This is a three-part podcast on the Californian guaranteed income experiment. The discussion goes deep into the trial, probing it from all angles – design, results, financing – and extracting lessons that others might draw on.
Our experts are Stacia West and Amy Castro Baker. Their expertise is in basic income, unconditional cash transfers, women’s poverty, and wealth inequality. They are the independent co-evaluators of the guaranteed income trial in Stockton, California. Their roles and the data these evaluators bring are key to our discussion today.
This part is concerned with the Californian pilot itself. It delves into the:
• Design of the trial. What was the basic set-up (numbers, criteria, process, evaluation, limitations) and how it was meant to interact with the rest of the social security system and the existing safety net?

• Results. What are the key outcomes, including gendered outcomes, and why was there such a strong impact on employment?
• Crisis. How did the pilot (unintentionally) overlap with the COVID-19 pandemic and what can be learned from that?