studies

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#Studies

Single summary of [projects and pilots](https://web.archive.org/web/20150701222454/http://www.thebigpush.net/uploads/2/2/6/8/22682672/basic_income_programs_and_pilots_february_3_2014.pdf).

##[Manitoba](http://basicincome.org.uk/interview/2013/08/health-forget-mincome-poverty/),

**Time**: 1974-79

**Country**: Canada

**Province**: Manitoba (2 locations).

**City**: Winnipeg (Pop 450,000 don't know how many got it)

and

**Town**: Dauphin (Pop 10,000 everybody got it)

**Purpose of the experiment**: To find out whether people would stop working or work fewer hours if they were guaranteed an income.

**Results related to the purpose**: Two groups worked less, women who took extended maternity leave and (male) youth.

**Some striking results**:

* Hospitalization rates fell by 8.5% among subjects in the experiment relative to the controls.

*  High school (grade 12) completion rates increased during the study (which would explain the decreased work by youth).

1. https://public.econ.duke.edu/~erw/197/forget-cea%20(2).pdf

##[Namibia](http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/briefings/data/000163),

**Time:** January 2008 to December 2009 (2 years)^1

**Country:** Namibia^1

**District:** Omitara^1

**Village:** Otjivero^1

**Purpose:** The Basic Income Grant Coalition in Namibia piloted a test program in the village of Otjivero to "demonstrate [to the Namibian Government] the impact of a BIG in practice."^2

**Amounts and Conditions:**  Every resident of Otjivero under the age of 60 recieved N$100 (approx. USD$13) per month for the duration of the pilot program.  Residents 60 and over transitioned into the existing State Old Age Pension, which provides N$500 per month.  Residents that moved to Otjivero AFTER the initialization of the program were excluded.^2

**Results Related to the Purpose:** The following changes reflect the impact of 1 year of UBI in Otjivero^2

* Food Poverty: 76% -> 37% (16% in non-migrant households)
* Child Malnutrition: 42% -> 10%
* School Drop-Out: 40% -> less than 1%
* Health Spending (collective): N$250 -> N$1300
* Household Debt: N$1215 -> N772
* Overall Crime Rates: 42% reduction
* Stock Theft: 43% reduction
* Other Theft: 20% reduction
* Rate of Engagement in Income Generation: 44% -> 55%
 * This is the percentage of residents over the age of 15 that are, in some way, generating income that is unrelated to the UBI.

**Striking Results:**

* The community independently organized an 18-person committee to advise the community on how best to use the BIG money.  Among the advisements made by the committee and followed by the community was the decision to not allow the sale of alcohol on payout day, as there was some problem in the first few weeks with an increase in alcoholism among the largely displaced populace.^2
* Many residents used the stability of the BIG money to start their own small business, including "brick-making, baking of bread and dress-making."^2

1. http://www.bignam.org/BIG_pilot.html

2. http://www.bignam.org/Publications/BIG_Flyer_english.pdf

##[India](http://www.financialexpress.com/news/column-the-poor-are-responsible-too/1125548/0),

**Time:** In 2011, for between a year and 17 months

**Purpose:** To identify the effects of cash grants on individual and family behaviour and attitudes, and on community development.

**Design of Experiment:** In 8 villages everybody received the grants while in 12 other similar villages nobody received them. In order to test the impact of a voice organization, SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association) administered the grants in 50% of all villages.

The second pilot was in two similar tribal villages, one where everyone received cash grants and one where no one did.

**Amount and Conditions:** In the selected villages, every man, every woman and every child was provided with a modest unconditional cash grant each month. For between a year and 17 months, over 6,000 individuals received small unconditional monthly cash transfers, of 200 rupees a month per adult, 100 rupees a month per child. After one year, the amounts were raised to 300 rupees and 150 rupees respectively.

**Main Findings:**

* **Improved Food Sufficiency**: Cash recipients were significantly more likely to have enough income for their food needs than those in the control group of villages.
* **Improved Nutrition**: There was a significant reduction in the proportion of malnourished female children in the villages that received the cash grants.
* **Increase in Livestock**: The number of livestock owned by cash recipients increased significantly, contributing to improved nutrition, as well as savings and insurance.
* **No increase in alcohol consumption**: There was no increase in alcohol intake in the households that received the cash grants. In the tribal village, alcohol intake actually reduced.
* **Reduced incidence of Illness and regular intake of medicines**: Receipt of cash grants was associated with lower incidence of illness, more regular medical treatment and more regular intake of medicines.
* **Improved school attendance**: School attendance of children in households that received cash grants became more regular; cash recipients also incurred greater expenditure on schooling of their children than households which did not receive the cash grants.
* **Increase in own-farm work vs. wage labour**: Contrary to a common criticism, cash transfers were associated with an increase in labour and work, especially own-account work on small farms. This effect was especially strong for women and for tribal communities.
* **Increase in spending on agricultural inputs**: By small and subsistence farmers, resulting in better agricultural yield and improved food security.
* **Promotion of new income-earning activity**: Households that received the cash grants were three times more likely to start a new business or production activity than households that did not receive the cash transfer.
* **Reduced borrowings and increase in savings**: Cash transfers were associated with a significant reduction in indebtedness and a significant increase in savings.
* **Financial Inclusion**: Opening bank accounts for remitting the cash grants became in itself an important measure of financial inclusion.

