Improving, not Leaving?: Exploring Exit and Voice in Labour in a UBI Pilot in Slums in Urban India

Vibhor Mathur; Neil Howard

doi:10.1093/ser/mwag022

Improving, not Leaving? Exploring Exit and Voice in Labour in a UBI Pilot in Slums in Urban India

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper empirically explores the effects of an unconditional basic income (UBI) on labour power for marginalised and precarious workers in Indian slums. Drawing on mixed-methods research over an 18-month pilot, we find that a modest, time-limited UBI does little to unsettle the structural forces that shape labour choices for those in ‘indecent’ work. At the level and duration it was trialled, the UBI neither served wage-replacement nor alternative-generating functions to generate movement out of such labour relations. However, even at this level, we find significant positive effects, with the UBI providing material, social and psychological resources to improve workers’ agency and their ability to improve the conditions and organisation of their work. We also find notable improvements in their self-esteem, resilience and aspirations in relation to life and work. We argue that this has significant policy implications, and for the theoretical framing of discussions around UBI and labour.

Original language	English
Article number	mwag022
Pages (from-to)	1-25
Number of pages	25
Journal	Socio-Economic Review
Early online date	17 May 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/ser/mwag022
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 17 May 2026

Acknowledgements

Gratitude is due to all the participants and research partners who made this research possible. Our appreciation also to Dr Jurgen de Wispelaere, Dr Sarath Davala, Santosh Malviya and Professor Joe Devine for their support in collecting and making sense of the data and the wider framing of this paper. Ethics approval was received for this study from the University of Bath Social Science Research Ethics Committee (Number S21-003). The wider project also received approval from the European Research Council (grant agreement no. 805425) from the IFMR Institutional Review Board in India (IRB00007107).

Funding

This research was made possible under a grant from the European Research Council grant no. [805425] and Mustardseed Trust.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Keywords

employee voice
labour market
low-wage employment
political economy
poverty
social policy

Access to Document

10.1093/ser/mwag022Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{fbb82a83632a404b82a99870a2379079,

title = "Improving, not Leaving?: Exploring Exit and Voice in Labour in a UBI Pilot in Slums in Urban India",

abstract = "This paper empirically explores the effects of an unconditional basic income (UBI) on labour power for marginalised and precarious workers in Indian slums. Drawing on mixed-methods research over an 18-month pilot, we find that a modest, time-limited UBI does little to unsettle the structural forces that shape labour choices for those in {\textquoteleft}indecent{\textquoteright} work. At the level and duration it was trialled, the UBI neither served wage-replacement nor alternative-generating functions to generate movement out of such labour relations. However, even at this level, we find significant positive effects, with the UBI providing material, social and psychological resources to improve workers{\textquoteright} agency and their ability to improve the conditions and organisation of their work. We also find notable improvements in their self-esteem, resilience and aspirations in relation to life and work. We argue that this has significant policy implications, and for the theoretical framing of discussions around UBI and labour.",

keywords = "employee voice, labour market, low-wage employment, political economy, poverty, social policy",

author = "Vibhor Mathur and Neil Howard",

year = "2026",

month = may,

day = "17",

doi = "10.1093/ser/mwag022",

language = "English",

pages = "1--25",

journal = "Socio-Economic Review",

issn = "1475-1461",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Improving, not Leaving?

T2 - Exploring Exit and Voice in Labour in a UBI Pilot in Slums in Urban India

AU - Mathur, Vibhor

AU - Howard, Neil

PY - 2026/5/17

Y1 - 2026/5/17

N2 - This paper empirically explores the effects of an unconditional basic income (UBI) on labour power for marginalised and precarious workers in Indian slums. Drawing on mixed-methods research over an 18-month pilot, we find that a modest, time-limited UBI does little to unsettle the structural forces that shape labour choices for those in ‘indecent’ work. At the level and duration it was trialled, the UBI neither served wage-replacement nor alternative-generating functions to generate movement out of such labour relations. However, even at this level, we find significant positive effects, with the UBI providing material, social and psychological resources to improve workers’ agency and their ability to improve the conditions and organisation of their work. We also find notable improvements in their self-esteem, resilience and aspirations in relation to life and work. We argue that this has significant policy implications, and for the theoretical framing of discussions around UBI and labour.

AB - This paper empirically explores the effects of an unconditional basic income (UBI) on labour power for marginalised and precarious workers in Indian slums. Drawing on mixed-methods research over an 18-month pilot, we find that a modest, time-limited UBI does little to unsettle the structural forces that shape labour choices for those in ‘indecent’ work. At the level and duration it was trialled, the UBI neither served wage-replacement nor alternative-generating functions to generate movement out of such labour relations. However, even at this level, we find significant positive effects, with the UBI providing material, social and psychological resources to improve workers’ agency and their ability to improve the conditions and organisation of their work. We also find notable improvements in their self-esteem, resilience and aspirations in relation to life and work. We argue that this has significant policy implications, and for the theoretical framing of discussions around UBI and labour.

KW - employee voice

KW - labour market

KW - low-wage employment

KW - political economy

KW - poverty

KW - social policy

U2 - 10.1093/ser/mwag022

DO - 10.1093/ser/mwag022

M3 - Article

SN - 1475-1461

SP - 1

EP - 25

JO - Socio-Economic Review

JF - Socio-Economic Review

M1 - mwag022

ER -