An Inclusive Systems-Based Analysis of a Basic Income for the Province of British Columbia
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2022-04-28
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Abstract
Within Canada, a basic income has received renewed interest due to the COVID-19 pandemic which revealed how weak Canada’s safety net is. This thesis critically analyzes a basic income for the province of British Columbia. Specifically, this thesis answers how does a basic income impact inclusion—the equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from economic, social, and political opportunities? And can a basic income meet the basic income principles of simplicity, respect, economic security, and social inclusion embodied in basic income proposals? To answer these questions, I develop an inclusive systems-based analytical framework that may be applied to any social program or policy reform. This framework centers inclusion as the major objective, should employ an intersectional lens, and examines reforms within the structure in which they will be placed. I apply this framework to the analysis of a basic income for British Columbia, beginning by extensively examining the current state of poverty, structural reasons for poverty, and the system of income and social supports. This framework and background context are then applied to a basic income. A technical analysis of simulations of a basic income and resultant quantifiable outcomes are examined. This is followed by an analysis of the inclusive effects of a basic income, including its accessibility, adequacy, and autonomy. While a basic income can enhance inclusion based on some criteria for some persons, it fails to enhance inclusion for many of the most vulnerable. Accessibility problems, an inability to meet extraordinary and heterogeneous needs, and a reliance on private markets that may not be accessible to some persons, means that a basic income alone cannot address inclusion and poverty for all and must be supplemented by other programs to close up the gaps if inclusion is its objective. Ultimately, a basic income will either fail to address inclusion for all or return the system of income and social supports to a state not unlike its current state. A basic income is not a panacea but rather an extreme form of cash benefit that must grapple with the same issues all cash transfers grapple with.
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Petit, G. (2022). An Inclusive Systems-Based Analysis of a Basic Income for the Province of British Columbia (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.