It's such a huge topic - the modern starting point are papers by Galbraith and Tobin. Since then, there's been so much research/discussion it's hard to point to one thing in particular.

If you want good starting points for someone who isn't an economist, the Boston review had a good primer, followed by a public debate:

Article: http://new.bostonreview.net/BR25.5/vanparijs.html

Debate: https://bostonreview.net/forum/basic-income-all/fred-block-w...