Updates

Politics & Society

Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals

Journey to the frontlines of the 21st-century resource scramble—from Bolivian salt flats to Congolese cobalt mines—uncover how lithium, cobalt, and nickel have become central to clean energy, national security, and economic power. Through vivid storytelling, original photography, and information...

Politics & Society

Kids Fighting in the Park

Merz, Trump, and the Specter of Musk

When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz came to Washington on June 5 for his long-awaited meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, it was unclear what he would encounter.

Politics & Society

Swing State? Belgium’s Arizona Coalition Walks a Tightrope

Belgium’s June 2024 federal elections yielded a surprising second-place finish for the far-right Vlaams Belang (VB) party.

Politics & Society

Roadblocks at Home, Full Speed Abroad

Friedrich Merz’s First 48 Hours

On the morning of May 6, Friedrich Merz prepared for the formality of being elected Germany’s 11th postwar chancellor.

Politics & Society

An American in Berlin

Why the U.S. Needs an Ambassador to Germany

The United States and Germany have long shared many important ties.

Democracy

Pianissimo:

Brussels’ Silence on Italy’s Democratic Decline

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once heralded as a danger to EU cohesion, has become Brussels’ favored bridge-builder.

Politics & Society

Coalition, Opposition, Extinction

Challenges for Germany’s Major Parties

Germany’s 21st Bundestag convened on March 25, the first meeting of a new parliament with 630 members.

Politics & Society

Striking A(I) Balance

Paris hosted the AI Summit last month, with regulation and, with a bit more weight, innovation being the talk of the town.

Politics & Society

Transponder Issue #7: The Future

The seventh issue of Transponder Magazine explores the critical choices shaping the future of our world, from the geopolitics of space and the race for rare earth minerals to the rise of AI and its societal impact. Global perspectives include young voices in Taiwan and South Korea, a deep dive into...

Democracy

The Third Way

New Caledonia and French Strategy in the Indo-Pacific

In May 2024, tensions in New Caledonia reached a breaking point.

Politics & Society

Winners, Losers and Coalition Questions

The 2025 German Election Results

Germany went to the polls on February 23 in an election held seven months ahead of schedule, prompted by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s tripartite coalition in November 2024.

Politics & Society

A Green Light for Lichtenberg

Interview with Elisabeth Giesemann

Lichtenberg, tucked into the eastern edge of Berlin, has long been home to strong political forces. During World War II, a Wehrmacht officers’ mess hall was there, and, once the war ended, the main office of the city’s Soviet military administration set up shop in the same building. After the...

Politics & Society

Alice, Elon, and Aliens

A Conversation between the First Buddy and the Far-Right Frontrunner

Elon Musk made waves last December with a tweet proclaiming “Only the AfD can save Germany”.

Politics & Society

Red Light

The Collapse of Germany’s Traffic Light Coalition

Just a day after Donald Trump’s decisive U.S. presidential win, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ushered in the end of his own government with the firing of his finance minister and coalition partner, Christian Lindner. Lindner, representing the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), objected...

Politics & Society

Now Charging

Tariffs Rev Up Transatlantic Alignment on Chinese Electric Vehicles

The EU announced on August 20 that it would be lowering its proposed tariffs on Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured in China. The notice, the latest in a series of seismic shifts in European EV policy, was emblematic of the challenging position in which the bloc now finds itself. In an effort...

Politics & Society

Rhetoric Meets Reality

NATO’s Indo-Pacific Turn

Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted at a Wilson Center event in June that “the growing alignment between Russia and its authoritarian friends in Asia makes it even more important that we work closely with our friends in the Indo-Pacific.”

Politics & Society

Security over Scandal

AfD Successes from Brussels to Brandenburg

Germany’s far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is no stranger to controversy. The party is regularly accused of xenophobic language and anti-migrant policies, and has repeatedly played down the significance of Germany’s Nazi past.

Politics & Society

The Gambler

“I’ve decided to give you once more the opportunity to decide your parliamentary future by vote, I therefore have decided to dissolve the National Assembly tonight.” In a televised address to 11 million of his citizens, French President Emmanuel Macron made the historic decision on the heels of the...

Politics & Society

France’s Litmus Test

Macron’s Government and the European Elections

Of the 720 seats up for grabs in the upcoming European elections, 81 of those will be for French members of the European Parliament. For French voters, the stakes for this election are high, as this is the first time they are able to vote since the 2022 presidential elections.

Politics & Society

Generative AI and the Future of Work

Geography Matters

It is well known that digital technological changes affect the labor market, but the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) will be more far-reaching. AI is a general-purpose technology that is touching nearly every sector and occupation. Unlike other digital technologies, it does not just automate...

Politics & Society

The Promise and the Challenge of AI in Education

Humankind has long prided itself on innovation, creativity and intellect as the singular advantages that have propelled it to its role as the dominant species on earth. The rapid ascent of artificial intelligence (AI) is now testing these longheld convictions, challenging not only the natural order...

Politics & Society

Between Infrastructure and Digital Skills for Africa

Is the EU Ready to Step In?

The European Union’s (EU’s) role as Africa’s primary trading partner is facing a significant challenge as the future of work in the growing African digital realm becomes progressively entwined with new socioeconomic dynamics, mostly in the digital sphere.

Politics & Society

Putting Immigrant-Origin Workers at the Center of the Future of Work Discussion in the United States

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, two themes dominated the discussions about the future of work in the United States. One focused on the impact of an aging population, declining birthrates and falling labor force participation of white men on the slow growth of the workforce.

Politics & Society

Unlocking Third-Country Nationals' Full Potential to Feed in the EU Future of Work

In her 2022 State of the Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that 2023 would be the European Year of Skills. She listed several measures needed to counter shortfalls in the workforce and stressed the need to attract workers with the right skills to help...

Politics & Society

There is no Sustainable Future of Work if Young People Are Left Behind

The debate on the future of work is gaining momentum on both sides of the Atlantic as several initiatives are animating the conversation. The discussion not only focuses on the impact new technologies have on on the future of work but also considers consequences for the future of social protection...

Politics & Society

Addressing the Global Digital Skills Gap

U.S. and EU Member State Perspectives

Global labor markets face massive skill gaps and labor shortages that continue to grow with the onset of technological change and digital adoption. Given existing disconnects among skills development, workforce programs and postsecondary credentialing initiatives, the skills gaps will continue to...

Politics & Society

France: From Incubator Nation to Startup Nation?

Founders of 14 of the most prominent startups in France were President Emannuel Macron’s guests of honor at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. A first for the country and a symbol of Macron’s objective to turn France into Europe’s “Startup Nation,” a welcoming and supportive venue for...

Politics & Society

People and Places Left Behind:

Policy Recommendations for a Future that Works

As leaders in the United States and Europe develop approaches to manage the future of work, they should prioritize economic development policies that target distressed regions and the people who call them home.

Politics & Society

The Future of Work in the Twin Transition to Green and Digital

The concept that the digital and energy transitions go hand in hand is rapidly transforming the EU economy and labor markets. New technologies and new forms of work stemming from digitalization, as well as climate change and the effort to move to a low-carbon economy are leading the twin transition....

Politics & Society

Dual Vocational Training

A Key Education Model to Solve the Unemployment Paradox in Spain

“Instead of millions of people looking for jobs, millions of jobs are looking for people in Europe.” This statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2023 State of the Union address exemplifies the employment bonanza Europe is experiencing today. Paradoxically, a few...

Politics & Society

Putting Physical Health at the Heart of Workplace Policymaking

The future of work could be substantially different from today. From embracing the benefits (or being wary of the risks) of artificial intelligence (AI), to supporting young people in designing their future, the potential of transitioning to new models is exhilarating. As part of this transition, it...

Politics & Society

Using Technology to Bring "Hidden Workers" to Light

Amir Magdy Kamel is a Visiting Scholar and Instructor at Stanford University and Associate Professor at King’s College London. His research and expertise focus on two areas: 1. transformative technologies and how they impact states and policymaking, and 2. political and economic issues across the...

