“Germany just got itself a universal basic income through the back door.
We’ll never know if the judges at the German supreme courtin Karlsruhe were fully aware of the enormous consequences of their recent verdict. Probably not, because what they ruled on, at least officially, was not the question: Should there be a universal basic income, yes or no?
What they had to decide, on that fateful rainy November Wednesday, was simply the legality of an administrative regulation, concerning possible penalties Hartz-IV benefit recipients can incur, for failing to comply with their legal obligationsto do everything (within reason) to end or reduce their dependency…”