12-Year Basic Income Study
GiveDirectly, a US-based nonprofit, runs the world's largest and longest-running universal basic income study in rural Kenya, launched in 2017-2018. Roughly 23,000 adults across 195 villages in Siaya and Bomet Counties receive unconditional cash via mobile money (M-PESA), split across a 12-year monthly UBI arm, a 2-year monthly UBI arm, and a one-time lump-sum arm, compared against 100 control villages. The $30M initiative is funded by philanthropic donors and independently researched by economists from MIT, UCSD, and Princeton with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). Early 2023 results found long-term UBI encouraged saving and investment while lump sums drove more business creation, with no evidence of reduced work effort in any arm.
World's largest and longest-running UBI study, 12-year guaranteed income, Village-level universal basic income, Mobile money (M-PESA), Randomized controlled trial, Kenya, Rural extreme poverty
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- GiveDirectly
- City
- New York
- State / Province
- New York
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +254 800 720406
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Number of recipients
- 23,000
- Funding type
- Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- KES
- Total Amount
- 3,000 KES (≈ $23.18)
- Avg. Per Month
- 20.83 KES (≈ $0.16)
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 144 months
- Distribution Type
- Mobile Money (M-PESA)
- Benefit details
Three transfer arms plus control: a 12-year UBI of $22.50/month, a 2-year UBI of $22.50/month, and a lump sum of $500 (two $250 installments). Current transfer amount has risen to roughly $40/month to account for inflation. Funds sent digitally via M-PESA directly to recipients' SIM cards, cashed out at local agents. Transfers unconditional, no restrictions on use.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility is village-based rather than individually means-tested: every adult resident in a randomly selected village in Siaya and Bomet Counties, Kenya receives payments per that village's assigned study arm. Villages were selected because roughly half of residents live below the local extreme poverty line (~$1.04/day). GiveDirectly does not accept individual applications; recipients were identified via a baseline village census before payments began.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
Geography
- Countries covered
- Kenya
- Counties covered
- Siaya County, Bomet County
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Led by Tavneet Suri (MIT Sloan), with Abhijit Banerjee (MIT), Paul Niehaus (UCSD), the late Alan Krueger (Princeton), and Michael Faye (GiveDirectly co-founder); implemented by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Kenya independently of GiveDirectly's operations. RCT covers 14,474 households in 295 villages with periodic follow-up surveys. First major results (2018-2020) published Dec 2023: long-term UBI boosted savings and investment, lump sums drove greater business creation and income gains, short-term UBI was least impactful but still positive, no evidence any arm reduced work effort.
Application Process
- How to apply
There is no individual application process. GiveDirectly explicitly states it does not accept inbound applications for this program; recipients are identified through a village-level census and geographic targeting conducted by GiveDirectly/IPA field teams in pre-selected villages.
- Selection process
295 villages (14,474 households) were randomly assigned by the research team to one of four groups: 100 control villages, long-term 12-year UBI villages, short-term 2-year UBI villages, and lump-sum villages, as part of an RCT. Within a selected village, every registered adult resident receives the transfer type assigned to that village.
