Dr. Jiaying Zhao (she/her) believes basic income can be fair, simple, and affordable.
With the scientific evidence to back this belief, Dr. Zhao advocates for individuals living in poverty and calls for better income support.
Dr. Zhao, an associate professor in UBC’s department of psychology and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, investigates the cognitive effects of poverty and scarcity. She uses psychological principles to design behavioural interventions to alleviate the psychological burdens among low-income individuals.
While at Princeton University, Dr. Zhao published a paper that was pivotal to our understanding of the cognitive function of individuals who face persistent poverty. More recently, her collaboration with the Foundation for Social Change on the New Leaf Project found major benefits to giving money directly to individuals experiencing homelessness.
In October 2023, Dr. Zhao testified in the Canadian Senate on the basic income bill Bill S-233, an Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income. Dr. Zhao offered her expert opinion on the Bill with the scientific evidence from her research and other studies.
“This Bill, if passed in the Senate and the House, will effectively provide income security to millions of people in Canada and raise the income floor for marginalized individuals who are struggling to survive. It will revolutionize the current social assistance system to be more inclusive, equitable, and effective.”
Dr. Zhao recently became a faculty affiliate at the Stone Centre for Wealth and Inequality at the Vancouver School of Economics. The Stone Centre advances the study of income and wealth inequality in Canada and beyond. Faculty affiliates are experts on the causes and consequences of inequality.
Dr. Zhao joins us for a Q&A where she shares the personal motivation behind her research, how behavioural science can reduce poverty — and why it was important to testify in the Canadian Senate.
What led you to study the cognitive effects of poverty and scarcity?
I grew up in poverty and I remember how my family, especially my grandmother had to budget her expenses every day so she could feed us. It was mentally taxing and emotionally draining for her. I don’t wish the experience of poverty upon anyone. So during my PhD I worked with an amazing team of mentors and collaborators to study the cognitive effects of poverty.
“Behavioural science reveals a psychological trap of poverty, that is, poverty presents psychological challenges that make escaping poverty more difficult for low-income individuals. These challenges include lower cognitive functioning, worse mental and physical health, and lower aspirations and productivity that can perpetuate poverty.”
How can an understanding of behavioural science help improve inclusivity and reduce poverty?
Poverty is often associated with stereotypes of incompetence, weak character, or lack of education. These perceptions could not be further from the truth. Behavioural science reveals a psychological trap of poverty, that is, poverty presents psychological challenges that make escaping poverty more difficult for low-income individuals. These challenges include lower cognitive functioning, worse mental and physical health, and lower aspirations and productivity that can perpetuate poverty. For example, lower-income parents talk to their children less than higher-income parents do, not because they are inherently worse parents, but because they are exhausted from making ends meet and are constantly preoccupied by financial concerns. What this means is that poverty alleviation not only provides financial security for low-income individuals— but improves their general functioning and well-being. What this also means is that poverty alleviation is an investment in people and society, not just a cost.
Why was it important for you to testify in the Canadian Senate on Bill S-233?
Bill S-233 is a historic piece of legislation that aims to provide a framework for guaranteed livable basic income for all Canadians. This is huge because this bill can effectively eradicate poverty in Canada. It was important for me to testify in the Senate to provide empirical arguments on the psychological and economic benefits of basic income. As a scientist, I see knowledge mobilization as a key responsibility to communicate scientific findings to policymakers and the general public.
How can partnerships and collaborations, like the Stone Centre, make a difference in tackling poverty?
As a faculty affiliate of the Stone Centre, I hope the Centre will convene and empower the best minds of UBC to understand the causes and consequences of wealth and income inequality and generate effective remedies to reduce inequality and poverty.
Is there any new poverty reduction research or projects that you’re excited about?
I’m excited about scaling poverty reduction interventions like cash transfers and basic income to benefit more people and demonstrate more robust evidence for these interventions. I’m also excited about understanding the spillovers, for example, how helping parents could lead to benefits for their children.
What else can society do to reduce poverty and improve equality?
Check our assumptions and stereotypes of poverty, have more compassion toward people in poverty by asking ourselves “What would we want if we are in poverty?”
