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Research papers on Universal basic income

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  1. Universal Basic Income in the United States and Advanced Countries

    Hilary Williamson Hoynes, Jesse M. Rothstein · 2019 · Annual Review of Economics · 247 citations

    We discuss the potential role of universal basic incomes (UBIs) in advanced countries. A feature of advanced economies that distinguishes them from developing countries is the existence of well-developed, if often incomplete, safety nets. We develop a framework for describing transfer programs that is flexible enough to encompass most existing programs as well as UBIs, and we use this framework to compare various UBIs to the existing constellation of programs in the United States. A UBI would direct much larger shares of transfers to childless, nonelderly, nondisabled households than existing programs, and much more to middle-income rather than poor households. A UBI large enough to increase

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  2. Universal Basic Income in the Developing World

    Abhijit Banerjee, Paul Niehaus, Tavneet Suri · 2019 · Annual Review of Economics · 208 citations

    Should developing countries give all of their citizens enough money to live on? Interest in this idea has grown enormously in recent years, reflecting both positive results from a number of existing cash transfer programs and dissatisfaction with the perceived limitations of piecemeal, targeted approaches to reducing extreme poverty. We discuss what we know (and what we do not) about three questions: what recipients would likely do with the incremental income, whether this would unlock further economic growth, and whether giving the money to everyone (as opposed to targeting it) would be wise.

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  3. The public health effects of interventions similar to basic income: a scoping review

    Marcia Gibson, Wendy Hearty, Peter Craig · 2020 · The Lancet Public Health · 162 citations

    Universal, unconditional basic income is attracting increasing policy and academic interest. Income is a key health determinant, and a basic income could affect health through its effect on other determinants, such as employment. However, there is little evidence of its potential effects on public health, because no studies of interventions which meet the definition of basic income have been done. However, there is evidence from studies of interventions with similarities to basic income. Therefore, we aimed to identify these studies and to consider what can be learned from them about the potential effects of such interventions on health and socioeconomic outcomes. We did a systematic scoping

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  4. The mental health effects of a Universal Basic Income: A synthesis of the evidence from previous pilots

    Naomi Wilson, Shari McDaid · 2021 · Social Science & Medicine · 78 citations

    INTRODUCTION: Amongst its advocates, one of the key arguments for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is its potential to improve population mental health. However, while previous authors have variously examined the potential effects of UBI on income, employment and labour market demand, the direct mental health consequences of previous pilots have been less frequently examined. The purpose of this paper is therefore to conduct a review of the literature on UBI and to re-examine the existing research with a mental health focus. METHODS: Six electronic databases were used to conduct a review of the literature. We searched for empirical research studies of any design, conducted since the year 2000

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  5. Universal Basic Income: A Dynamic Assessment

    Diego Daruich, Raquel Fernández · 2023 · American Economic Review · 42 citations

    Universal basic income (UBI) is an increasingly popular policy proposal, but there is no evidence regarding its longer-term consequences. We find that UBI generates large welfare losses in a general equilibrium model with imperfect capital markets, labor market shocks, and intergenerational linkages via skill formation and transfers. This conclusion is robust to various alternative ways of financing UBI. By using observationally equivalent models that eliminate different sources of endogenous dynamic linkages (equilibrium capital market and parental investment in child skills), we show that the latter are largely responsible for the negative welfare consequences. (JEL H24, H31, I38, J22, J24

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  7. Universal Basic Income: A Dynamic Assessment

    Diego Daruich, Raquel Fernández · 2020 · National Bureau of Economic Research · 28 citations

    Universal basic income (UBI) is an increasingly popular policy proposal but there is no evidence regarding its longer-term consequences.We study UBI in a general equilibrium model with imperfect capital markets, labor market shocks, and intergenerational linkages via skill formation and transfers.We find that UBI increases-welfare for older agents but has large-welfare losses for younger agents and future generations.A sizable share of the negative effects stem from the endogenous intergenerational linkages.Modeling automation as an increased probability of an "out-of-work" shock, the model provides insights on the changing welfare consequence of UBI in a riskier environment.

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  8. Exploring the Health Case for Universal Basic Income: Evidence from GPs Working with Precarious Groups

    Matthew Johnson, Dan Degerman, Robert Geyer · 2019 · Basic Income Studies · 19 citations

    This article draws upon clinical experience of GPs working in a deprived area of the North East of England to examine the potential contribution of Universal Basic Income to health by mitigating ‘patient-side barriers’ among three cohorts experiencing distinct forms of ‘precariousness’: 1) long-term unemployed welfare recipients with low levels of education (lumpenprecariat); 2) workers on short-term/zero-hours contracts with low levels of education (‘lower’ precariat); 3) workers on short-term/zero-hours contracts with relatively high levels of education (‘upper’ precariat). We argue that any benefits must be accompanied by robust institutions capable of promoting health.

