We're excited to host you at the event Public Luxury: Introducing the Autonomy Institute's UBS Hub on 19 March at 6 PM (doors open at 5 PM) at Oxford House, Bethnal Green.

Why UBS?

Since the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity published its seminal 2017 report, Social Prosperity for the Future: A Proposal for Universal Basic Services, the concept of Universal Basic Services (UBS) has gained significant traction. UBS aims to ensure equitable access to life's necessities—education, healthcare, housing, transportation, and beyond. Recent global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crises, have highlighted the fragility of existing welfare systems, underscoring the need to rethink how we guarantee access to basic needs. UBS emerges not only as a tool for equity and participation but also as a strategy for resilience, ensuring essential services remain accessible in times of crisis and providing a framework for identifying priorities in an uncertain future.

About the UBS Hub

The UBS Hub is a new programme within The Autonomy Institute, launched with initial funding and early stage support from Disrupt. Our mission is to advance UBS through policy development, advocacy, media engagement, and practical implementation strategies. Leveraging Autonomy's unique capacities—combining rigorous research, data analysis, and design—we aim to illustrate what UBS could look like in practice.

Autonomy’s Journey

Over the past seven years, The Autonomy Institute has been at the forefront of reimagining work, welfare, and the future of society. We’ve played a big role in shifting the debate on the 4 day week – in the media, influencing policy, and been implemented in workplaces and public sector organisations worldwide. Additionally, our research on post-work futures and the care economy demonstrates our commitment to transforming bold ideas into common sense solutions.

The UBS Hub represents the next step in this journey. Building on Autonomy’s expertise in research, advocacy, and practical implementation, the hub will explore how Universal Basic Services can transform the foundations of everyday life, ensuring dignity and security for all in an era of uncertainty.

Our vision is for a dynamic, fast-moving initiative, ready to seize opportunities and find concrete ways to implement UBS-related frameworks and services. We want this launch event to reflect that spirit—bringing together policymakers, activists, local authorities, designers, technologists, and thinkers to help shape the next phase of work on UBS.

About the Event

Autonomy will briefly present the hub before hosting a panel discussion featuring:

• Anna Coote (NEF, author of The Case for Universal Basic Services)
• Theo Cox (Senior Expert, Demos Helsinki)
• Miri Weingarten (Director, Disrupt Foundation)
• Hugh Smith (Corporate Strategy Portfolio Lead, Camden Council)
• Julian Siravo (Autonomy, UBS Hub Lead)

We would be delighted for you to join this conversation.