Resumen
This research puts the basic income, understood as a monetary transfer for individuals or families, as a public policy in the context of the Brazilian Social Welfare System. A survey was developed from the international literature to build he investigation theoretically, conceptually and methodologically. It was also developed a survey on national documentation as well as a follow up ?of Brazilian basic income proposals and experiences. This study pointed out the main characteristics of the basic income in Brazil as well it raised the following issues; restriction and possibilities of adopting this policy in countries with a high poverty index; confrontation between universalization and focalization principles; articulation of the basic income with others social programs; the question of substitution versus complementation among social programs; the principle of uncondiiionality as a ground of the social rights.