The Special Issue can be accessed here.

Issue launched in Revista Econômica on Basic Income and its multidisciplinary approaches. The Issue was the result of a seminar held at our Faculty of Economics at UFF on March 25, 2024. This seminar, entitled “Experiences and dialogues between philosophy, economics and politics”, was attended by researchers from Universidade Federal Fluminense and University of Minho (Braga, Portugal), both economists and non-economists, and culminated in a series of articles focusing on discussions about basic income in a multidisciplinary context. 

In “Stigma and discretion: the relationship between public agents and Bolsa Família beneficiaries”, Professor Mani Tebet analyzes, based on ethnographic research, how stigmas and discretion are constructed in the interactions between public agents and beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família program in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro.  Via observation, ethnography in various public spaces (such as schools and health centers) and 70 interviews with beneficiaries, institutional actors and neighbors, the research seeks to understand how these dynamics affect access to and treatment within the program.

In the second text “Maricá's ‘social revolution’: basic income, social currency and the promotion of inclusive development”, Diego Moreira Maggi and Camila Amancio Stamm analyze the economic and social transformations that have taken place in Maricá, Rio de Janeiro, driven by the municipality's social policies, such as the basic income program in local social currency (Mumbuca) and the zero fare on public transport.  Using statistical data, the authors highlight the impact of these measures on local economic growth and social inclusion.

In the third article, “Is a Green Basic Income Possible? The case of Maricá in Brazil”, Professor Catarina Neves examines the potential of a Green BI as a tool to tackle climate change.  Although the UBI is seen as a universal and unconditional solution, the text argues that its implementation within an ecological agenda faces challenges related to institutional design and the tensions between individual autonomy and the promotion of environmental policies.

Finally, the Issue brings the contribution of Professors Luiz Arthur Silva de Faria, Henrique Pavan Beiro de Souza, Anderson Carlos Nogueira Oriente, Bruno Chapadeiro Ribeiro in “Digital social currencies in the State of Rio de Janeiro and their diversity: from community to municipal, from microcredit to basic income”.  This article investigates the different ways in which social currencies are implemented in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with an emphasis on community and municipal experiences.

​This Special Issue is part of the project entitled The Moral, Economic and Social Value of Basic Income (UBIECO), reference 2022.02143.PTDC, led by Professor Roberto Merrill (UMinho, CEPS).