The week’s headlines and YOU

Studio Berlin is KCRW Berlin’s weekly show that brings together local journalists, lawmakers and experts to provide you with context and analysis around the issues shaping the news locally and nationally. Tune in every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday at 10:00 a.m. on 104.1 FM.

Each week we’ll take a closer look at the events shaping our lives here in Germany’s capital. You’ll hear from a diverse group of hosts as we tackle the issues moving Berlin, Germany, Europe — and YOU.

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Studio Berlin, broadcast September 2, 2020: What would you do with a basic income of 1,200 euros per month with no strings attached?

The debate over unconditional basic income is not a new one, but it has gotten more attention in the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis. A new long-term study on how society would change if people were to receive a basic income is underway in Germany. The pilot project will involve 120 participants who receive a basic income over the course of three years and hundreds more in a control group who do not.

Host Sylvia Cunningham talks with Michael Bohmeyer, co-founder of the Berlin nonprofit “Mein Grundeinkommen” that is behind the pilot project and Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin. We also hear from Sabine Heißner, who received a basic income from “Mein Grundeinkommen” in 2019; Alan Posener, a Berlin-based journalist and staunch critic of unconditional basic income; and Antti Jauhiainen, chairman of the economic think tank Parecon Finland.

This show was produced by Monika Müller-Kroll and Sylvia Cunningham.