Germany: Basic Income in the German Debate

One of the most vigorous debates in Europe on basic income is under way in Germany, with advocates and opponents drawn from across the social and political spectrum. Basic income (BI), in a very general sense, has been discussed at intervals in Germany since the 1970s, although mostly confined to certain milieux around the ecology movement (out of which the Green Party emerged), groups of unemployed, precariously employed (BAG-SHI, 2008) and academic circles. The idea of citizenship as constituent of political community remains underestimated. Particular emphasis has been placed on its unconditional dimension since the turn of the new century.1