Rendimento Básico Incondicional (RBI) Alcácer do Sal Pilot
A proposed unconditional basic income pilot announced in 2021 by a small group of independent researchers/entrepreneurs (Rui Pereira and Surabhi Srivastava), with academic support from UBIEXP (University of Minho's basic income research center) and in negotiation with the Alcácer do Sal municipal council (Setúbal district, Alentejo, Portugal). The plan was to give a group of residents an unconditional monthly cash payment for two years to study effects on employment, wellbeing and community. As of the most recent documentation found (mid-2022), the municipality itself described the project as still 'on paper' and dependent on securing European, municipal, and crowdfunded/philanthropic financing that was never confirmed as obtained. No evidence was found that cash payments to any recipients ever actually began, and there is no mention of the pilot in Alcácer do Sal's more recent municipal budgets (2024-2026) or in basic-income tracking sources such as BIEN or Wikipedia's list of UBI pilots.
Unlaunched/Unconfirmed Pilot, Portugal, Alentejo, Rural Municipality, Civil-Society-Led, Crowdfunding, University Research Partnership
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Câmara Municipal de Alcácer do Sal
- City
- Alcácer do Sal
- State / Province
- Setúbal
- Country
- Portugal
Contact
- Website
- https://cm-alcacerdosal.pt/
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Number of recipients
- 200
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- EUR
- Total Amount
- 12,000 EUR (≈ $13,664.39)
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 EUR (≈ $569.35)
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Benefit details
As planned (never confirmed as implemented), each selected recipient would receive €500 per month for two years, unconditionally, regardless of financial, family, or employment status. The final number of recipients and the specific village/parish (freguesia) within the Alcácer do Sal municipality to be covered were explicitly stated by project organizers to depend on how much funding could be raised - meaning the frequently cited figure of '200 people' was an aspirational maximum, not a confirmed enrollment. Funding was to come from a mix of EU funds, municipal funds, private/philanthropic donors, and a crowdfunding campaign planned for October 2021; there is no confirmation any of this funding was actually secured or disbursed.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility was never finalized. Organizers described a general goal of covering 'a village or parish' within the Alcácer do Sal municipality, open to residents regardless of financial, employment, or family situation, in keeping with the unconditional design. No finalized selection criteria, application process, or enrolled cohort were ever documented.
Geography
- Countries covered
- Portugal
- Cities covered
- Alcácer do Sal
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The pilot was designed from the outset as a research study intended to document the local impact of unconditional basic income on employability, productivity, wellbeing, and community outcomes, in order to generate evidence for future regional/national policy. It had academic backing from UBIEXP, the Centre for Ethics, Politics & Society (CEPS) basic income research group at the University of Minho (led by Roberto Merrill and collaborators, funded via Portugal's FCT science foundation for related 2018-2024 research grants), and involved a University of Minho PhD researcher (Catarina Neves) who reportedly conducted preliminary community fieldwork around May-June 2022. However, no published results, findings, or data outputs specific to an actually-implemented Alcácer do Sal cash transfer were located, consistent with the pilot never having moved past the planning/fieldwork-scoping stage.
Application Process
- How to apply
No public application process was ever launched. As planned, recipients would be drawn from residents of a specific village/parish within the Alcácer do Sal municipality once financing was secured, but no sign-up mechanism, intake process, or enrollment period was ever documented in available sources.
- Selection process
Not documented. Organizers stated the target parish/village and the exact number of participants would only be determined once funding was confirmed; no selection methodology (e.g., lottery, means-based, geographic) was ever published.
