Saksham Khosla was a research analyst at Carnegie India. His research focuses on the political economy of administrative, economic, and welfare reforms in India. Previously, he was a junior fellow in the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. He holds bachelor’s degrees in politics and creative writing from Oberlin College.
The basic income conversation is alive and well in India, particularly in the wake of an analysis conducted by the Indian Ministry of Finance’s 2016–17 Economic Survey.
Far from what is needed to realize its ambitious vision, the Survey proposes a cash transfer with a dubious ability to compensate beneficiaries for the transition costs of moving to a new system, and one that would be financed by an indiscriminate culling of existing welfare schemes.
While there is much uncertainty about its final form, it is clear that the quest for universal basic income involves navigating the tricky waters of weak state capacity and the urgency of improving India’s existing welfare architecture.
The idea of a universal basic income has gained renewed attention amid growing concerns about technological unemployment in advanced economies.
Public debate around a universal basic income—periodic and unconditional cash payments to all citizens—has grown significantly after the 2016-17 Economic Survey outlined such a scheme for India.
Several commentators have remarked that Universal Basic Income functions as a Rorschach test for the welfare state, given that it draws its support from a diverse ideological coalition that sees it as mediating their own preferred versions of an ideal society.
The idea of a universal basic income (UBI)—periodic and unconditional cash payments to all citizens—has gained renewed attention amid growing concerns about technological unemployment in advanced economies.
Brain gain—the phenomenon of Indians returning from work and study abroad, and the government initiatives designed to encourage their return—has contributed significantly to the growth of the Indian economy.
The government’s flagship financial inclusion drive, the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, is one of the grandest policy initiatives of its kind by virtue of sheer scale.
As the universal basic income discussion evolves, it is imperative that policymakers deliberate upon the research on cash transfers, the administrative muscle required to disburse benefits across the land, and the contextual factors driving the revealed preferences of the poor.