On April 9, 2025, Fischer, a member of the FRIBIS “care” team and professor of political and social sciences at the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, was interviewed by SWR Aktuell on the topic of Unconditional Basic Income. The radio station, a regional public broadcasting corporation directed at the southwest of Germany or, more specifically, the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, on Universal Basic Income. The interview was prompted by the release of a comprehensive basic income study from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and took place shortly before the official publication of the study’s findings.
Over a period of three years, a DIW study tracked 122 participants who received a monthly basic income of €1,200, comparing their development with that of a control group of 1,580 people who received no such payments. Contrary to widespread assumptions, the DIW research revealed that there was no decrease in the UBI recipients’ willingness to work. In fact, employment rates remained virtually identical in both research groups, with basic income participants continuing to work an average of 40 hours per week – thus matching the comparison group.
Likewise, there was no reduction in the work effort. Instead, the study documented a number of interesting effects. For example, the basic income group experienced more job changes (particularly among the existing employers); they reported higher job satisfaction and engaged more frequently in further training. Researchers also noted improvements in life satisfaction, mental health and stress levels among these recipients.
Basic Income as a Response to Life’s “Rush Hour”
In her interview with SWR, Fischer highlighted the benefits of basic income during what she calls the “rush hour of life” – when starting a family and career development coincide. “We’re seeing rising rates of burnout and depression, which are certainly connected to the overwhelming demands of this particular phase of life,” the sociologist and economist explained. A basic income could provide crucial support, “enabling people to manage their responsibilities without getting sick, or finding that everything is too much for them.”
Spotlighting Care Work
A key focus of Fischer’s interview is the societal value of care work. She argues: “The current market economy overlooks something essential, namely, the fact that our ability to participate in the labor market depends on being born into reasonably well-off families, families who are capable of providing proper care.” She believes that economic considerations systematically neglect the fundamental care work that is performed in families and communities: “We’ve made the mistake of deriving replacement payments solely from employment, which I consider to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem.”
Financing through Redistribution
When questioned about the cost of implementing a €1,200 monthly Universal Basic Income, Fischer challenged the commonly cited figure of one trillion euros. “No serious basic income advocate proposes simply printing money and distributing it,” she clarified, pointing instead to the transfer threshold model, Transfergrenzenmodell, that she co-developed with Ulm-based social economist, Helmut Pelzer, and which proposes financing through an additional social contribution mechanism.
Prioritizing Social Stability
Referring to current defence and infrastructure spending, Fischer emphasized that priorities reflect political choices. “These billion-euro packages demonstrate that, when there’s a political will, funding becomes available.” She cautioned against social policy cuts, however. “We are already facing widespread insecurity, perceived injustice, and feelings of invisibility and abandonment—with the dangerous consequence of increasing radicalization tendencies.”
The complete interview with Prof. Dr. Ute Fischer is available in both the ARD audio library and in the SWR audio library. Additional information about the results of the study can be found on the Basic Income Pilot Project website.