Democracy

Macron’s Millennial Minister: Winning Over the Next Generation

French President Emmanuel Macron had to shake things up. His government was unable to secure parliamentary majorities for two hot-button issues, pension reform and immigration, each a major setback. “La Macronie”, as the French have nicknamed his political brand, now finds itself at a difficult...

Politics & Society

Farmers, Fatherland, and the Far Right: How the AfD Cultivates an Ethnonationalist Agenda

In November 2023, Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled that €60 billion in special funds originally designated for Covid-19 relief could not be redirected to the governing coalition’s landmark climate and transformation fund. This left an estimated €17 billion hole in Germany’s tightly regulated...

Politics & Society

Cleantech Entrepreneurship Education

Building a Transnational Initiative

Francesco Matteucci is an innovation manager with 20 years of experience spent as a researcher in materials science, as a Corporate R&D Manager within the field of technologies for renewable energy production and storage, and as an intermediary of knowledge trying to exploit the research results...

Politics & Society

System Updates

Resetting the Future of Work

System Updates is a reflection of the conversations and debates that spanned the Bertelsmann Foundation Fellowship (BFF) in 2023. Our eleven fellows and two guest authors lay out how the EU and the U.S. can build a future of work that works for all.

Future Leadership

Class of 2024

Learning Innovative Approaches to Defending our Democracies

The BFF Class of 2024 centered around defending democracy.

Politics & Society

Transponder Issue #5: Democracy

The fifth issue of Transponder features a range of compelling articles that illuminate the many facets of citizenship and electoral politics leading up to a momentous year of major parliamentary and presidential elections.

Politics & Society

Cordoned Off: The Far Right in France and Germany

Far-right European parties have recently rung up a spate of victories, while a formula for containing them continues to elude mainstream policymakers.

Digital World

Hotspots

The Internet and Collective Action in Authoritarian Settings

Over the last decade, a degree of cynicism has set in regarding how society views the internet’s impact on democracy. What is the impact of digital tools on non-democracies when a majority of the global population lives in far less than “full democracy.” Does the internet offer repressed citizens an...

Politics & Society

France and India’s Strategic Partnership in a Contested World

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attendance at this year’s Bastille Day celebrations in Paris was an important show of support for the critical relationship between his country and France.

Digital World

Hidden Layers | Biden’s AI Executive Order, EU AI Act, and the UK AI Safety Summit

In this issue, we discuss recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation: the Biden administration’s executive order (EO) on AI, the UK AI Safety Summit, the EU’s AI Act, and an executive order to regulate generative AI in California.

Democracy

Pictures Worth a Thousand Policies: Campaign Imagery from Bavaria’s State Election

On October 8, 2023, Bavaria hosted its state election. Ranked second in gross regional product and population, Bavaria has always had a sizable influence on German politics, with many seeing this year’s state election as a bellwether for what to expect at the national level in 2025.

Politics & Society

Europe once stretched into Algeria

The French Empire’s bid for a European Algeria—and the French Republic’s crusade against an Algerian France

“We had French nationality, but not French citizenship. We were part of Europe, but we were not European. We were immigrants, but not foreigners.” Sitting in a Parisian café, my great-uncle reminisces about when he and his brother answered France’s call for cheap manual labor in the 1950s.

Politics & Society

Shifting Identities: From Victims to Changemakers

An interview with José Luis Loera

José Luis Loera is the co-founder of Programa Casa Refugiados, a UNHCR-backed non-profit organization in Mexico that works to promote the rights of people displaced by violence. He is the head of the organization’s board of directors and leads the “Education for Peace” team, supporting the long-term...

Politics & Society

(N)ostalgia

On October 3, 1990, the carefully negotiated Unification Treaty took effect, and over four decades of divided Germany came to a legal end. Reunification also meant the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), a socialist workers’ state born out of the Soviet Union’s occupied zone...

Politics & Society

The Changing Spirit of the Fifth Republic

In March, French President Emmanuel Macron invoked Article 49.3 of his country’s constitution to push through an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 over the next seven years. The provision allows the government to bypass a parliamentary vote and force a bill into law, and it is deeply...

Democracy

On the Fringe

28% of French citizens chose not to vote in the second, and final, round of the April 2022 French presidential election. This was the highest rate of abstention in over 50 years and the second highest rate in the history of the Fifth Republic.

Politics & Society

Turning the Key to Maltese Identity

The blue waters surrounding the Maltese archipelago run as deep as the nation’s multicultural roots. Located approximately 60 miles from the southern coast of Sicily and 186 miles from the northern coast of Libya, Malta is commonly referred to as the stepping stone between the European and African...

Politics & Society

The Past, Present, and Future of Transatlanticism

Five transatlanticists tell us what drives their commitment to their work

Friendship and strong relations between the United States and Europe have been a foreign policy mainstay on both sides of the Atlantic for the better part of the last 70 years.

Politics & Society

Home Game

Our Identities as Sports Fans

Last October, my father, oldest brother, and youngest brother came to visit me in Washington, DC. This was not normal. In fact, it was the first time they had come to visit all at once, and it would mark the only time we would all be together in 2022.

Politics & Society

Jalil's Journey

For over four decades, Afghanistan has been fraught with conflict. The country, known for the bustling capital city of Kabul — the “Paris of Central Asia” — and the ruggedly beautiful natural landscape, was once a destination for artists, adventurers, and tourists. But the nation was plunged into...

Politics & Society

Pension Reform in France – Can Macron Strike a Balance Between Work and Workers?

The combination of aging demographics and declining birth rates have many European leaders worried about their future workforce. In France, this concern resulted in political chaos when constitutional provision 49.3 was invoked by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in March.

Democracy

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd, and Four’s a Misfortune: Germany’s Next Coalition

An August 2023 ARD-Deutschlandtrend survey found that 79% of Germans are dissatisfied with the governing coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Free Democrats (FDP), including a majority of SPD and FDP voters and 48% of Greens. In-fighting over climate, budget, and defense have worn down...

Digital World

Hidden Layers | New AI Regulations & A Transatlantic Privacy Decision

In this issue, we discuss AI regulation in the U.S. and the EU, a new adequacy decision from the European Commission on the Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework, the UK Online Safety Bill and the use of AI in hiring.

Politics & Society

There and Back Again

My junior year of college, I arrived in London on the way to Cambridge — where I would spend the next six months as a visiting student immersed in poetry — on an early January day of classically, delightfully awful weather. My umbrella broke almost immediately, and I was soaked through by the time I...

Digital World

Where Online Meets Offline

Social Media's Double-edged Sword

Young people have grown up alongside social media platforms and many have never known a world without them. Teens and young adults are often very intentional about what they post on social media and how they present themselves on each platform. Social media allows users to carefully curate content...

Politics & Society

A Green Light for the Far-Right: Environmental Policy Strife Creates Opening for AfD

In a time of radical change due to war in Ukraine, rising inflation, energy transition, and a second major refugee influx during the past decade, it is no surprise that German democracy is feeling both internal and external pressure. But an unlikely culprit is driving this shift to the far-right:...

Digital World

Hidden Layers | Section 230, Chat GPT & the TikTok Hearing

Welcome back to another edition of Hidden Layers. In this issue, we discuss two cases heard by the Supreme Court at the end of February that may decide the future of Section 230. We also look at a bill from Congress that could ban Chinese apps such as TikTok from the U.S. market. Finally, we cover...

Democracy

Dialogue with Professor Carol Anderson

New York Times best-selling author and professor of African American studies at Emory University

On September 7, 2022, the Bertelsmann Foundation, Humanity in Action and Emory University hosted the premiere of the Foundation’s new documentary, “I, Too”, at the Carter Center in Atlanta. The film, which features New York Times best-selling author and renowned African American studies scholar...

Democracy

What's a City Worth?

Cities hold riches of memory, but they are also wonders of forgetting.This paradox is key to their magic, the endless possibility they promise to those who seek it and to the democracies they push to evolve.

Politics & Society

Local Environmental Activists in Bor, Serbia

A photo essay

Over the last year, Sam George has been working on a film investigating the impact of Chinese investment in the Balkans. Such investments help China secure access to commodities, and they fill the coffers of the Balkan governments. But the projects can put significant stress on locals, who often...

Politics & Society

Emerging Ties

Essays on Transatlantic Engagement in the Developing World

Emerging Ties is a reflection of the conversations and debates that spanned the Bertelsmann Foundation Fellowship (BFF) in 2022. Our nine fellows and guest author lay out the ways in which the EU and the U.S. can further engage with developing countries and encourage positive global change.

Politics & Society

This Is (Not) Our War

For Belarusians, the regime of President Aleksandr Lukashenko leaves few options but to flee the country if they want to stand with Ukraine.

Like many others running from war or severe repression, I no longer have a home. But there is a vast difference between me, who had a choice, and those who woke up to bombs. What unites us is a great fear of, a long struggle with, and an intense hatred for those who have dared to claim our freedom...

Digital World

Democracy Needs Tech Support

Technological development offers seemingly endless benefits and convenience. Internet connectivity was critical for personal and professional interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, more broadly, everyday emerging technology is saving lives, whether from 3D printed organs or automatic brakes...

Digital World

E-Stonia Rewired

A Nation Transformed from Cyberattack Victim to Cybersecurity Leader

In April 2007, the Estonian government approved a controversial plan to relocate a statue from the center of its capital, Tallinn. Soviet authorities had unveiled the monument, a life-sized World War II Russian soldier with a clenched right fist and a bowed head, 60 years earlier, after their forces...

Politics & Society

Interview with John Blackburn

Former Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force (Retired)

Blackburn spoke with the Bertelsmann Foundation in August 2022 about the need to foster resilient societies in a time of geopolitical and environmental upheaval, and about possibilities for the transatlantic partnership to work with Australia on a green energy transition. He highlighted in the...

Democracy

What's Past is Prologue

Teaching History to Strengthen Democracy

In the heart of Wilmington, North Carolina, sits a neo-classical building with imposing columns and a whitewashed façade. Thalian Hall doubles these days as a performing arts center and city hall. But the building is the November 1898 site of the only successful coup d’etat in American history.

Politics & Society

The Resilience of Truth

Despite the vast amount of broadcast and online Russian disinformation, Western audiences have been transfixed by the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine has been waging its own information war, and it is winning in that arena.

Politics & Society

Diary of War

This is a story—based on the diary entries of and interviews with those who have survived the war in different parts of Ukraine—chronicling the swift and brutal destruction of people’s lives and the country they call home. It is an ongoing story of bombs and silence, fire and snow, family and loss....

Digital World

Hidden Layers | TTC December Outcomes & the White House's AI Bill of Rights

In this issue, we discuss the future of Big Tech-related bills that Congress is deliberating after the U.S. midterm elections, the December 5 Trade and Technology Council meeting, the status of Privacy Shield 2.0 and the White House’s AI Bill of Rights.

Digital World

Growing Audiences and Influence: Russian Media in Latin America

Russia’s first move against Ukraine on February 24 was not the full-scale military invasion covered in the news. Several hours before its troops crossed the border, Moscow launched a round of destructive cyberattacks aimed at weakening Ukraine’s digital infrastructure. These cyberattacks were...

Democracy

Autocratization and the decline of international cooperation

The last decade has not been favorable to democracy worldwide. The rise of right-wing populists and the hardening of autocratic rule have left clear imprints. The Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI) traces this development for 137 developing countries and emerging economies, or...

Democracy

Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power

Disrupting Democracy Volume IV

In this fourth and final installment of our Disrupting Democracy series, Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power, we will look at how three authoritarian regimes undermine the prospects for democracy and stability in their respective regions. Drawing from the more than 15 years of data from...

Digital World

The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) In Detail

During the TTC’s inaugural meeting in Pittsburgh on September 29, U.S. and EU leaders identified five issue areas that the various working groups will focus on until their next meeting in spring of 2022. To learn more about the structure of the TTC and its working groups, read The U.S.-EU Trade and...

Digital World

Hidden Layers | Facebook Whistleblower Hearings & Pittsburgh Outcomes

Your Quarterly Transatlantic Technology News | Issue 1

In this inaugural edition, we discuss some of the main tech policy discussions that occurred at the end of 2021 and early 2022, including the U.S. and EU’s approach to regulating Big Tech and Facebook whistleblower hearings, the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, privacy legislation, and a debate...

Politics & Society

Transponder Issue #1: The Transatlantic Relationship

The first issue provides insight into a past and present that bodes well for the future, while exploring the question, “What is rocking the transatlantic relationship today?” Topics include Angela Merkel’s legacy, climate security and action, transatlantic trends, diplomacy, democracy, and how film...

Politics & Society

A Transatlantic To-Do List

Assessing Year One of the Biden Administration

In our latest B|Brief, Sara Leming examines the transatlantic relationship one year after the European Commission released, “A new EU-U.S. agenda for global change”, which provided a “to-do” list for the Biden administration to follow for a reinvigorated EU-US relationship.

Politics & Society

The Policy Prism, November 2021

Your Quarterly Transatlantic Legislative News

In this edition of The Policy Prism, we’ll give you a quick run down of the Trade and Technology Council, a brief snapshot of what’s been happening on the Hill, Europe’s approach to preserving media freedom as well as the history of climate activism in the transatlantic relationship.

Politics & Society

Green Ideas

Incentivizing Innovation: Sustainable Solutions

Wildfires. Blistering temperatures. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Melting Ice Caps. The natural disasters that will be exacerbated by climate change are numerous. The statistics coming out of every report about what has been dubbed the anthropogenic era describe a very dark future—one that might cause...

Politics & Society

Coalitions of Convenience

The US, France, and the Politics of Winning

In November 1988 at a campaign rally, President Ronald Reagan famously claimed: “I’m a former Democrat, and I have to say: I didn’t leave my party; my party left me.” The 2020 presidential election flipped the slogan, with many Republicans, disillusioned by their party under Trump’s leadership,...

Politics & Society

Italy’s Modern-Day Renaissance

From the Euro Cup to the G20

Italy is on a winning streak this year. The country’s national soccer team won the European championship. Måneskin, Italy’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, took home the top prize and has since dominated global charts. And Italian Matteo Berrettini… well, he almost won the gentlemen’s singles...

Digital World

The No Collar Economy - Vol. I

The digital revolution is turning the global economy on its head. The most valuable workers in today’s labor market—the millennials creating billion-dollar empires with laptops and a case of La Croix—aren’t wearing white collars or blue collars and they certainly don’t own anything in pinstripes....

Politics & Society

The Policy Prism | August 2021

Your Quarterly Transatlantic Legislative News

In this edition of The Policy Prism, we explain the diverging transatlantic approach to China. In D.C., we explore infrastructure and making the bipartisan bill a potential soon-to-be reality. In Strasbourg, the ways in which AI have been regulated are highlighted. And finally, is the French...

Democracy

When States Go Rogue

How the US and EU Can Strengthen Democracy at Home to Bolster its Prospects Abroad

Political unions, like healthy marriages, require a fair bit of give and take. Interests, priorities, and values may diverge, but mutual understanding about lines never to be crossed is a must. In the United States and the European Union, some family members have lost sight of this basic principle...

Politics & Society

Transatlantic Trends 2020

Transatlantic opinion on global challenges before and after COVID-19

2020 has been marked by an unprecedented series of political, economic, and societal shocks that have tested the resilience of the transatlantic relationship.From the Covid-19 pandemic and its global implications, to regional issues such as the risk of military escalation with Iran, to purely...

Politics & Society

Transatlantic Trends 2021

Transatlantic opinion on global challenges

2021 opens a new chapter for the transatlantic relationship. The change of the U.S. administration as well as the political, economic, and societal implications of the coronavirus pandemic have redefined transatlantic policy dialogues. New priorities have emerged, as the calls for increased...

Politics & Society

Trouble Brewing in Saxony-Anhalt’s Elections

How Nostalgia is Challenging Germany’s Political Future

The eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany is often overlooked. In a 2018 poll, Deutsche Welle users voted it the German state that they would least like to visit, ranking just below Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Saarland.

Democracy

Out to Vote

A Movement to Restore Voting Rights in Maryland

When has an individual convicted of a felony fully repaid their debt to society? When should they be welcomed back into the fabric of civic life as a contributing and engaged citizen? In the United States, the answer has often been long after being released from prison or, in some cases, never.

Politics & Society

The Transition Compendium

European Perspectives on a New Transatlantic Agenda

From the election of Joe Biden as the 46th American president to his 100th day in office, we provided monthly briefings offering the new administration European perspectives on the issues that will define a new transatlantic agenda in a period of significant volatility in the US, Europe, and beyond.

Digital World

Our Post Pandemic Future of Work Part 2 of 2

Policy Approaches for a Contested World

To many, the future of work is a question of technology and its impact on jobs, workers, the economy, and work itself. This way of looking at it has resulted in policy solutions focusing on workers and what they can do to prepare for the inevitability of technological disruption.

Digital World

Our Post-Pandemic Future of Work Part 1 of 2

Making Sense of the Debate

More than a year has elapsed since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The news presaged a public health crisis that generated massive unemployment and upended the world of work as we know it. As the pandemic metastasized, it forced workers, employers, and policymakers into...

Politics & Society

The Steady Decline of Alternative for Germany

Incitement, Infighting, and Inquiries

Nearly a year ago, the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged victorious from an unprecedented political scandal in Thuringia. The party’s nationwide approval rating hovered around 14 percent, higher than the 12.6 percent it garnered in the most recent federal election more than...

Politics & Society

Stars Align for German Foreign Policy

Merkel Takes Action on the EU-China Investment Deal and Bosnia’s High Representative

Just around the time Jupiter and Saturn converged in the night sky in mid-December 2020, it seems the stars also aligned in Berlin’s halls of power. With the end of Germany’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union and the sun setting on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 16-year reign,...

Digital World

Transatlantic Digital Trade

Is the Data Flows Conundrum Fixable?

With the European Court of Justice’s ruling striking down the transatlantic Privacy Shield program, U.S. and EU companies, government agencies and people who need to do business with virtually anyone across the Atlantic were sent into legal limbo.

Digital World

10 Questions That Will Determine the Future of Work

In the span of a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a rethink not only of how workers work, but of long-term policies that respond to disruptions being unleashed by technology and automation.

Digital World

Two Sides of the Same Coin

The Overdevelopment of American Magnet Cities, the Decay of the American Town, and How the Digital Economy Can Help

The White House in Washington, DC and City Hall in Baltimore, Maryland, are just 40 miles apart. Barring much traffic, a trip between the two takes but an hour. Though Baltimore is older, the two cities share similarities. Neither features many skyscrapers, for example. Instead, their streets have...

Politics & Society

Nord Stream 2

The German-American Honeymoon May End Soon, Then the Real Work Begins

The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris serves as a breath of fresh air for transatlanticists on both sides of the ocean. But of all the European countries heaving a sigh of relief, Germany’s exhalation may be the loudest. Berlin has been, after all, the proverbial punching bag for the Trump...

Digital World

Toward Deeper Cooperation on EU-US Digital Trade

Over time and in conjunction with technological developments, the nature of international trade has evolved. Trade is no longer just about the exchange of goods or the provision of simple services. It increasingly involves actions related to various dimensions of the digital economy.

Digital World

President Biden's Future of Work Plans

The future of work was on a lot minds during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Candidates proposed retraining truckers, instituting modified forms of universal basic income and reconstituting jobs in post-industrial cities decimated by automation.

Politics & Society

Clean Network’s Summer Tour

EU in the Middle of U.S-China Rivalry Over 5G

Dueling diplomatic trips in Europe this summer by United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi sought to sway the European Union’s stance on the China-U.S. rivalry. Among other goals, Pompeo would like to convince more countries to pledge not to use parts made...

Digital World

Learn to Code

The Challenges of Creating Mass Employment in Our Digital World

In January 2019 internet trolls took to Twitter to taunt recently fired journalists with some advice: “Learn to Code!” It was a shot at American “elites” who were deemed dismissive of blue-collar workers whose jobs are disappearing. The trolls caustically suggested a more promising future could be...

Democracy

Graphic Images

Disrupting Democracy Vol. III

For this third edition of the series, we decided to turn everything you’ve come to expect from Disrupting Democracy on its head. Through the use of carefully constructed algorithms by our partners at the Institute for Competitiveness, we have collected more than 10,000 data points that are the...

Politics & Society

The Transatlantic Relationship’s High Noon

The end of the film High Noon, a 1952 Western that rendered Gary Cooper's image synonymous with that of the lonesome, gun-slinging frontiersman, was equal parts controversial and iconic. Playing Sheriff Will Kane, Cooper’s town selfishly leaves him alone to face a band of outlaws. After he...

Digital World

The No Collar Economy - Vol. II

Our Digital World

This publication stems from a simple observation: across the world, humanity navigates a digital revolution that upends life as we knew it. And yet, despite the near universal impact of this revolution, the increased connectivity has resulted in misconnections.

Politics & Society

The Geopolitics of TikTok

Once the domain of teenage dancers, pranksters, and aspiring influencers, TikTok has become a lightning rod in disputes among global powers. The Chinese video app is in the crosshairs of policymakers whose options to move against Beijing are limited.

Digital World

American Workers Need More Than Just Another Stimulus

Today, July 9th, American workers awoke to improving jobs news, with unemployment rising less than expected to 1.4 million new claims. In June, payrolls rose by 4.8 million and unemployment fell to 11.1 percent. Still, lashed by COVID-19 and the subsequent economic downturn, 45 million Americans...

Politics & Society

COVID-19 and Germany’s Political Transformation

In February, a political earthquake in the small eastern state of Thuringia sent shockwaves across Germany.[1] After the state-level Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) broke political taboo by collaborating with the populist far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD),...

Digital World

How Can Automation Accelerate Economic Recovery from Coronavirus?

As COVID-19 courses through the United States, technology and automation are often touted as primarily positive forces that unlock home grocery delivery and the flexibility to work from home. But for many low-wage workers, COVID-19 has catalyzed a pernicious chain reaction that will impact their...

Politics & Society

EU Enlargement Talks Stalled by COVID-19

Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron shocked his European Union counterparts by vetoing the start of EU accession talks for North Macedonia and Albania. It was a bitter pill to swallow; both countries have been waiting for over a decade since applying for EU membership to proceed to...

Politics & Society

Grassroots Tech Offers Hope in the Age of Coronavirus

During the 1918 influenza pandemic, more than 500 million people worldwide were infected with the virus and around 675,000 people died in the United States. More than a century later, we are in the middle of another pandemic that has already infected 4.2 million people worldwide, killed over 80,000...

Democracy

When the Levee Breaks

Can Institutions Save Liberal Democracy?

With liberal democracy already mired in a slump, democratic institutions face a massive challenge in mustering a response to the novel coronavirus of 2020. How these institutions perform in the coming months will have long term ramifications for democracy in the 21st century. Is the West’s...

Democracy

Remote Control

Legislating in an Empty Chamber

The outbreak of COVID-19 has changed the habits of ordinary citizens the world over. We don masks and gloves in supermarkets, and follow one-way arrows up and down the aisles in search of that elusive box of pasta. We interact with pixelated versions of our families, friends and colleagues on...

Digital World

COVID-19’s Future of Work Wrecking Ball

As COVID-19 cuts its path across the world, attention is shifting away from the immediate need to contain a public health crisis and toward the crisis’s long-term impact on jobs, workers, and the “future of work.” What was once a long-term, wonk-dominated discussion centered on upskilling and...

Digital World

The US-German Economic Relationship

Trends in bilateral trade and investment

According to the realist school of thought, the world is a brutal, dangerous arena. It is anarchical. No government of governments enforces rules. The motives of other countries are unpredictable, and the threats they pose are potentially existential. In such an environment, one country cannot...

Politics & Society

Privacy and Pandemics

In bucolic China, a child has braved cold temperatures for some fresh outdoors air. Overhead, a drone hovers. Its loudspeaker, a haunting combination of human direction in the machine age, chides him for being outdoors. “Hey kid! We’re in unusual times… The coronavirus is very serious… run!!” it...

Democracy

Third Parties Won’t Win the White House

But They Could Decide the Election

Given the polarized state of American politics, it can be easy to assume that Americans have a binary decision to make this November. They do not.

Democracy

Common Enemies

Coalition Building in America’s Major Political Parties

In countries with parliamentary systems, like Germany, consensus is built after the election. Parties work together to form coalition governments and craft platforms that represent their values. In the United States, the elections themselves are consensus building exercises, as the parties undergo a...

Politics & Society

Battle Won, War Lost?

The Downward Trend of Germany’s Social Democrats

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) triumphed in the recent Hamburg state election, held last Sunday, February 23. However, this victory is no reason to celebrate for Social Democrats across Germany. While the party has won a battle, it is losing the war – and pretty severely.

Politics & Society

Trade War 2020

What Iowa Tells us About Trump’s Chances in the Presidential Election

The United States’ ongoing trade war could be President Donald Trump’s biggest liability in the 2020 elections. Many of those bearing the brunt of the conflict are Trump supporters, especially in swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa, which could impact his chance of reelection later this...

Politics & Society

E3 in the Middle

Europe’s Awkward Position between the U.S. and Iran

Though it may be hard to remember how close we felt to the brink of war earlier this month in the wake of the American-ordered assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, tensions between the United States and Iran are far from resolved. Conflict could flare back up at any moment, making an...

Politics & Society

Powerfrauen?

How Germany’s Political Parties are Approaching the Question of Female Representation

This weekend, Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans were named the new leaders of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) after a runoff election against Klara Geywitz and Olaf Scholz. The candidates partnered up in male-female duos as part of the center-left party’s efforts to address...

Politics & Society

Edge of a Precipice

Understanding French President Macron’s EU Vision

In an interview with The Economist released November 7, French President Macron laid out a grand strategic vision for the EU. He called for the creation of an EU military, stronger technological sovereignty, and reforms to deepen the political unity of the EU instead of just growing the single...

Politics & Society

Trick or Treat

The Rule of Law Comes Knocking

In a week dominated by ghouls, goblins, and the forces of darkness, there is some reason for optimism on the streets of Washington and London. For the better part of three years, President Trump has sidelined norms and legal precedent to further his stated objective to “make America great again.”...

Politics & Society

Shared Values No More?

Climate Change and the Transatlantic Relationship

Pundits have wrung their hands about the deterioration of the transatlantic alliance, as U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum and attacked the Federal Republic for its limited defense spending. However, the alliance may be careening toward another – and likely much...

Digital World

Britain’s AI Power Play

In the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister, civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby remarks that diplomacy is about surviving until the next century, whereas politics is about surviving until Friday afternoon. Sir Appleby’s wry observation rings especially true today, with U.K. watchers caught up in the...

Democracy

Six Steps

Recommendations for Building Resilient Democracy in the 21st Century

In April 2019, the Bertelsmann Foundation convened two dozen international leaders from the fields of business, politics, nonprofits, and the arts for the Washington Symposium, which asked how to make democracy resilient enough to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Politics & Society

A Transatlantic Perspective on China’s Belt Road Initiative

At the end of World War II, the U.S. Embassy in Prague requested that General Eisenhower permit U.S. troops to proceed fifty miles further east to liberate Prague. Caving to congressional constituent requests that their boys come home for Christmas, Eisenhower deferred, and Czechoslovakia welcomed...

Archived Projects

Washington Symposium

Liberal democracy as we’ve come to understand it over the last century is vulnerable from every angle. Democratically-elected leaders with autocratic leanings are using the very tools of democracy – elections, constitutions, political parties, the media – to undermine the system.

Democracy

Liquid Democracy

Transforming Democracy for the Digital Age

In the recent European Parliament election, the influence of populism was once again evident. It remains a worrying force, just as it has been in a slew of other elections in the last several years, and is a major threat to the functioning of liberal democracies around the world. While many in the...

Politics & Society

Red Notice in Rip City

For NBA player and Turkish national Enes Kanter, life used to be simpler. There was a predictable routine: pass, dribble, shoot, defend, repeat. But as the lines between entertainment and politics continue to blur, there are occasions in which the two collide, drawing attention to issues that would...

Democracy

The Populist Uprising and its Victims

There is a famous passage in The Economic Consequences of the Peace1 where Keynes, writing a year after the end of World War I, paints a vivid picture of a globalized world at the pinnacle of the gold standard. He nostalgically reminisces of the time when his countrymen, through the convenience of...

Democracy

Alexa, Is Democracy Dead?

Five generations ago, in 1879, Thomas Edison introduced a technological innovation – the electric light bulb – that would change the world. At the time, few believed that anything could reliably replace gas-powered light, and in an October interview that year the New York Times illuminated the...

Democracy

Democracy’s Canary in a Coal Mine

Democracy

Democracy’s Canary in a Coal Mine

Editorial Cartoonists and the Health of Democracy

In April 2019, the Bertelsmann Foundation convened two dozen international leaders from the fields of business, politics, nonprofits, and the arts for the Washington Symposium, which asked how to make democracy resilient enough to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Democracy

Democracy and Disinformation

Imagine this: Suddenly, everybody was an author. Everybody could publish; everybody could write. The men who had controlled access to information were now irrelevant; the establishment was crushed in a flood tide of new publications. New ideas multiplied; so did new conflicts. Violence followed –...

Democracy

An Aristocratic Spirit

“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” This conclusion by Saint Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, as simple as it is wise, explains why in our own time so many great words have been so emptied of meaning that we no longer have any idea what they refer to, or continue purely out...

Democracy

Democracy 101

An Introduction

“Our democracy is dead.” I’ve heard this phrase uttered all across the world after the passage of a restrictive voter law, the closure of an independent news outlet or the results of a questionable election. Friends and acquaintances over the years have lamented: Because of x, my country is no...

Politics & Society

Incoming!

Germany’s Thrifty Defense Budget Under Fire

NATO’s current infighting would probably have shocked even the reportedly unflappable Lord Hastings Ismay, the alliance’s first Secretary General. He famously declared that NATO’s mission was to “keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” Seventy years later, the first two...

Politics & Society

The Green New Deal

Revolutionary or Recycled Policies?

In early February 2019, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and newly elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) released their Green New Deal (GND), a non-binding Congressional resolution that argues for “a new national, social, industrial, and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since World...

Democracy

Love Triangle

Italy, France, and Germany Ahead of the European Parliament Elections

In mid-January, two of the European Union’s largest economic powers met in Aachen to commit to closer cooperation and continued friendship. The treaty signed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron strengthened the two nations’ economic and security partnership,...

Democracy

Disrupting Democracy Vol. II

Election Series

In 2018, for our second instalment of the Disrupting Democracy project we turned our attention to elections. From the rise of Five Star and Lega in Italy to U.S. Democrats’ success winning the U.S. House of Representatives, and from to Morena and Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s victory in Mexico to a...

Politics & Society

Italy’s 2019 Budget Worries the EU and Global Markets

Rarely does Italian fiscal policy seriously worry foreign investors accustomed to successive crises, but the 2019 budget proposed by Rome’s new coalition government of the League (“Lega”) of right-wing parties and the populist Five Star Movement (5SM) is triggering bad reactions in bond and equity...

Digital World

Trade War on the Horizon

How Should the EU Respond?

The protectionist trade policy Donald Trump had already announced during his election campaign has been taking more and more concrete shape since March 2018. Although the European Union (EU) had initially been exempted from punitive tariffs, the U.S. government imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium...

Democracy

Arts and Culture - Part 1

Keeping Democracy Alive or Entertainment for the Establishment?

Is culture an early warning system for the erosion of democracy? Are the conditions of production and the acceptance of art an early warning system? Are art and culture prerequisites for a functional level of dialogue and communication, and thus for democracy as well? How can they generate momentum...

Democracy

Democracy – Its Substance and Meaning

Can One Size fit All?

Of course, “one size” of democracy cannot, and should not, fit all! We are familiar with two variations, notably direct democracy 1 and representative democracy 2, and three democratic systems, parliamentary 3, presidential 4 and mixed 5, the last combining elements of the former two. In...

Digital World

Trilogue Salzburg

The articles included in this background paper Reviving Democracy in a Fragmented World – Not Attractive Anymore or Still a Success Story? have been written in preparation for the 17th Trilogue Salzburg, which focuses on the question of whether republican democracy remains the uncontested and...

Democracy

Arts and Culture - Part 2

Keeping Democracy Alive or Entertainment for the Establishment?

Wolfgang Merkel, of the Berlin Social Science Center, emphatically notes in his more recent publications that a significant problem for current democracies stems from deficits of representation: “In the last two to three decades, a growing group of citizens has been taking shape that does not feel...

Democracy

Decoding the Writings on the Wall

In hindsight, we can see quite clearly that 1989 represented the heyday of an illusion that did not last very long. Has history ever seen similar situations, in which liberal beginnings led to illiberal outcomes? Does historical research provide explanations and analytical tools that might help us...

Democracy

The Square People

Politics of Protests

“Is our democracy in danger?” asked Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, the authors of the recently published How Democracies Die, and added, “It is a question we never thought we’d be asking.” “Nothing lasts forever. At some point democracy was always going to pass into the pages of history,”...

Democracy

The Erosion of Democracy in Developing and Transition Countries | Part 2

Crises relating to the legitimacy and performance of liberal democracies play into the hands of populists and autocrats all over the world. Even today, the discourse in Latin America still makes reference to the devastating social consequences of the “Washington Consensus” policy developed by the...

Democracy

Democracy, an Economic Review

Open Market Economies Under Pressure

The political model of a liberal and cosmopolitan democracy is coming under increasing pressure in many Western industrialized nations. This also applies to the economic model prevalent in liberal democracies, which is based on core elements such as private property, competition, open markets and...

Democracy

The Erosion of Democracy in Developing and Transition Countries | Part 1

Political transformation as measured by the BTI 2018 has, on average, reached a new low around the globe. In more and more countries, rulers are strategically undermining control mechanisms in order to secure power and maintain patronage systems and opportunities for self-enrichment. At the same...

Democracy

Taking Stock of Democracy

Still a Success Story or not Competitive Anymore?

Taking stock of democracy seems to be easy. Democracy doubtlessly was the most successful idea of the 20th century, in spite of its flaws and problems. Democracy is able to adapt to changing environments and has been able to cope with challenges and problems in most cases. As a consequence, the...

Politics & Society

Germany's Current Account and Trade Surpluses

During the past decade, macroeconomic imbalances – typified by countries’ surplus or deficit of exports, currency, or capital – have moved to the fore of international economic policy debates. Global events and developments, such as China’s integration into the world economy, the 2008 financial...

Politics & Society

The Far-Right Foundation

Just a few years ago, most Germans could not have imagined that members of a far-right party would enter the Bundestag. But in 2017, after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took home 12.6 percent of the vote in the federal elections, over 90 members of the party moved into offices in...

Digital World

This Is Your Office on AI

The future has arrived and it’s your first day at your new job. You step across the threshold sporting a nervous smile and harboring visions of virtual handshakes and brain-computer interfaces. After all, this is one of those newfangled, modern offices that science-fiction writers have been dreaming...

Democracy

Disrupting Democracy

The Story of Italy’s 2018 Election

Italy’s 2018 election proved to be the latest shock to western democracies. By wide margins, Italians voted for populist movements at the expense of traditional parties. In May, the populist Five Star Movement and the right-wing Lega Party reached a tentative agreement to form a new governing...

Democracy

Disrupting Democracy | Italy

Digital World

Artificial Intelligence and the Transatlantic Alliance

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform economies and touch virtually every aspect of our lives in the coming years. Until recently, its potential was framed almost exclusively in economic terms, with boosters estimating it would contribute $16 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

Democracy

A New Constellation

Making Sense of the Italian Election

Italians have a long history of conducting national elections that result in short-lived governments. With more than 40 prime ministers and over 60 governments since World War II, stability and longevity have not been the hallmarks of Italian democracy. When Italians return to the polls on March 4,...

Politics & Society

Germany's Coalition Agreement

Transatlantic Ties in Times of ‘Profound Change’

After months of tumultuous negotiations in Berlin, the CDU, CSU and SPD emerged on February 7 with a draft coalition agreement. Much of the document spells out a continuation of past priorities, but five short paragraphs on page 147 show a serious, and perhaps irreversible, shift in thinking about...

Digital World

The Future of Work is Trans-Atlantic

The past year has brought momentous disruption to the trans-Atlantic alliance. From the ascent of President Trump, to Brexit, to the rise of populist parties in France, Germany and Austria, voters have taken a cudgel to the status quo. Dumbfounded, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have set off...

Democracy

Disrupting Democracy Vol. I

Point. Click. Transform

Beginning January 2017, the Bertelsmann Foundation embarked on a journey to explore how digital innovation impacts democracies and societies around the world in a series called "Disrupting Democracy." In volume one, we focused on key challenges that have emerged as a result of technological...

Politics & Society

The Turkish-German Tug-of-War

In the lead-up to Germany’s federal elections on September 24, the nation’s 2.9 million Turkish-born residents have found themselves in the middle of a tug-of-war between Berlin and Ankara.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long enjoyed a certain amount of support in the Turkish community in...

Politics & Society

China’s Play for Market Economy Status

In its 2001 accession protocol to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China agreed to provisions that would allow other countries to treat it as a nonmarket economy for the purposes of certain trade disputes, leveling the playing field for companies that otherwise could not compete with China’s...

Politics & Society

NAFTA Renegotiation | Recalibrating North American Economic Relations

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Robert Lighthizer as United States Trade Representative last week, rounding out President Donald Trump’s cabinet and giving momentum to his trade agenda. At his swearing-in ceremony on May 15, Ambassador Lighthizer predicted that President Trump would permanently...

Politics & Society

NAFTA Renegotiation

State of Play and a Look Ahead

Trade officials from the United States, Mexico and Canada are gathered in Ottawa this week for the third round of negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The first two rounds, which took place over the past month in Washington and Mexico City, covered an uncommonly...

Politics & Society

Merkel and the Trump Two-Step

Navigating the German Chancellor’s White House Visit

As German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares for her first in-person encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House this week, she faces a strategic reality that contrasts sharply with her previous visits hosted by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Buffeted by challenges at...

Democracy

Italy’s Referendum Uncertainty

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned his post last week after voters roundly rejected a referendum on constitutional reform. The proposal sought to revise nearly a third of the Italian Constitution’s 139 articles, and would have changed the composition and law-making procedures of the...

Politics & Society

The International Response to Crisis in the Middle East

A German Approach

The wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, stretching from Western Sahara through North Africa, the Middle East, to the Hindu Kush, is arguably the most crisis-ridden in the world. The war in Syria, the refugee crisis and the fight against so-called “Islamic State” (IS) terrorism dominate...

Digital World

The EU-US Privacy Shield Framework

A New Paradigm for an Evolving Digital World

In the age of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Gmail – when one can peruse strangers’ selfies and read personal emails of presidential candidates on an iPhone – the very notion of privacy seems obsolete. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union enshrines respect for one’s private...

Democracy

An American Revolution

The Election of President Donald Trump

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marks a seismic shift in American politics. Tapping into widespread economic discontent and exploiting cultural chasms throughout the country, the president-elect ran an unconventional campaign that resulted in a revolution of...

Politics & Society

An American Revolution

The Election of President Donald Trump

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marks a seismic shift in American politics. Tapping into widespread economic discontent and exploiting cultural chasms throughout the country, the president-elect ran an unconventional campaign that resulted in a revolution of...

Politics & Society

In Search of the Center

The Beginning of the End of Political Extremism?

As the U.S. presidential candidates limp toward the finish line, dragging a disillusioned electorate along with them, many have reflected on the long-term damage of Trumpism to the Republican Party, or whether those who were “feeling the Bern” will hold their noses and cast a vote for Hillary...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiators Make Small Gains

No Major Breakthroughs in Final Round before US Elections

U.S. and EU trade officials gathered in New York City during the week of October 3-7 for the 15th round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. The round, which may have been TTIP’s last for the foreseeable future, followed a consequential month of trade summits,...

