Abstract
Given UBI’s performance in poor and rural areas of India and Namibia and its transformative effects on livelihoods, one can foresee a potential for UBI supporting refugees and Internally Displaced Persons rebuild their lives in their country of origin. Furthermore, given UBI’s egalitarian rationale stemming from the idea of a more just society with a minimum level of economic security to all, UBI can be considered a key element of a state’s welfare system, the relevance of which cannot be overstated for countries emerging from conflict. Additionally, the field of international aid has as of recently, for efficiency considerations, started questioning its policies focused on in-kind aid, vouchers, prescribed spending in favor of cash transfers. To test UBI’s potential in post-conflict scenarios, we propose to examine its applicability in Syria, source of today’s largest refugee population.
References
Abboud, S. (2014, December 30). Comparative perspectives on the challenges of Syrian reconstruction. Carnegie Middle East Center. Retrieved from https://carnegie-mec.org/2014/12/30/comparative-perspectives-on-challenges-of-syrian-reconstruction-pub-57618Search in Google Scholar
Abboud, S. (2017, January 31). The economics of war and peace in Syria, stratification and factionalization in the business community. The Century Foundation. Retrieved from https://tcf.org/content/report/economics-war-peace-syria/?agreed=1Search in Google Scholar
Bastagli, F., Hagen-Zanker, J., Harman, L., Barca, V., Sturge, G., Schmidt, T. & Pellerano, L. (2016). Cash transfers: What does the evidence say? A rigorous review of programme impact and of the role of design and implementation features. London: Overseas Development Institute .Search in Google Scholar
BIEN Congress. (2012). Basic income in India presentation. Munich. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6mYSNpcscQ&feature=youtu.be.Search in Google Scholar
Blattman, C. & Niehaus, P. (2014). Show them the money: Why giving cash helps alleviate poverty. Foreign Affairs, 93 (3), 117-126 .Search in Google Scholar
Care International. (2018). Dangerous ground, Syria’s refugees face an uncertain future. Oslo, Norway: Care InternationalSearch in Google Scholar
CBR-TWG. (2018). Syria market monitoring exercise, snapshot 12–19 Nobember 2018. New York, USA: CBR-TWGSearch in Google Scholar
CLP. (2011). Glossary of terminology for cash and voucher assistance. Oxford, United Kingdom: CLPSearch in Google Scholar
CLP. (2018). CTP in challenging contexts: Case study on CTP and risks in Yemen 2015–2018. Oxford, United Kingdom: CLPSearch in Google Scholar
Davala, S., Jhabvala, R., Kapoor Mehta, S., & Standing, G. (2015). Basic income: A transformative policy for India. London, New Delhi, New York, Sydney: Bloomsbury Academic.10.5040/9781472593061Search in Google Scholar
Embassy of Japan in Syria. (2018, September 26). Japanese assistance to the Syrian People. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/JpnEmbInSyria/posts/1985752088148188.Search in Google Scholar
ESCWA and University of St Andrews. (2016). Syria at war, five years on. Beirut: United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia (ESCWA).Search in Google Scholar
EU. (2019, January 20). EU sanctions map, restrictive measures against Syria. Retrieved from https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main/details/32/?search=%7B%22value%22:%22syria%22,%22searchType%22:%7B%22id%22:1,%22title%22:%22regimes,%20persons,%20entities%22%7D%7D.Search in Google Scholar
European Comission. (2018). Facility on sustainable and dignified return and reintegration in support of the Khartoum process. Brussels, Belgium: European Commission (EC)Search in Google Scholar
European Union. (2018). Europe’s support to refugees and their host countries – EU regional trust fund in response to the Syrian crisis. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/eutf_syria_factsheet-english.pdf.Search in Google Scholar
Evans, D. K., & Popova, A. (2014, May). Cash transfers and temptation goods a review of global evidence. The world bank, Africa region office of the chief economist, p. Research Working Paper 6886.10.1596/1813-9450-6886Search in Google Scholar
Femia, F., & Werrell, C. (2012, February 29). Syria: Climate change, drought and social unrest. Retrieved from https://climateandsecurity.org/2012/02/29/syria-climate-change-drought-and-social-unrest/.Search in Google Scholar
Guterres, A. (2018, September 25). United nations secretary-general, address to the general assembly.Search in Google Scholar
Hanna, R., & Olken, B. A. (2018, Fall). Universal basic incomes versus targeted transfers: Anti-poverty programs in developing countries. Journal of Economic Perspective, 32, 4.10.1257/jep.32.4.201Search in Google Scholar
HLP. (2016). Too important to fail—addressing the humanitarian financing gap. HLP.Search in Google Scholar
