The evidence from the basic income initiatives undertaken around the world so far, while not extensive, is on the whole positive and the Wales Centre for Public Policy was asked to convene a conference about the Welsh pilot, attended by leading British and international academics and policy experts on the subject and drawing on global evidence.

WCPP’s Greg Notman has published a blog highlighting five key takeaways from the conference:

1.    We need to look beyond employment outcomes when evaluating basic income pilots. A basic income provides the opportunity to retrain, start a business or learn new skills so an emphasis on the labour market alone does not provide the full picture. 
2.    ‘Not everybody wants a goat’*! Individual freedom is seen in studies around the world as a key benefit of basic income schemes. 
3.    Wellbeing can be improved by increasing autonomy and reducing independence on others. WCPP’s work on poverty highlights the relationship between poverty and poor mental health; a basic income can help to lift the associated mental load. 
4.    Recipients themselves are key to determining which outcomes are most important for evaluation. 
5.    The success of the Welsh pilot will rely on engaging but not over-burdening some of the participants, who, as care leavers, are part of a small but already highly researched group

CLICK HERE to read the blog and CLICK the button below to download the full highlights pack from the WCPP Basic Income for Care Leavers in Wales Pilot conference. 

In the coming weeks we will be publishing two more blogs on basic income, by two leading academics in the field - Professor Guy Standing, and Dr Francine Mestrum.

* Not Everybody Wants A Goat In Kenya | Foreign Correspondent - YouTube