Addressing economic vulnerability among low-income families in America: is the basic income approach a viable policy option?

ABSTRACT Income instability characterizes the lives of many low-income families in America. Growing income inequality, wage stagnation, unstable jobs, and limited savings are only a few of the factors contributing to the chronic economic insecurity that many low-income families experience today. There has been a renewed interest in recent years in the idea of a basic income as a policy solution to address the problem of income instability. This brief provides an overview of the concept of basic income and discusses its strengths and limitations in promoting financial stability among vulnerable families in both the short- and long-term.