Description: "Social protection systems in Latin America developed in a fragmented manner, offering varying access to benefits and benefit levels to population groups. In the context of widespread informal and precarious work, social insurance institutions could only provide limited coverage. In this context, progress towards a Citizen's Income policy in Latin America depends on the possibility of reappraising its importance for an integrated institutional system, which promotes the empowerment and economic independence of the people. A Citizen's Income policy is not only a cash transfer to alleviate poverty or a basic income for food. It is a basic right to improve democracy and encourage a more autonomous development of people living in profoundly unequal societies"--
Review Quotes:
"This is an outstanding collection of essays making a compelling case for the desirability and viability of a citizens' income, while at the same time identifying the formidable political obstacles to the implementation of such a policy. The authors contribute insights from different country experiences into the steps necessary to transition from the prevalent model of conditional cash transfers to a rights-based universalistic basic income scheme. Citizen's Income and Welfare Regimes in Latin America is a must read for scholars, students, and citizens concerned with policy to reduce poverty and inequality." - Evelyn Huber, Morehead Alumni Professor of Political Science and chair of the Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill