Basic or minimum? Income guarantees and welfare provision in a devolved Scotland

This article examines policy developments surrounding income guarantees in a devolved Scotland in the context of broader criticisms of the UK welfare state. It explores the feasibility of a Citizens Basic Income and recent Scottish Government interest in the development of a Minimum Income Guarantee. It evidences the failings of the UK Welfare State and the attempts in Scotland to mitigate these failings within the current system of devolution. It finds that whilst there is a will to investigate and even propose progressive policy amendments to equip the Welfare State to operate more effectively in a modern economy, the confines of devolution often make it unrealistic for income guarantees to be implemented in Scotland. It argues there is the possibility for more targeted and modest policy proposals but these would still require significant trade-offs despite being unlikely to achieve the wide sweeping reform that is necessary.