Politics & Society

The Energiewende

A Success Story at a Crossroads

Germany is a world leader in renewable energy deployment. The Renewables 2016 Global Status Report ranks Germany as third (after China and the U.S.) in absolute and second (behind Denmark) in per capita installed renewable energy capacity. Driven by a long-term renewable energy policy that dates...

Politics & Society

Echoes of History

Understanding German Data Protection

The discussion surrounding surveillance and the collection of personal data—whether by the private or public sector—and the debate over the authority of the intelligence services have never been more relevant in Germany. The debate has become more complex and contentious as a result of the...

Politics & Society

Russia - A Threat to European Security?

A View from Germany

Tensions between Russia and the European Union, the United States and others have been high since the Russian annexation of Crimea in February-March 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive move sent shockwaves around the world—few believed he was capable of such an overt maneuver. As the...

Politics & Society

Germany's Security Policy

From Territorial Defense to Defending the Liberal World Order?

Stark differences exist in the strategic culture between Europe and the United States. They concern as much the disparity in military power—all 28 member states of the European Union together spend less on defense than the United States alone—as well as the very different historical experiences. Two...

Politics & Society

Trans-Atlantic Trade at the Crossroads

Prospects for TTIP in 2016 and Beyond

Trade ministers from European Union member states will convene in Bratislava, Slovakia later this week to discuss the fate of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The goal of the summit is to assess whether negotiations are in an advanced enough state to enter the so-called...

Politics & Society

The End of Panda Politics

Somewhere in the bamboo forests of China’s Sichuan Province, two pandas are being readied for their journey to Germany. The animals are to accompany Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visits Berlin next year, and will serve as goodwill ambassadors in the city’s zoo. Everyone loves pandas: They are...

Politics & Society

Europe's Reluctant Leader

When U.S. President Barack Obama visited Europe early in 2016, he voiced concern about two central issues: recent political and economic strife in Europe and Germany’s duty to take on a more active leadership role in these turbulent times. The political landscape in and around Europe has changed...

Politics & Society

To Counter Extremism, Europe Must Move Beyond Security

and Focus on Neighborhoods

Following a spate of deadly attacks in Western Europe, governments have adopted a largely military-oriented response to secure the homeland and counter violent extremism. The Belgian government has pledged €298 million ($332 million) in additional funding to bolster the police, intelligence services...

Politics & Society

Inside Turkey’s Economy

On July 15, Turkey’s tumultuous 2016 took a shocking twist as elements within the country’s military attempted a coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The putsch rapidly snapped at the seams, and a night that began with soldiers blocking bridges yielded a morning with those...

Politics & Society

A New Role for France

Europe’s Pivotal Nation

In the early days of U.S. President Barack Obama’s term, the administration announced a strategic “pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region. Implicit in this policy, however, was the assumption that if a nation pivots toward something, it is simultaneously pivoting away from something else – Europe and...

Politics & Society

Negotiators Advance TTIP Agenda

Several Key Issues Remain

The 14th round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) concluded earlier this month with an air of uncertainty, as U.S. and EU negotiators committed to continue the process of resolving differences and consolidating texts without concrete plans for when or where...

Politics & Society

Protecting Europe’s Family Ties in Trying Times

Bringing together 28 member states with diverse histories, cultures and languages naturally complicates a one-size-fits-all approach to policy. But the European Union has transformed the opt-out into an art form. From the Schengen zone to defense and justice, many countries have treated their EU...

Politics & Society

Preserving an Old Model in a New World

German Economic Policy

To describe the German economic and social system in a few words, only one term truly captures its essence: “social market economy.” This means a system characterized by a combination of economic dynamism and social justice. The social market economy is based on the freedom of markets and private...

Politics & Society

Pacific Alliance 2.0

Next Steps in Integration

The Pacific Alliance, an integration agreement between Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, has achieved remarkable success in recent years. Also known as the Pacific Pumas, the four countries have worked together since 2011 to eliminate tariffs on over 92 percent of goods, integrate their national...

Democracy

Austrian Elections

When the Peoples' Parties Lose the People

When Austrians went to the polls in last month’s presidential election, the political establishment received a jarring wakeup call. Typically, presidents hail from one of the country’s traditional Volksparteien, or people’s parties—the center-left Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) or the...

Politics & Society

Latest TTIP Round Yields Progress, Gridlock

Negotiators, regulators and stakeholders from civil society and industry convened in New York City last month for the 13th round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. The round followed the highly anticipated visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to the...

Politics & Society

Germany's Response to the Refugee Situation

Remarkable Leadership or Fait Accompli?

With the Islamic State group terrorizing large parts of Iraq and Syria, the Syrian civil war raging with no end in sight, and the situation for refugees deteriorating in Jordan and Lebanon, more and more people in the Middle East have decided to flee to the European Union in an attempt to claim...

Politics & Society

The EU’s Arc of Instability

Can the European Neighborhood Policy be Resurrected?

It has been over a decade since the European Union launched its European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) aimed at fostering “a ring of well-governed states” surrounding the EU. Now, a majority of the EU’s sixteen ‘partners’ find themselves entangled in increasingly intractable conflicts in an arc of...

Politics & Society

Three Things to Watch in Brazil

When I met with former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sao Paulo earlier this month, he seemed tired and apprehensive. Two days later, in scenes that played out on live television, federal police raided his house and detained him for hours of questioning regarding percolating...

Politics & Society

TTIP Beyond the Beltway: American Perspectives

TTIP Beyond the Beltway: American Perspectives is the culminating report of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s TTIP Town Hall program, a two-year project that convened a series of town hall-style meetings with Washington trade experts and local stakeholders in five U.S. states.

Politics & Society

Making Trans-Atlantic Relations Great Again?

A Look at US Front-runners’ Positions on Europe

The latest, delegate-rich presidential primaries in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio further cemented Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as front-runners within their respective parties. While official delegates will not be awarded until party conventions in mid-July, the often...

Politics & Society

A Temporary Alternative for Germany?

A Look at AfD’s Rise

In state elections on Sunday, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party achieved double-digit support in all three states that held elections—Baden-Württemberg (15.1 percent), Rhineland-Palatinate (12.6 percent) and Saxony-Anhalt (24.2 percent) —surpassing their expected support by several...

Democracy

State Elections in Germany

Party Politics on Shaky Ground

This weekend, Germans will go to the polls in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt to elect state leaders. While each of these states has its own distinct demography and political history, they have one thing in common this election cycle: The current migration crisis is...

Politics & Society

TTIP Talks Gain Momentum After Latest Round

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström meet this week for a stocktaking session in Washington to review the status of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), discuss outstanding issues and plan for the coming year. The meeting follows...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 11

Representatives from the United States and the European Union participated in the 11th round of TTIP negotiations in Miami, Florida during the week of October 19th. U.S. and EU officials are hopeful for TTIP’s conclusion by the end of 2016. To that end, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and...

Politics & Society

Erdogan's Bus Ride to Redemption

After 13 years in power, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reached a crucial fork in the road that offers clear choices between rejoining the community of democratic leaders or attaining pariah status reserved for those who violate basic human rights and demonstrate contempt for the rule...

Politics & Society

Joachim Gauck

Obama’s German Interpreter

On October 7, German President Joachim Gauck will join US President Barack Obama to mark the 25th anniversary of German reunification. It will be the first time in 18 years that the White House receives a German president, which is indicative of the special nature of this president and this moment...

Politics & Society

TTIP: California’s Gateway to Europe

As the Obama Administration continues its pursuit of an ambitious trade agenda during its final months in office, it’s natural for the attention of Angelenos to be fixed on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the comprehensive free trade deal currently in negotiation between the US and 11 countries...

Politics & Society

TTIP: Negotiations A Summary of Round 10

Clearing the Path for Progress

Politics & Society

Merkel's Mission

Navigating Domestic Politics To Save Europe

Today, Germany finds itself at the center of the Greek economic crisis, but it did not ask for this tremendous responsibility. A combination of its disproportionate economic heft and withering leadership in the rest of the European Union has forced Germany into a position that runs counter to its...

