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. Adults standing in a circle and talking to each other about their mental wellbeing. There is a staff member sitting to the left of them in the frame sitting next to a table. The community centre is located in Seaton Deleval in the North East of England.

    What is the left for?: The case for a politics of reciprocism

    Liberal democratic capitalism has failed to give many people good lives, and the future looks less promising than the past. 

  2. Wildfires and climate change | Dave Hawkey from IPPR Scotland speaks to Lewis Goodall on LBC

    Europe’s heatwaves and the wildfires in the Cairngorms are a stark reminder that climate extremes are here.  The Scottish government must act now with a clear plan to prepare for what's coming.

  3. “I feel quite unsettled and unsafe”: Young people, belonging, and the broken promise of childhood

    Young people in England feel less secure, supported and connected than a decade ago. Based on nearly 200 conversations, this blog explores why childhood feels more stressful and less joyful.