1200 euros every month and that unconditionally – an initiative wants to research 3500 Berliners how this changes their lives. The activists from “Expedition Basic Income” are now collecting votes for this.
Referendums have had a firm place in Berlin’s city politics for years. Be it when it comes to whether Tegel Airport should be closed. Or whether the field of the already closed airport in Tempelhof can be built on. The referendum by almost 60 percent of eligible voters on the question of whether large housing companies should be expropriated is currently driving the Senate in front of it. Since this Friday we’ve been collecting again. It is a very fundamental question.
Within the next four months, the “Expedition Basic Income” initiative wants to collect 175,000 votes for citizens to receive a monthly payment that is not linked to any obligations. This so-called unconditional basic income has been discussed in economics and social sciences for years. Only – there is a lack of experience. The activists of “Expedition Basic Income” want to change that. “There are many opinions on this, but few scientific facts,” said Laura Brämswig when the initiative was presented.
The pilot project would be scientifically accompanied
That is why 3,500 randomly selected people in Berlin are to receive around 1,200 euros a month for three years. In order to test the effects of different models, the payments should be divided into different groups. Another observation group does not receive any unconditional benefits. The pilot project would be accompanied scientifically, including by the renowned German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). “The pilot project proposed by the Basic Income Expedition would provide science and politics with trend-setting information on how the transformation of the social systems in Germany can succeed in the future,” comments DIW President Marcel Fratzscher on the initiative. The cost of the large-scale test run for the Senate is estimated at 70 million euros.
The collection of signatures is the second step of this referendum. In the summer of 2020, the activists had already collected 34,000 votes and thus persuaded the Berlin House of Representatives to deal with the pilot project. Last August, parliamentarians unanimously rejected the initiative. Some MPs from the CDU and FDP out of more fundamental considerations, others because of the high burden on city finances from coping with the corona pandemic. Politicians from the Greens and the Left were basically open to the proposal, which the initiative now wants to push through in a referendum.
According to “Expedition Basic Income”, around 16,000 helpers have signed up to provide practical support for the initiative. Since Thursday, posters have been put up in the city area, there should be 7,000. The self-imposed goal is 240,000 votes, which should be collected by the beginning of September. If this succeeds, the way would be clear for a referendum.