What would it mean to help the poor without preconditions?
To address the precarity at the heart of poverty? To stand in solidarity, not offer charity, with those who are marginalised and forgotten?
Unconditional is a 30-minute documentary that explores two groundbreaking policy experiments in India and Bangladesh. These initiatives combined Universal Basic Income (UBI) with grassroots community organiser support across five urban slums in Dhaka and Hyderabad. The result? A powerful demonstration of what’s possible when social assistance is rooted in care, connection, and justice.
Told through the voices of participants themselves, Unconditional challenges conventional approaches to poverty and social welfare. It points toward a future where unconditionality is not a radical idea, but the foundation of compassionate and effective policy.
Following the screening, join us for a 60-minute panel Q&A with experts in social policy, economics, and lived experience. Together, we’ll explore the relevance of UBI in today’s world, from global poverty to local precarity, and ask: what kind of society do we want to build?
Why You Should Come:
- Learn how Universal Basic Income works in practice; not just theory.
- Hear from those whose lives were transformed by unconditional support.
- Engage with a panel of experts and practitioners on the future of social policy.
- Explore how UBI could address inequality, insecurity, and marginalisation in your own community.
- Be inspired by a vision of solidarity over charity, and justice over judgment.
Who Is This For?
Whether you're a policymaker, activist, student, researcher, or simply curious about new approaches to social justice, this event is for you. Universal Basic Income is not just an economic idea; it’s a human one.
This event is hosted by the University of Bath as part of the Festival of Social Sciences 2025
