Bloomsbury Publishing will host a book launch for the new book, Basic Income: A Transformative Policy for India, by Sarath Davala, Renana Jhabvala, Soumya Kapoor Mehta and Guy Standing, on Tuesday 27th January 2015, at 6.30 p.m., at Bloomsbury Publishing, 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
RSVP via the Eventbrite page.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Would it be possible to provide people with a basic income as a right? The idea has a long history. This book draws on two pilot schemes conducted in the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh, in which thousands of men, women and children were provided with an unconditional monthly cash payment.
Book Cover
In a context in which the Indian government at national and state levels spends a vast amount on subsidies and selective schemes that are chronically expensive, inefficient, inequitable and subject to extensive corruption, there is scope for switching at least some of the spending to a modest basic income. This book explores what would be likely to happen if this were done.
The book draws on a series of evaluation surveys conducted over the course of the eighteen months in which the main pilot was in operation, supplemented with detailed case studies of individuals and families. It looks at the impact on health and nutrition, on schooling, on economic activity, women’s agency and the welfare of those with disabilities.
Above all, the book considers whether or not a basic income could be transformative, in not only improving individual and family welfare but in promoting economic growth and development, as well as having an emancipatory effect for people long mired in conditions of poverty and economic insecurity.
Sarath Davala, Renana Jhabvala, Soumya Kapoor Mehta, and Guy Standing. Basic Income: A Transformative Policy for India. New Delhi: Bloomsbury Publishing India, December 2014.
[Josh Martin]
Weir writes extensively on the basic income case study in Madhya Pradesh, India, which was led by Professor Guy Standing of SOAS in London. Weir covers how the project was set up as well as the major findings of the case study. In conclusion, Weir weighs the prospects for the basic income in India after the election of Narendra Modi earlier this year.
Stuart Weir, “Basic Income: transforming lives in rural India”, Open Democracy, 20 June 2014.
Source: Open Democracy
Taking inspiration from the Swiss referendum, this article argues for BIG in India, claiming, “the idea is to help the poor and ensure that government intervention is minimized.”
LiveMint & The Wall Street Journal, “A universal basic income for all Indians.” Hindustan Times, November 25, 2013.
Illustration: Jayachandran/Mint for the Hindustan Times
This recently-updated video has results from the Basic Income Pilot project in India.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtYtwiG-uAM&feature=youtu.be