How Unconditional Basic Income encourages reciprocity

Abstract

This article explores the idea that a UBI might be a superior mechanism in promoting reciprocity in society, looking at available data from social experiments with cash transfers. The results of these experiments show that when people receive an unconditional grant, they don't usually stop working. Instead, they tend to diversify their time-use, opting to invest in caring for family members or in community activities. Experiences also shows that unlike conditional cash transfers, basic income is less stigmatizing to beneficiaries. These results and their interpretation allow us to expand our idea of productive contribution beyond paid employment. It also allows us to discuss the role of basic income as an essential policy for promoting reciprocity in a fairer society, instead of a mechanism that violates the norm of reciprocity.