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  9. Universal Basic Income

    Karl Widerquist · 2024 · The MIT Press eBooks · 13 citations

    An accessible introduction to the simple (yet radical) premise that a small cash income, sufficient for basic needs, ought to be provided regularly and unconditionally to every citizen. The growing movement for universal basic income (UBI) has been gaining attention from politics and the media with the audacious idea of a regular, unconditional cash grant for everyone as a right of citizenship. This volume in the Essential Knowledge series presents the first short, solid UBI introduction that is neither academic nor polemic. It takes a position in favor of UBI, but its primary goal remains the provision of essential knowledge by answering the fundamental questions about it: What is UBI? How

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  10. Caring Revolutionary Transformation: Combined Effects of a Universal Basic Income and a Public Model of Care

    Zuzana Uhde · 2018 · Basic Income Studies · 9 citations

    This paper explores the possibilities of the recognition and valuation of care by implementing an unconditional basic income (UBI) and presents a feminist redefinition of the concept of a UBI. The author proposes the notion of a caring revolutionary transformation as a process of institutionalising the social and economic conditions for recognition of care which is a cornerstone of struggles for women’s emancipation and gender equity. It is a process of practically realisable transformative steps which together with their combined and mutually reinforcing effects enable more radical social changes beyond a mere reform. The author argues that these transformative steps have to address two con

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  11. La Renta Básica Universal basada en la evidencia

    Alberto Tena Camporesi · 2018 · Política y Sociedad · 7 citations

    The different pilot projects of Universal Basic Income (UBI) that have been implemented all over the world have raised an intense interest in Europe, both for the data they gathered and for their theoretical implications. This article analyzes the empirical evidence and the different models of experimentation that have been at work in UBI policies, with the aim to measure to what extent they are capable of offering a certain amount of predictability on UBI social impact. In order to do it, the intention, design and results obtained from different pilot projects and experimental models over time and in different countries are thouroughly analysed. In broad terms, we find that none of these ex

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  12. Politics of Universal and Unconditional Cash Transfer: Examining Attitudes Toward Universal Basic Income

    Soomi Lee · 2021 · Basic Income Studies · 7 citations

    Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a periodic cash payment to all residents in a jurisdiction, without obligation. Universalism and unconditionality distinguish UBI from other redistributive policies that require means testing and certain behaviors to gain and maintain eligibility. Despite an increased interest in UBI, it is poorly understood how these two critical features – universalism and unconditionality – influence public attitudes toward UBI. This paper explores results of the eighth round of the European Social Survey and finds that people who support unconditionality are more likely to support UBI, as expected. But support for UBI is also significantly associated with a desire to help

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  13. Near-Universal Basic Income

    Nir Eyal · 2010 · Basic Income Studies · 5 citations

    Under what I call ”Near-Universal Basic Income,” or NUBI, everyone receives a high level of basic income, except for the rich. NUBI is therefore only near-universal and it requires means-testing. It is an economic hybrid: a cross between Universal Basic Income (UBI) and conservative social relief. My thesis is that if standard considerations that are often advanced to support UBI against social relief are successful, then these combined considerations probably lend NUBI even greater support. Thus, UBI supporters should consider becoming NUBI supporters. The considerations I examine focus on (1) sufficiency; (2) cost cuts; (3) equality; (4) freedom; (5) the social bases of self-respect; and (

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  14. Universal Basic Income and Work

    Francesca Bastagli · 2019 · World Bank, Washington, DC eBooks · 4 citations

    Examines one of the most contentious quandaries and concerns among policy makers—the interface between universal basic income (UBI) and work—critically reviewing and discussing the arguments and evidence on the links between UBI and four work-related outcomes: (1) participation and hours in paid work; (2) the conditions of paid work (e.g., whether a UBI would strengthen bargaining power); (3) the recognition, valuation, and distribution of unpaid work; and (4) formal and informal employment. Recent UBI debates and experiments have drawn attention to fundamental questions about the nature and value of work and to the role and objectives of social and labor market policy. The renewed interest

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  15. Exploring Universal Basic Income

    Ugo Gentilini, Margaret Grosh, Jamele Rigolini, et al. · 2020 · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · 4 citations

    Universal basic income (UBI) is emerging as one of the most hotly debated issues in development and social protection policy. But what are the features of UBI? What is it meant to achieve? How do we know, and what don’t we know, about its performance? What does it take to implement it in practice? Drawing from global evidence, literature, and survey data, this volume provides a framework to elucidate issues and trade-offs in UBI with a view to help inform choices around its appropriateness and feasibility in different contexts. Specifically, the book examines how UBI differs from or complements other social assistance programs in terms of objectives, coverage, incidence, adequacy, incentives

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  16. How Much Does Basic Income Cost? Modelling Basic Income as Universal Life Annuity

    Wee Chung Gan · 2019 · Basic Income Studies · 3 citations

    The cost of basic income is typically estimated for a particular year. However, to assess the financial feasibility of basic income, it is also important to consider how much basic income will cost in the future. This is especially important in countries experiencing an ageing population, where the proportion of workers is expected to shrink. This article considers basic income as a universal life annuity and develops two models based on actuarial concepts to estimate the flat tax rate required to finance basic income. The first model considers the cost of basic income over the lifetime of the current population and the second model additionally considers changing population dynamics. The pr

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  17. The Idea of Universal Basic Income

    Ugo Gentilini, Margaret Grosh, Ruslan Yemtsov · 2019 · World Bank, Washington, DC eBooks · 2 citations

    Reviews the design choices underpinning universal basic income (UBI), discussing the corresponding evidence base and then examining key thematic areas that trigger interest in a UBI, including changes in labor markets, social protection reform, governance of natural resource wealth, and the rights agenda. Reimagining social protection remains an ongoing process, with hot debates around the direction and modalities for change, but virtually every study underscores the importance of social assistance as a foundational platform for the social protection system of the future. The three core choices of universality, unconditionality, and cash as transfer modality define a UBI, but there exist var

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