Credits to Sandrine Landrix
From Eric Kirschbaum, writing in the Los Angeles Times (27th December 2015) comes news of a privately operated project held in Germany, financed by crowdfunding, that has rejuvenated Basic Income discussions. This small-scale experiment is called “Mein Grundeinkommen” (My Basic Income). Up to now 26 people have been paid a $1,100 per month stipend, with no strings attached.
Recipients are chosen randomly through a lottery, which is streamed live online. They are selected from a pool of more than 66,000 applicants, with draws being held whenever enough donations are collected. 31,449 people have made donations thus far.
The experiment is supplying valuable information about how people behave when they have some level of financial security, and has caught the attention of German politicians such as Katja Kipping, co-leader of the hard left party Die Linke, and long-time advocate for a universal basic income. Die Linke, according to Kirschbaum, “discussed the issue intensively at its last congress in Bielefeld, although many party members were sceptical”.
Erik Kirschbaum, “If you were handed $1,100 a month, would you amount to anything?” , Los Angeles Times, 27 December, 2015