Can Universal Basic Income work for disabled people? An examination of existing UK organisational and academic positions

Elliott Aidan Johnson*, Howard Reed, Matthew Johnson

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been proposed as a means of addressing a range of issues relating to welfare systems, including by removing disincentives to economic, social and physical activity. However, UK disability organisations and figures have expressed concerns about whether UBI could lead to unintended consequences for people who currently receive support conditional on needs, means and/or behaviour. In this article, we outline prominent positions regarding disabled people in the literature on UBI and welfare reforms. We find that while there are reservations about the intentions and designs of UBI, there are means of securing positive outcomes and collaboration between its supporters and disability organisations. We also attempted a consultation but were unable to obtain a significant response. This was sometimes due to an expressed inability to respond meaningfully. This serves as a call for organisations to engage with UBI as a key issue of interest to disabled people.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-20
Number of pages20
JournalDisability & Society
Early online date14 Jul 2023
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 14 Jul 2023

Keywords

  • Disability organisations
  • disabled people
  • Universal Basic Income
  • welfare
  • means-testing
  • conditionality

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