中文摘要
本文探讨全民基本收入（UBI）在发达国家可能发挥的作用。发达经济体区别于发展中国家的一个特征是，其拥有较为完善但往往并不完备的安全网。我们构建了一个描述转移支付项目的框架，该框架具有足够的灵活性，既能涵盖现有的大多数项目，也能涵盖全民基本收入，并据此将各种全民基本收入方案与美国现行的项目组合进行比较。与现有项目相比，全民基本收入会将转移支付中大得多的份额用于无子女、非老年且无残障的家庭，并将更多资金用于中等收入家庭而非贫困家庭。规模大到足以增加低收入家庭转移支付的全民基本收入将耗资极其巨大。我们回顾劳动供给文献，以考察有关全民基本收入可能影响的证据。我们认为，正在开展的全民基本收入试点研究几乎无助于解决尚未解答的主要问题。
Abstract
We discuss the potential role of universal basic incomes (UBIs) in advanced countries. A feature of advanced economies that distinguishes them from developing countries is the existence of well-developed, if often incomplete, safety nets. We develop a framework for describing transfer programs that is flexible enough to encompass most existing programs as well as UBIs, and we use this framework to compare various UBIs to the existing constellation of programs in the United States. A UBI would direct much larger shares of transfers to childless, nonelderly, nondisabled households than existing programs, and much more to middle-income rather than poor households. A UBI large enough to increase transfers to low-income families would be enormously expensive. We review the labor supply literature for evidence on the likely impacts of a UBI. We argue that the ongoing UBI pilot studies will do little to resolve the major outstanding questions.