Towards a living income: Short-term action towards a long-term ambition

Article

In this report we set out short-term policy recommendations ahead of the next Scottish programme for government, which would provide first steps towards delivery of a minimum income guarantee, universal basic services, and fair work.

These proposals are important commitments and together present an opportunity to radically reshape the welfare state and the roles that social security, work, and collective services play in delivering greater levels of financial security.

Taking immediate steps would demonstrate willingness and show progress on the part of the Scottish government against these long-term ambitions, but most crucially it would also provide a response to the immediate crisis families face here and now.

In the coming months, IPPR Scotland will be expanding on this briefing with further reports.

Related items

  1. A front three quarter length view of a small group of university students walking together talking in the city on an autumn day in Newcastle, England

    A generation apart? Youth politics, alienation and democratic renewal in Britain

    Public debate about young people and politics is loud, contested – and largely wrong.

  2. Britain’s broken social contract: Young people have lost faith in their future

    Drawing on new evidence, this blog examines the decline in young people’s optimism about work, success and social mobility, and argues for a new deal to rebuild trust in Britain’s social contract.
  3. Female beggar in London. Sitting on a bag, with a blanket round her legs and a blue hood and brown coat. A newspaper and litter is on the path as she rests with a hand out against a map as people walk past

    Closing the gaps: Immigration status and homelessness

    Homelessness in England is on the rise, including among migrants and refugees.