by Yannick Vanderborght | Sep 6, 2013 | News, Research
The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) recently completed a large pilot project on Basic Income in India. The association’s June Newsletter reports on the methodology and findings of the study.
The project randomly assigned 8 out of 20 villages in the study to receive the grant, while the other 12 villages were used as controls. Every adult man and woman in the treatment villages received a grant of 200 Rupees (about US$3 or N$30) per month and every child received 100 Rupees per month. After one year, the amounts were increased to 300 Rupees and 150 Rupees respectively. A total of 6,000 individuals in the 8 villages received the grants for 12 to 17 months. The amount was equivalent to about 20 to 30 percent of household income for the lower-income families in the study.
Researchers conducting the study found that the grants significantly reduced hunger, malnutrition, and illness among recipients. Recipients increased ownership of livestock, reduced, improved school attendance, improved school attendance, and increased investment in agricultural implements. Researchers found no increase in alcohol consumption in the treatment villages. Importantly, the study also found that grant recipients worked more than people in the control villages and that they were three times more likely to start a new business. These results for a positive effect on work effort and earned income (found both the Uganda and the India studies) are confirmed by evidence from cash transfer programs. For example, in South Africa, the Old Age Pension, the Child Support Grant, and the Disability Grant all helped to raise labor force participation and employment.
SEWA, “Unconditional cash transfers: SEWA pilots a unique experiment in Madhya Pradesh,” We the Self-Employed: SEWA’s Electronic Newsletter, No. 50, June 2013.
No. 50, June 2013
by Karl Widerquist | Sep 2, 2013 | Research
Evelyn Forget
From 1974 to 1979, a basic income social experiment known under the name of “Mincome Program” took place in a small Canadian town. Evelyn Forget, researcher, is one of the very few persons who have studied the sociological impact of the guaranteed income experiment. In this interview with Stanislas Jourdan, she explains more about her findings, 30 years after the experiment ended.
Stanislas Jourdan, “A Way to Get Healthy: Basic Income Experiments in Canada,” Basic Income UK, August 7, 2013. This article was first published in french on revenudebase.info
by Peter Knight | Nov 21, 2024 | News
Photo by Amber Weir via Unsplash
Workshop Program: Designing a Basic Income Pilot for Australia – Ethics, Implementation & Evaluation Challenges
Location: Online (Zoom)
Date: Friday, December 6
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:15 PM
Overview:
Pilots, trials, and experiments have played a central role in establishing an evidence base for the potential benefits of basic income and similar concepts. While proponents of basic income often highlight the positive outcomes of these trials, critics question their effectiveness. The relationship between basic income and policy experimentation has been viewed as crucial for building public and political support for the reform, though some argue that it has been a distraction that has failed to deliver policy implementation.
In Australia, the debate around basic income pilots is still in its early stages compared to international efforts. Aside from a small-scale trial in the 1970s, there has never been a comprehensive basic income pilot, and very few detailed proposals have gained significant traction. The Third Annual Australian Basic Income Fellows Workshop seeks to move the conversation forward by focusing on the ethical, practical, and evaluation challenges involved in designing a basic income pilot for Australia.
To learn more and register, click here.
by Jurgen De Wispelaere | Nov 4, 2024 | Research
Photo by Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash
Article by Jurgen De Wispelaere, Joe Chrisp, and Leticia Morales in Global Policy
Abstract: This short paper reflects on the key lessons we can learn from the political debate around and policy experimentation with (emergency) basic income schemes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic crisis initially seems to have opened up a policy window for introducing a basic income as a crisis instrument, theoretical arguments and empirical observations strongly suggest the reliance of some basic income advocates on crisis events, such as the pandemic, to push forward their policy ideas involves wishful thinking rather than political reality. A feasible roadmap towards introducing basic income requires the hard work of raising public awareness, constructing broad constituencies, and building robust political coalitions rather than waiting for the next crisis to come around the corner.
To read the full paper, click here.
by Neil Howard | Oct 21, 2024 | Events, News
A universal basic income (UBI) is a periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all individuals, without means testing or work requirements. Today, a broad variety of ideas surrounding the topic of UBI circulate globally, leading to debates, suggestions, and experimentation, but not to the implementation of what is seen as a “full UBI.” Instead, basic income proposals differ among many dimensions, goals, and localities. Since the early 2000s, a curious trend can be observed in the Global South in this context: With the rise of conditional cash transfers (CCTs), the focus on conditionalities and targeting as development and poverty reduction tools has significantly influenced possible dealings with UBI ideas. But UBI scholars and advocates have influenced the CCT discourse likewise, for example, through the BIG grant in Namibia, the initiative of GiveDirectly in Kenya, the UBI pilot in Madhya Pradesh, India, or the intermingling of UBI advocacy with the social protection program Bolsa Familia in Brazil.
This winter school explores the multifaceted topic of UBI in the context of the Global South, providing an overview of the specific contexts, challenges, and outcomes of UBI pilots and experiments, as well as related and inspired policies and initiatives. It will explore the political and ethical considerations surrounding the debates on UBI in countries of the Global South, including the topics of social rights, equity, and the role of government intervention. Through a variety of case studies, it aims to create a critical understanding of the potential and limitations of UBI as a tool for social and economic transformation in so-called ‘developing countries.’
Attendence is free and can participation is welcome in person and online. Please register here.
