JFI’s Paul Katz provides expertise on UBI for Latin America Advisor

Latin America Advisor, a daily publication of the Dialogue, published a front-page feature of expert input on “Should Countries Provide a Universal Basic Income?” JFI’s VP for Special Projects, Paul Katz, was among the interviewees, providing perspective from the model policy of basic income in Maricá, Brazil, and a larger commentary on the vast gaps in social safety nets that have led to greater interest in cash transfer policies globally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul said, “In Latin America, where approximately half of all workers are employed in the informal sector, the tendency to tie social benefits to formal employment presents an especially acute problem. The value of unconditional benefits could hardly be clearer. Governments across Latin America responded to the crisis by instituting or bolstering targeted temporary cash transfer programs. In Brazil, these initiatives include an emergency federal benefit for tens of millions of unemployed and self-employed workers, as well as municipal projects in Niterói and Maricá. (The latter is home to the largest permanent basic income program in Latin America, which the Jain Family Institute has partnered with the Universidade Federal Fluminense to study.) If the academic literature is any guide, these programs are likely to improve the lives of their beneficiaries.”

Read the full article online here, and a clip is captured below.

Thank you to Antastasia Chacon for her coverage and conversation.