Can state and local basic income policies support planning for equity?
Name
1193561405-MIT.pdf
Size
2.65 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ad856f0b1350c362eda257c5b07e6816
Author(s)
Powers, Daniel L.(Daniel Larkin)
Advisor(s)
Karilyn Crockett.
Date Issued
2020
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Interest in basic income has been rising as more and more cities and places undertake basic income pilots, seams in existing supports become more and more apparent, and racial and class-based disparities widen. Yet the justifications offered for basic income programs are diffuse and sometimes in tension. Questions remain about the purpose of pilots, and whether pilots will ever make the jump to permanent policies. This thesis sets out to answer whether basic income policies at the city or state level can support equity. In doing so, it reviews the existing literature; examines failed basic income programs; investigates existing federal benefits systems and policies, and how they could constrain a basic income; and compares a city-level basic income pilot (Stockton's Economic Empowerment Demonstration) with a state-level basic income program (Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend). Assessing this evidence demonstrates the breadth of decisions involved in designing basic-income policies, and the tradeoffs involved in each. Ultimately, basic income policies can support equity by providing a direct, flexible benefit to the poor and avoiding administrative burdens built into many benefit programs. However, whether a policy actually supports equity goals depends on the specific decisions involved in its design, including its financing, eligibility criteria, and whether other services are sacrificed to implement it. Serious questions remain unanswered by existing pilots about how a permanent policy would be financed and implemented. Uncritical calls for a basic income risk neglecting details that determine whether policies will support or undermine equity. City and state governments could still benefit from incorporating features of basic income into their equitable development strategies, and pilots and advocates could work more to answer unknowns about the transition to policies..
Description
Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, May, 2020
Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 114-126).
Subjects
Urban Studies and Planning.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Terms of Use
MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.
Persistent DSpace Link
