Basic Income Pilot Project

The current debate on unconditional basic income in Germany is often dominated by personal opinions and clichés and is seldom based on robust scientific knowledge, as there have been no generalizable scientific studies on this subject in the German context up to now. Studies in other countries, such as Finland, provide initial insights, but many of these are out of date or focus on specific population groups only. The Basic Income Pilot Project aims to change that.

In mid-August 2020, the first long-term study in Germany on unconditional basic income was launched to initiate an empirically based debate and thus set new standards. The Basic Income Pilot Project is a joint project of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the Mein Grundeinkommen association. In addition, researchers from the University of Cologne, the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods are also involved in the study.

Starting in spring 2021, 122 people in Germany received 1,200 euros per month for three years and were regularly surveyed about their living situation. The study is funded by around 140,000 private donors. The core quantitative findings of the research project were published on April 9, 2025, in the form of a DIW Wochenbericht (only in German):

Bohmann, Sandra, Susann Fiedler, Maximilian Kasy, Jürgen Schupp & Frederik Schwerter (2025): Pilotprojekt Grundeinkommen: kein Rückzug vom Arbeitsmarkt, aber bessere mentale Gesundheit. DIW Wochenbericht 92(15) (PDF, 428.84 KB), S. 222-229.

Furthermore, the following discussion papers resulting from the project are currently undergoing peer review:

Bernhard, Sarah, Sandra Bohmann, Susann Fiedler, Maximilian Kasy, Jürgen  Schupp & Frederik  Schwerter (2025): Basic income and labor supply: Evidence from an RCT in Germany, DIW Discussion Paper No. 2123 (PDF, 1.7 MB), Berlin, Stone Center Working Paper Series. No. 108, New York & CESifo Working Paper No. 11940, Munich.

Bohmann, Sandra, Susann Fiedler, Maximilian Kasy, Jürgen Schupp & Frederik  Schwerter (2025): Cash Transfers, Mental Health, and Agency: Evidence from an RCT in Germany. DIW Discussion Paper No. 2129 (PDF, 1.19 MB), Berlin, CESifo Working Paper No. 11989, Munich (supplementary appendix).