A group of 120 Germans will each receive a lump sum of €1,200 a month for three years in the country’s first systematic experiment with an unconditional basic income.
The notion of giving individuals regular cash handouts regardless of whether they have jobs has gained traction on both the right and the left of the political spectrum as a means to even out economic disparities. Advocates argue that it is the fairest way to provide a universal safety net and would free people up to lead more fulfilling private lives, but opponents have dismissed it as unaffordable and a disincentive to work.
The few studies carried out give a contradictory impression of a basic income’s effects on the labour market and the wellbeing of its
