masters degree in Social Policy and Social Development she joined www.intrac.org and is now an associate. She has worked with the Department for International Development, the EU and other donors, and for organisations including Oxfam GB and Concern Worldwide. She lived in Southern Africa for ten years and now volunteers with Bristol Signing Support group that supports asylum seekers. After nearly thirty years working in development, she is excited by the potential of a world basic income to empower people and reduce global inequality.

Zagabe Kamanyula Appolinaire

  • Zagabe is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is currently a high level actor on Climate Justice issues , Entrepreneurship and Social work. He holds a Master's Degree in Public International Law from Kampala International University, and is Founder and Director of the DRC Climate Change Network, a platform bringing together several local, national, international and indigenous organisations in the DRC to campaign for the protection of the environment and fight against climate change. He is also the author of several publications in scientific research in the context of International Law and Conflict Resolution around the World.

Saskia Daggett

  • Saskia has worked as Campaigns/Programme Director for a range of international organisations including Oxfam, Save the Children International and as a consultant for UNICEF. She has led campaigning on climate change, women's rights, mental health and anti-corruption. She lived and worked in Uganda for seven years working in and alongside grassroots organisations. She is a specialist in campaigning for systems change and is in awe of what groups of passionate people can achieve together.

International Advisory Board

Caroline Teti

Development Scientist

  • Caroline is a development scientist based in Kenya.

    She works at GiveDirectly as Director of Recipient Advocacy. Previously as a Field Director at GiveDirectly, she set-up the Basic Income pilot experiment that currently sends monthly transfers to over 20,000 beneficiaries in Kenya. She has spoken in various forums on the impact of cash on poor communities. She has worked for non-profits in East Africa and Europe and for the government of Kenya. She holds holds a postgraduate degree in Development Communication and a postgraduate Diploma in Gender and Human Rights.

Rahul Basu

Research Director

  • Rahul is Research Director at Goa Foundation, an environmental non-profit in India.

    He is technical advisor to Mines, Minerals & People and on the India advisory board of the India Network for Basic Income. Rahul is a member of INSEE (Indian Society for Ecological Economics), EAERE (European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists), the Goenchi Mati Movement and The Future We Need. He has published papers in Economics & Political Weekly on mining and intergenerational equity. His experience includes finance & accounting, behavioural economics and public policy.

Karen Jooste

Founder and Director

  • Karen is the founder and director of RightfulShare, an income movement in South Africa.

    The movement calls for basic economic security by replacing charitable aid with a dividend paid directly to South Africans as their rightful share of the economy. The organisation is building a use case in a rural town, demonstrating how access to a basic amount of cash promotes justice and unlocks innovation in a context where wage work is no longer the norm. Karen previously served as a Member of Parliament and holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Stellenbosch.

Didier Nshimirimana

Lawyer and Advocate

  • Didier is a lawyer and a climate justice and human rights advocate, committed to mobilising political will for better laws and policies to address the climate crisis and human rights.

    He works with communities in Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya on climate change adaptation, resilience and legal aid in partnership with organisations including UNDP and USAID. Since 2020 Didier has been the Director of the East Africa Mother Earth Project and participated in COP26 in Scotland as an UNFCCC Observer. He believes that a greater diversity of voices is needed in order to create sustainable solutions to global challenges, and he trusts in the power of communities to boost and sustain their own social and economic resilience when provided with appropriate empowerment and support.

Caroline Whyte

Ecological Economist

  • Caroline is an ecological economist who undertakes research and advocacy for the Irish think-tank Feasta (The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability).

    ​Caroline is the main author of a series of Feasta submissions and publications which include analyses of Universal Basic Income and commons-based taxation. She is a member of the Steering Groups of the Irish Environmental Pillar and Stop Climate Chaos Ireland and the Economic Transition Working Group of the European Environmental Bureau, and she represents Feasta in the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance.

