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Research papers on Universal basic income

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  1. Reversal of Fortune: Geography and Institutions in the Making of the Modern World Income Distribution

    Daron Acemoğlu, Simon Johnson, Robinson James · 2001 · National Bureau of Economic Research · 2,554 citations

    Among countries colonized by European powers during the past 500 years, those that were relatively rich in 1500 are now relatively poor. We document this reversal using data on urbanization patterns and population density, which, we argue, proxy for economic prosperity. This reversal weighs against a view that links economic development to geographic factors. Instead, we argue that the reversal ree ects changes in the institutions resulting from European colonialism. The European intervention appears to have created an “ institutional reversal” among these societies, meaning that Europeans were more likely to introduce institutions encouraging investment in regions that were previously poor.

  4. The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment: Evidence from the First Year*

    Amy Finkelstein, Sarah Taubman, Bill Wright, et al. · 2012 · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · 1,665 citations

    In 2008, a group of uninsured low-income adults in Oregon was selected by lottery to be given the chance to apply for Medicaid. This lottery provides an opportunity to gauge the effects of expanding access to public health insurance on the health care use, financial strain, and health of low-income adults using a randomized controlled design. In the year after random assignment, the treatment group selected by the lottery was about 25 percentage points more likely to have insurance than the control group that was not selected. We find that in this first year, the treatment group had substantively and statistically significantly higher health care utilization (including primary and preventive

  5. Early estimates of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study

    Timothy Roberton, Emily D Carter, Victoria B. Chou, et al. · 2020 · The Lancet Global Health · 1,476 citations

    BACKGROUND: While the COVID-19 pandemic will increase mortality due to the virus, it is also likely to increase mortality indirectly. In this study, we estimate the additional maternal and under-5 child deaths resulting from the potential disruption of health systems and decreased access to food. METHODS: We modelled three scenarios in which the coverage of essential maternal and child health interventions is reduced by 9·8-51·9% and the prevalence of wasting is increased by 10-50%. Although our scenarios are hypothetical, we sought to reflect real-world possibilities, given emerging reports of the supply-side and demand-side effects of the pandemic. We used the Lives Saved Tool to estimate

  7. Universal Basic Incomes versus Targeted Transfers: Anti-Poverty Programs in Developing Countries

    Rema Hanna, Benjamin Olken · 2018 · The Journal of Economic Perspectives · 289 citations

    Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals articulated by the United Nations, number one is the elimination of extreme poverty by 2030. While future economic growth should continue to reduce poverty, it will not solve the problem by itself; thus, there is a potentially important role for national-level transfer programs that assist poor families in developing countries. Such programs are often run by developing country governments. Many countries have implemented transfer programs that seek to target beneficiaries: that is, to identify who is poor and then to restrict transfers to those individuals. Some people have begun to advocate for “universal basic income” programs, which dispense with tr

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

    Hilary Hoynes, Jesse Rothstein · 2019 · Annual Review of Economics · 239 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

  9. Universal Basic Income in the Developing World

    Abhijit Banerjee, Paul Niehaus, Tavneet Suri · 2019 · Annual Review of Economics · 191 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.

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

    Marcia Gibson, Wendy Hearty, Peter Craig · 2020 · The Lancet Public Health · 164 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

  11. 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 · 74 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

  13. 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

    Abstract 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

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

    Zuzana Uhde · 2018 · Basic Income Studies · 7 citations

    Abstract 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

  15. 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

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

    Soomi Lee · 2021 · Basic Income Studies · 6 citations

    Abstract 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 associ

  17. 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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