Abstract

Increasing calls for reform to welfare provision have seen growing support for basic income (BI) - the unconditional provision of cash transfers to all. As a result, recent years have seen an exponential increase in the number of pilot experiments of BI, across all parts of the world. However, to date, there has been little discussion on the ethical considerations of such experiments. This paper is the outcome of a workshop whereby BI piloters came together to discuss such ethical considerations, share case studies, and begin to formulate general principles to guide ethical BI experiments. The paper discusses the ethical considerations relevant to the various stages of a pilot experiment and concludes with some general principles: to do-no-harm, maintain respect, dignity, and agency; mitigate power inequalities, promote trust and transparency, and ensure substantive unconditionality. The paper hopes to stimulate discussions towards an ethical, ‘best practice’ protocol for BI experiments and provide a useful resource to those working on, or interested in, BI research.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherCentre for Development Studies
Number of pages45
ISBN (Electronic)ISSN 2977-392X
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Publication series

NameCentre for Development Studies Report Series
ISSN (Electronic)2977-392X

Keywords

  • Basic income
  • Research ethics
  • Sustainable welfare
  • Social policy

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