Holmes, R. (2009). Cash transfers in post-conflict contexts. Overseas Development Institute, 32. Project Briefing, No. 32, November.Search in Google Scholar
Joint Statement. (2018). Joint statement by the presidents of the republic of Turkey, the French republic, the Russian federation and the chancellor of the federal republic of Germany. Paris, France: Palais de l'ÉlyséeSearch in Google Scholar
Kabbani, N. (2009, March). Why young Syrians prefer public sector jobs. Middle east youth Initiative. Policy outlook. 2.Search in Google Scholar
Khosla, S. (2018, February 14). India’s universal basic income: Bedeviled by the details. Carnegie India.Search in Google Scholar
Marks, J. (2018, March 2). In the competition over Syria’s reconstruction, China is the likely winner. Retrieved from https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/03/competition-over-syrias-reconstruction-china-likely-winner/146366/.Search in Google Scholar
Mroue, B. (2018, February 26). Syria starts rebuilding even as destruction continues. Associated Press. Retrieved from https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/syria-starts-rebuilding-even-as-destruction-continues-1.3818807.Search in Google Scholar
NRC. (2016, December). Norwegian refugee council’s country programme in Jordan. Factsheet. Retrieved from https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/pdf/fact-sheets/2017/jordan/country-fact-sheet_jordan-dec-2016.pdf.Search in Google Scholar
ODI. (2015). High level panel on humanitarian cash transfers. January 2015 to September 2015. London, UK: ODISearch in Google Scholar
OECD. (2018). Development co-operation report 2018, joining forces to leave no one behind. Paris: OECD.10.1787/dcr-2018-enSearch in Google Scholar
Oxford University Press. (2017). Economic survey 2016–17 2nd ed.. Oxford, UK: Oxford University PressSearch in Google Scholar
Samuel Hall. (2018). Syria’s spontaneous returns. London, UK: Samuel HallSearch in Google Scholar
SCPR. (2016). Confronting fragmentation! impact of the Syrian crisis report. Beirut: SCPR.Search in Google Scholar
SCPR. (2017). Social degradation in Syria. Beirut: SCPR.Search in Google Scholar
Standing, G. (2008). How cash transfers promote the case for basic income. Basic Income Studies, 3 (1,5), 1– 30.10.2202/1932-0183.1106Search in Google Scholar
Standing, G. (2013). Unconditional basic income: Two pilots in Madhya Pradesh. A background note prepared for the Delhi Conference. 2013, May 30–31.Search in Google Scholar
Standing, G. (2015). Why basic income’s emancipatory value exceeds its monetary value. Basic Income Studies, 10 (2), 193– 223.10.1515/bis-2015-0021Search in Google Scholar
Standing, G. (2017a, January 5). The economist behind universal basic income: Give all citizens UBI to help combat a ‘neofascist wave of populism’. (B. Insider, Interviewer)Search in Google Scholar
Standing, G. (2017b). Universal basic income and how we can make it happen. UK: Penguin Random House.Search in Google Scholar
The Syria Report. (2018, October 18). State-owned companies report manpower shortages. The Syria Report. Beirut: Images de l’Orient.Search in Google Scholar
The Syria Times. (2019, March 20). The Syrian observer. Retrieved from https://syrianobserver.com/EN/news/49259/syria-and-china-sign-economic-agreement.html.Search in Google Scholar
The Syria Trust Fund. (2014). Syria recovery trust fund overview. Retrieved from http://www.srtfund.org/articles/1_overview.Search in Google Scholar
UNHCR. (2017). The common cash facility. Geneva, Switzerland: UNHCRSearch in Google Scholar
UNICEF. (2018, April 23). News note. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/nearly-5-million-syrian-children-accessing-education-despite-over-seven-years-war.Search in Google Scholar
United Nations. (2018). Regional refugee & resilience plan (3RP) 2018–2019 - regional strategic overview.Search in Google Scholar
UNOCHA. (2019). The Syria crisis in numbers. Retrieved from https://unocha.exposure.co/the-syria-crisis-in-numbers.Search in Google Scholar
WHO. (2018). Seven years of Syria’s health tragedy. News release. Geneva, Switzerland: WHOSearch in Google Scholar
WHO. (2019). Polio eradication initiative – Syrian Arab republic. Regional office for the Eastern mediterranean. Retrieved from http://www.emro.who.int/polio/countries/syrian-arab-republic.html.Search in Google Scholar
World Bank. (2019). World development report 2019: The changing nature of work. Washington: World Bank.Search in Google Scholar
Zhou, L. (2018, July 10). China pledges US23 billion in loans and aid to Arab states as it boosts ties in middle East. South China morning post Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2154642/china-pledges-us23-million-loans-and-aid-arab-states-it.Search in Google Scholar
© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston