Labor market policies and programs have important impacts on low- and moderate-income workers. Policies on occupational licensure and non-compete contracts—when poorly designed—can reduce opportunities to access good jobs. Workforce services programs and unemployment insurance aim to support workers while they look for those good jobs. We conduct research to provide leaders with high-quality information as they seek to remove barriers and improve outcomes for workers and the overall labor market. Our focus is on the impacts of both long-established labor market policies and new initiatives, such as guaranteed basic income programs.
Minneapolis Fed evaluation of the City of Minneapolis Guaranteed Basic Income pilot
In 2022, the City of Minneapolis began a guaranteed basic income pilot that included $500 monthly payments to 200 recipients over a two-year period. To learn what effects this pilot may have on its participants, the city selected the Minneapolis Fed to conduct a rigorous evaluation through a randomized controlled trial. The Minneapolis Fed’s role in this project is as a neutral, trusted research body working in the public interest to study policies affecting labor market dynamics in low- and moderate-income communities. Program evaluation and research insights are intended to inform policymakers, researchers, and others who seek to understand the potential impacts and tradeoffs of basic income programs.
Project resources:
- One year of basic income in Minneapolis
- Evaluation Plan: Minneapolis Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot
- Program Evaluation Baseline Questionnaire [pdf]
- Program Evaluation Six-Month Questionnaire [pdf]
- Program Evaluation 12-Month Questionnaire [pdf]
- Program Evaluation 18-Month Questionnaire [pdf]
- Program Evaluation 24-Month Questionnaire [pdf]
- Six-Month Results Overview [pdf]
- 12-Month Results Overview [pdf]
- 18-Month Results Overview [pdf]
- 24-Month Results Overview [pdf]