A Basic Income For All? Understanding the Basic Income Concept From the Perspectives of Community-Based Advocates

Abstract

Basic income is a policy concept that has garnered considerable research attention over the past decade. However, very few studies have explored the concept from the perspectives of frontline service providers and anti-poverty activists. Grounded in structural social work and intersectionality theories, this qualitative study centres the insights of six individuals working and organizing in various community roles, including frontline social workers and grassroots anti-poverty activists. The findings from this study, gathered through a focus group, suggest that community responders to poverty are deeply unhappy with the current welfare state, possess mixed feelings about the possibilities of a basic income strategy, and are highly skeptical about the ethical implications and political motivations behind the Ontario government’s basic income pilot study. It is hoped that the findings from this research will complicate and deepen perspectives on a basic income while simultaneously contributing to the momentum behind this emerging policy intervention.