Citizens’ basic income in Scotland: On the road to somewhere
| Author | Sara Cantillon,Francis O’Toole |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/13882627221114373 |
| Published date | 01 September 2022 |
| Date | 01 September 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Citizens’basic income in
Scotland: On the road to
somewhere
Sara Cantillon
Wise Centre for Economic Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Francis O’Toole
Economics Department, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Abstract
While the economic fragility exposed by Covid-19 has renewed the attention paid to social pro-
tection systems and in particular to basic income, the Scottish government had already funded
four local authorities –North Ayrshire, City of Edinburgh, Fife and Glasgow –to undertake a feasi-
bility study on the introduction of a Universal Basic Income pilot in Scotland. This article explores
the specific Scottish context and rationale for this study, including the factors that led the Scottish
government and the local authorities to pursue this approach, as well as the impact of the study on
the wider social security debate and policy context in Scotland. Specifically, it takes a critical look
at the Steering Committee’s feasibility study, and its two commissioned research components, and
explores the financial costings and institutional obstacles identified in taking forward a pilot
Universal Basic Income in Scotland. These significant challenges are considered in light of both
the limits of devolution and the ongoing debate on independence, as well as the wider implications
for progress in social protection in Scotland.
Keywords
Basic income, Scotland, devolution, social security, feasibility
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic, by necessity, ushered in a new policy era in which social protection pol-
icies were re-invented within a very short time period. Many countries, for example, introduced sig-
nificant formsof temporary universal income(TUI) payments (e.g. incomesupport measures and cash
transfer payments) as part of their emergency responses. More generally, policy makers were forced to
Corresponding author:
Sara Cantillon, Wise Centre for Economic Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK.
Email: sara.cantillon@gcu.ac.uk.
Article
European Journal of Social Security
2022, Vol. 24(3) 230–242
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/13882627221114373
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