A/HRC/35/26 principle, and the privatization of remaining State responsibilities in the social sector, risks leaving the State in no position to protect or promote social rights meaningfully. II. Introducing basic income A. Characteristics of a full basic income 9. In its comprehensive and ideal form, a basic income is explicitly designed to challenge most of the key assumptions underpinning existing social security systems. Rather than a system where there are partial payments, basic income guarantees a floor; instead of being episodic, payments are regular; rather than being needs-based, they are paid as a flat rate to all; they come in cash, rather than as messy in-kind support; they accrue to every individual, rather than only to needy households; rather than requiring that various conditions be met, they are unconditional; rather than excluding the well off, they are universal; and instead of being based on lifetime contributions, they are funded primarily from taxation. And simplicity of design promises minimal bureaucracy and low administrative costs. Guaranteed floor 10. The income is “basic” in the sense that it is designed to guarantee a “floor” on which every recipient can stand.7 Because people’s needs are highly individualized and contextdependent, the amount that any specific individual requires will depend on factors such as local housing and living costs, the person’s health status, and whether there is any form of support network in place. But in its pure form, basic income would generally be assumed to be a uniform amount, which does not reflect those differentials. There are, however, different versions of the concept that envisage adjusting the amount over time, providing less money for children and more for the elderly, or adjusting for geography. 8 The basis on which the floor is calculated and the amount to be paid will, of course, vary greatly from one country to another. Thus, while a national referendum on basic income in Switzerland proposed a payment of SwF 2,500 per month per adult, a South African initiative envisages a grant of US$15 per person per month, indexed to inflation.9 Regular payments 11. Under a basic income system, regular payments would be made to recipients, for example on a monthly basis. Predictability and continuity ensure that redistributive and poverty-reducing goals are met, whereas one-time only payments or lump sums do not ensure a consistent floor. Cash 12. Basic income is intended as a cash grant; not as in-kind support such as food, vouchers or shelter. This means that individuals must have a means by which to receive the income, such as a bank account, or a cell phone capable of managing electronic payments. This might be problematic where neither banking infrastructure nor cell phone coverage are strong, and will also be difficult for groups such as the homeless, people fleeing domestic violence, and persons with psychosocial disabilities. 10 7 8 9 10 6 Van Parijs and Vanderborght, Basic Income, p. 9. Ibid., pp. 10 and 11. “Towards A SADC-wide basic income grant: where are we now”. Available from http://spii.org.za/sadcbigcampaign/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SADC-BIG-Newsletter-Issue-12016.pdf. See, for example, James P. Mulvale and Sid Frankel, “Next steps on the road to basic income in Canada”, Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, vol. 43, No. 3 (2016), pp. 27-50, citing on p. 41 Jurgen De Wispelaere and Lindsay Stirton, “The politics of unconditional basic income: bringing bureaucracy back in”, Political Studies, vol. 61, No. 4 (2013), p. 915.