Loek Groot

The research question in this project is to investigate which piecemeal reforms - inspired by or linked to the basic income proposal - are most likely to command support and worth to be pursued.

Last decade, there has been an upsurge in both the popular and academic interest for the proposal of a basic income. Still, there is no major political party in Western democracies that endorses in its party manifesto a welfare reform along the lines of implementing a basic income. Moreover, no major societal actor, such as trade unions, employers’ associations, feminists and environmentalists, univocally endorses basic income. Thus despite the strong scholarly interest in basic income, it is highly unlikely that the implementation of basic income is pending or just around the corner. But it does not preclude that basic income may serve as an important source of inspiration for future welfare reforms. The research question in this project is therefore to investigate which piecemeal reforms – inspired by or linked to the basic income proposal – are most likely to command support and worth to be pursued.