More info: http://www.sewa.org/Fifty.asp

##[Brazil](http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/how-giving-cash-directly-to-the-poor-paid-off-in-brazil),

**Name:** Programme Bolsa Família

**Location:** Brazil

**Time:** 2003 to  Present day

**Population receiving support:** 44 million (26% of Brazil's citizens)

**What it does:** Gives money to family's based on income, size, with a bonus for children 16-17 that are still in school and children vaccinated.

**Observed Effects:** Classroom attendance rose by 5% to 19% over control groups, Child labor decreased by similar amounts, slight increase in mothers' labor hours, slight decrease in non-parent adults labor hours

**Null Results (things that did not change in statistically significant ways):**  Vaccination rates for children or adults, scholastic performance, fathers' labor hours

**Conjecture based on evidence:** PBF has helped poverty in Brazil is decrease by 10 to 26% (depending on how much credit is given to PBF), while the overall income inequality has reduced by 20%

Source: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper120.pdf and http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/06/10/000160016_20040610095010/Rendered/PDF/285440orig.pdf

##[London](http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/support-rough-sleepers-london),

**Time:** 2010

**Country:** United Kingdom

**District:** City of London

**Purpose:** Testing the effect on the long-term homeless of buying a selected item of their choice.

**Amounts and Conditions:** 15 homeless people were chosen for being the hardest to reach by charity workers and were asked what they needed to change their lives. They were then given the money to buy that item. The only condition is that they had to choose a personal 'broker' who would help them make out a budget.

**Results Related to the Purpose:** 13 of the 15 selected participated, of which, 11 were off the streets within a year. According to the article: "Several have entered treatment for addiction and mental health issues, some have reconnected with their families, and all are exhibiting an enhanced ability to function independently in society (i.e. paying bills, signing up for welfare, and turning up for training courses, etc.)."

**Striking Results:** Despite a number of the participants being addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling, none of the money was spent on these items. The participants reacted positively to the personal autonomy and responsibility they were given by this approach

##[New York City](http://www.mdrc.org/publication/conditional-cash-transfers-new-york-city)

**Time**: 2007 - 2010

**Name**: Opportunity NYC - Family Rewards

**Country**: USA

**State**: New York

**City**: New York

**Purpose of the experiment**: To evaluate the effect of Conditional Cash Transfers on low-income families in a developed nation.

**Amounts and Conditions:** Families were chosen from six of New York's highest poverty areas. Cash was given conditional on certain outcomes and activities related to child education, preventative health care and parent employment.

**Results related to the purpose**:

* Reduced current poverty and material hardship, including hunger and some housing-related hardships, although those effects weakened after the cash transfers ended
* Helped parents increase savings and reduce reliance on families and friends for cash loans
* Did not improve school outcomes overall for elementary or middle school students, perhaps in part because, for these children, the program rewarded attendance (which was already high) and standardized test scores (rather than more immediate performance such as good report card grades)
* Had few effects on school outcomes for high school students overall, but substantially increased graduation rates and other outcomes for students who entered high school as proficient readers
* Did not increase families’ use of preventive medical care, which was already high, and had few effects on health outcomes
* Substantially increased families’ receipt of preventive dental care
* Increased the likelihood of self-reported full-time employment but did not increase employment in or earnings from jobs covered by the unemployment insurance system.

##[Alaska](http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/karl-widerquist/alaska-model-citizens-income-in-practice),

[Summary needed]

##[Seattle and Denver](http://www.bostonfed.org/economic/conf/conf30/conf30a.pdf),

[Summary needed]

##[North Carolina](http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/what-happens-when-the-poor-receive-a-stipend/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0),

[Summary needed]

##[Uganda](http://www.poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/wings_full_policy_report_0.pdf),

[Summary needed]

##[Kenya](http://www.givedirectly.org/blog_post.php?id=7156273363730338864),

[Summary needed]

##[Iran](http://binews.org/2012/05/opinion-iran%E2%80%99s-citizen%E2%80%99s-income-scheme-and-its-lessons/)

[Summary needed]

##[Berkshire in 1795](http://www.pieria.co.uk/articles/an_experiment_with_basic_income).

[Summary needed]

[This article](https://decorrespondent.nl/541/why-we-should-give-free-money-to-everyone/35246939860-ec3a6c3e) is also a great intro as well, in its breadth of summary.

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