Paper short abstract:

This paper will present findings from the mixed methods evaluation (3 rounds of qualitative and quantitative data) to explore the effects of the WorkFREE pilot on participants' experiences of dignity and labour choices.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation will aim to bring together findings from over 2 years of a mixed methods study situated within the WorkFREE project. It primarily aims to understand the effects of a basic income plus pilot the labour choices and experiences of (in)dignity in the lives of the urban poor. The lives of our participants, primarily garbage collectors, domestic workers and daily wagers in India are marked by extreme poverty, marginalisation and exclusion. At the intersection of caste, gender, poverty and little-to-no unionisation and social protection, these ‘self-employed’ workers’ labour choices are situated in the absence of meaningful alternatives. In this frame, UBI 'plus' is presented as a theoretical policy tool for decent work.

In this presentation I will present, first, this ground up understanding of freedom and dignity rooted in the words, relationships and experiences of those at the bottom of the ladder of labour and poverty. A view that takes a fundamentally relational lens to the framing and furthering of dignity as a policy goal. Second, the effects of the basic income on decisions around how labour is organised and the forms of ‘exit’ participants have in such situations. I explore how dignity and wellbeing is navigated in these contexts, and the role basic income plays in addressing the diverse pain points in the seemingly similar lives of our participants. Collectively, I will also reflect on cash and BI as a core piece of a new mosaic of social policy for the future.