Universal Basic Income as Indigenous Reparations: Connecting Economic Sovereignty and Land Justice

Authors

Matthew Ilario, Binghamton University--SUNY

Publication Date

2025

Document Type

Book

Description

Indigenous land dispossession by the United States has resulted in long-term economic marginalization, restricting access to wealth, resources, and self-determination. Land restitution is a central demand, but Universal Basic Income (UBI) is now considered as a potential tool for economic reconciliation. This research explores whether UBI could function to redress historic land loss, consistent with Indigenous ideas about shared resource and collective well-being. Drawing on Indigenous economic philosophies, such as land and resource sharing, policy tools like the First Nations Fiscal Management Act, and demonstrations of community-run financial initiatives in North Carolina and Canada, this project will consider whether UBI could further Indigenous sovereignty without constituting a replay of paternalistic state policy. Ultimately, this study argues that UBI alone cannot replace Land Back, but can hopefully serve as a tool to restore economic sovereignty and reverse historical injustices in forms amenable to Indigenous norms of mutuality and reciprocal aid.

Files

Recommended Citation

Ilario, Matthew, "Universal Basic Income as Indigenous Reparations: Connecting Economic Sovereignty and Land Justice" (2025). Research Days Posters 2025. 75.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2025/75