Bernard 'Kato' Ewekia

Founder and National Director

  • Bernard is the founder and National Director of Saving Tuvalu

    Kato is a Tuvaluan citizen who has found love for his country in the details that make it unique. He is a passionate climate campaigner, and through his organisation Saving Tuvalu he has led one of his country’s most influential environmental organisations at both local and national levels. He was the first Tuvaluan youth to represent his country at COP, and has done so 3 times. He is currently based in Perth, Australia with his family, and spends his time playing rugby and visualising a better future for his home country.

Frank Kamanga

Lecturer in Economics

  • Frank is a Lecturer in Economics at the Catholic University of Malawi.

    Frank leads the Basic Income Malawi group and is a global ambassador for the universal basic income movement. He is a former Economist of the Reserve Bank of Malawi and has co-founded two non-governmental organizations: Global Hope Mobilization and Centre for Child Development and Research. As a dynamic Economist, his domains of change-making include universal basic income, business economics, agriculture, digital economy and youth development.

John Barry

Professor

  • John is a father, a recovering politician and Professor of Green Political Economy at Queens University Belfast. He is also co-chair of the Belfast Climate Commission.

    What keeps him awake at night is the life opportunities and future wellbeing of his and other children in this age of the planetary crisis, and why it is easier for most people to believe in the end of the world than the end of capitalism and economic growth. His areas of academic research include post-growth and heterodox political economy; the politics, policy and political economy of climate breakdown and climate resilience; and the overlap between conflict transformation and these sustainability and energy transitions.

Brent Ranalli

Practitioner and researcher

  • Brent is an environmental policy practitioner and researcher.

    His book Common Wealth Dividends: History and Theory recounts the principle of common wealth dividends (the idea that those who make private use of common resources should compensate those who are excluded) in three different domains: as applied to land by Thomas Paine and others; as applied to oil and other natural resources starting with the Alaska Permanent Fund; and as applied to the atmosphere as a carbon sink. The book also situates the exploitation of natural resources for dividends within a larger framework of ecological sustainability, and investigates the extension of the idea of common wealth dividends beyond nature to man-made common resources like our financial and monetary systems.

Guy Standing

Professorial Research Associate

  • Guy is a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London and a founding member and honorary co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), a non-governmental organisation that promotes a basic income for all.

    An author of several books on Basic Income, including 'Plunder of the Commons: A Manifesto for Sharing Public Wealth', and 'Basic Income and how to make it happen', Standing has also endorsed carbon levies as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He is a prominent advocate, speaker and thought-leader on economics, labour and basic income, known in particular for his work on 'The Precariat' and the Madhya Pradesh basic income trial in India.

Julio Linares

Economic Anthropologist

  • Julio in an economic anthropologist and activist from Guatemala.

    He is currently based in Berlin, where he explores the intersection between complementary currencies and basic income beyond the nation-state. He does social outreach work for the Basic Income Earth Network and holds an Msc from the Anthropology department at the London School of Economics.

Bruna Augusto

Founder

  • Bruna is a founder of the ReCivitas Institute in Brazil.

    She is co-responsible for the Brazilian Pilot Project of Basic Income at Quatinga Velho, the Basic Income Startup, and a developer of the Direct Democracy platform and the alternative intellectual property enabler the RobinRight.org license. She continues to work as a biologist and publisher alongside social activism.

Sarath Davala

Vice President

  • Sarath is the Vice President of the Basic Income Earth Network, and the coordinator of India Network for Basic Income (INBI).

    He is an independent sociologist based in Hyderabad, India. He was the Research Director of the Indian Basic Income Pilot Study with R. Jhabvala, S.K. Mehta, and G. Standing, and they co-edited Basic Income: A Transformative Policy for India? He is also the co-founder of Mission Possible 2030 which is a global initiative that links basic income and UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to this, Sarath was an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India.

Azul Schvartzman

Climate Specialist

  • Azul is a climate specialist from Argentina. With over 8 years of experience in the field and very strong ties in the Latin American & Caribbean region, she has worked with governments, Civil Society Organisations and international organizations to advance climate action nationally, regionally and worldwide. In 2022 she co-founded LAYCS, an initiative aimed to empower young people from the Latin America region in international climate negotiations. Contact Azul at azul@equalright.org.