Removing Welfare Traps: Employment Responses in the Finnish Basic Income Experiment

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2022
Volume: 14
Issue: 1
Pages: 501-22

Authors (3)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper provides evidence that replacing minimum unemployment benefits with a basic income of equal size has minor employment effects at best. We examine an experiment in Finland in which 2,000 benefit recipients were randomized to receive a monthly basic income. The experiment lowered participation tax rates by 23 percentage points for full-time employment. Despite the considerable increase in work incentives, days in employment remained statistically unchanged in the first year of the experiment. Moreover, even though all job search requirements were waived, participation in reemployment services remained high.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:14:y:2022:i:1:p:501-22
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25