UBI as Social Assistance: Comparative Models and Instruments

Abstract

No AccessNov 2019UBI as Social Assistance: Comparative Models and InstrumentsAuthors/Editors: Ugo Gentilini, Margaret GroshUgo GentiliniSearch for more papers by this author, Margaret GroshSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1458-7_ch2AboutView ChaptersFull TextPDF (0.6 MB) ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract: Places universal basic income (UBI) in perspective by comparing it to other social assistance interventions, clarifying the analytical and practical differences between various options—including benefit and tax-based measures, and both wage- and nonwage-oriented schemes—then comparing and reviewing benefit structures and identifying comparative advantages and limitations. Social assistance can intend to (1) cover everyone who needs support; (2) provide adequate transfers to households or individuals; (3) prove manageable to finance and administer; (4) garner sufficient societal consensus to maintain political support; and (5) create as many positive and as few negative side effects as possible. But tensions exist among these objectives, and no program scores highly on all. The trade-offs and difficult balance across dimensions account for part of why social assistance remains so varied in different contexts, and why it remains an ongoing area of fervent debate. A UBI offers a possible new social protection system, but its exact definition remains contested. ReferencesAdhikari, Samik and Ugo Gentilini. 2018. “Should I Stay or Should I Go: Do Cash Transfers Affect Migration?” Policy Research Working Paper 8525. 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