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

Author: Matthew Ilario

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 24

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: 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.