Basic income is often described as a welfare system superior to the programs now in effect. In the United States, that is not a very high standard.

What are the merits and downsides of a basic income policy on its own?

In earlier discussions it was not obvious that the math would work. The Dauphin experiment shows that people did not quit their jobs en masse, but they also knew that it was a temporary program and they would have to support themselves after the experiment ended.