Politics & Society

Reining in Russia

The Parable of the Chinese Finger Trap

It is a simple device made of woven bamboo, but the Chinese finger trap has befuddled children for generations. Put an index finger into each end of the cylindrical tube, and there is seemingly no escape. The more force exerted from opposing directions only serves to tighten the grip further. The...

Politics & Society

Germany's Demographic Crash Course

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Germany has impressed the world as a bastion of economic stability in Europe. Germany’s initial recovery from the Great Recession was one of the soundest among Western economies, and after a period of lower growth in 2012 and 2013, the economy has picked up...

Politics & Society

Russia, Sanctions and the Way Forward

Balancing Assertiveness with Engagement

In this Bertelsmann Foundation report, Project Manager Josh Stanton assesses the current geopolitical state of play surrounding the conflict in eastern Ukraine and argues that the US and the EU need to develop a long-term, multi-dimensional strategy towards Russia.

Politics & Society

The Current Economic State of Play in Russia

In this Bertelsmann Foundation publication, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Anders Åslund argues that Western sanctions are having a significant impact on Russia’s economy.

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 9

TTIP Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple

Politics & Society

Brexit - potential economic consequences if the UK exits the EU

If the United Kingdom (UK) exits the EU in 2018, it would reduce that country’s exports and make imports more expensive. Depending on the extent of trade policy isolation, the UK’s real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita would be between 0.6 and 3.0 percent lower in the year 2030 than if the...

Politics & Society

Making TTIP a 21st-Century Agreement

The United States and the European Union meet again this week to try to make progress on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This ninth round of talks aims to advance a deal that further reduces tariffs on goods and services while setting common standards for both. The eventual...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 8

Fresh Start, Fresh Progress

Politics & Society

The Essential Relationship

The trans-Atlantic bond was for generations defined by the strength of the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom. But the world changes, and so too must constellations among nations if they are to confront the vast problems of the modern era. In the early 21st...

Politics & Society

Samba Lessons for Greece

Could Lula’s Brazil provide the precedent for economic renewal?

Politics & Society

The EU's TTIP Negotiating Texts

What You Need to Know

On January 7, the European Commission released 23 fact sheets and eight EU negotiating texts to reinforce EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström’s commitment to more transparent Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.

Politics & Society

A New Year's Resolution on Turkey

It’s harder to keep a New Year’s resolution than to make one. As 2014 began, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then Turkish prime minister, pledged a “European Year” that would revive his country’s EU membership bid. As part of the effort, Ankara released in September a new “European Union Strategy” that aimed...

Politics & Society

It's About Time

Normalized US-Cuban Relations

A surprise prisoner swap this morning between the US and Cuba has triggered a new era―and a major thaw―in bilateral relations, which have been frozen for more than five decades. By noon, US President Barack Obama announced significantly broadened diplomatic, financial and technological contact with...

Politics & Society

The Berlin Wall's Power to Unify

Twenty-five years have passed since the Berlin Wall fell, and a new era for Europe and the United States began. We live today in a starkly different world, one that was formed – in part, at least – by the dramatic events in central Europe in 1989. So strong was the impact of that year that even...

Digital World

The Elephant in the Room

A Republican Congress and Trans-Atlantic Relations

The results of this week’s Congressional vote herald big changes in Washington that will also impact Europe. The Republicans, who have spent much of the Obama presidency as obstructionists, must demonstrate an agenda and an ability to lead. President Obama, for his part, must be more willing to work...

Politics & Society

Going "All In" in Ukraine

As election results go, supporters of a pro-European Ukraine were dealt what poker players would call a “full house”. The first parliamentary vote since the downfall of the country’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych, in February saw widespread support for reformminded parties, including current...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 7

Weighing the Proposals

Politics & Society

Globalization Report 2014

Who benefits most from globalization?

The increasing economic, political and social interconnectedness of the world is ubiquitous. It is evident in the steadily rising sales of German mechanical construction companies beyond the country’s borders as well as in the fact that more Asians use Facebook than North Americans and that the...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 6

Making Progress Where Possible

Politics & Society

Argentina

Holding Up After Holding Out

The single seat at the press conference said it all. Argentine Finance Minister Axel Kicillof would be speaking alone. He would not be accompanied by a court-appointed mediator or representatives of holdout firms. There was no deal that would allow New York banks to process Argentina’s payments to...

Politics & Society

Obama's Choice

A new wave of spy allegations is further damaging German-American relations and now threatens to radically alter the mainstay of the entire trans-Atlantic partnership. Last week’s allegations of the CIA’s paying a German informant for documents related to a Bundestag committee’s investigations into...

Politics & Society

Keep Calm and Carry On with the Spitzenkandidaten

British Prime Minister David Cameron and the UK press’ furious trashing of future European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has come to naught. Though portrayed as an alcoholic and staunch federalist, Juncker was overwhelmingly elected at the June 26-27 EU summit. The real setback, however,...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Rounds 4 and 5

Maintaining Momentum

The framework for a potential agreement is coming to the fore following the fourth and fifth rounds of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks. Negotiators have begun crafting language for a final document now that the path towards an accord is becoming clearer. But...

Politics & Society

Is Seven Greater Than Eight

The math is simple, but world leaders are struggling with their numbers. The reconstituted Group of Seven (G7) scheduled to meet in Brussels on June 4-5 will be minus Russia, which was due to host the (G8) gathering in Sochi. Nevertheless, the summit, now hosted by the European Council following...

Politics & Society

Europe Inspires Despite Its Problems

As Americans enjoyed an uneventful Memorial Day weekend, Europeans went to the polls in two separate but strongly linked elections. Ukrainians braved political, economic and territorial instability to vote in a snap presidential ballot while EU citizens chose European Parliament (EP)...

Democracy

Did Washington Lose The European Elections?

Europe has voted, and the future European Parliament (EP) undoubtedly reflects a new political landscape across the continent. But the impact will go far beyond the western shores of Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. The trans-Atlantic relationship is also about to embark on new challenges to its...

Politics & Society

Merkel in Washington

What Does She Want?

Among the US’s many allies, Germany has become one of the hardest for Americans to read. Washington sees the country under Chancellor Angela Merkel’s leadership as a power that is unwilling to fully execute its foreign-policy responsibilities by flexing its muscles and, when necessary, by...

Politics & Society

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

On Track but Off Message?

On June 17, 2013, US President Barack Obama, along with the presidents of the European Council, European Commission and the prime minister of Britain, announced that the United States and European Union would begin negotiations to establish what would be the world’s largest free trade area—the...

Politics & Society

Steinmeier's Mission Impossible?

As German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrives in Washington, DC today, his mission is to repair a badly frayed partnership and reconfirm its importance. There may be many items on the bilateral to-do list ― Ukraine, Syria, Iran, just to name three ― but it is the NSA scandal that...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: Stock-Taking Summary

US Trade Representative Michael Froman and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht met February 17–18 to discuss the progress of TTIP negotiations, a so-called stock-taking exercise. Both agreed on specific issues on which negotiators can move forward in upcoming talks. Points of contention, however,...

Politics & Society

A Re-set for German Foreign and Security Policy

German President Joachim Gauck may lack the executive powers of his US counterpart, but his call today at the Munich Security Conference for a more active German role in global affairs is significant for the trans-Atlantic relationship. Berlin could now be at the threshold of a new era of global...

Politics & Society

TTIP Negotiations: A Summary of Round 3

The third round of negotiations, held December 16-20, 2013 in Washington, DC, began work on what US lead negotiator Dan Mullaney called “the architecture of an agreement”. Talks continued with the scoping exercises from the first two rounds. They ended with more specific work on issues such as...

Politics & Society

The Crossroads

US-Mexico Trade

The US-Mexico trade relationship emerged as an issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and it remains a critical fault line in globalization.

Digital World

Hidden Layers | US-EU Meeting in Paris & Congress' New Digital Platform Commission

Your Quarterly Transatlantic Technology News | Issue 2

In this issue, we discuss tech legislation making headlines in the first half of 2022, including the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Governance Act (DGA), and the U.S. Congress’ proposed Digital Platform Commission Act. We also cover the latest on the U.S.-EU...

Digital World

Hidden Layers | TTC Edition June 2023

A fourth meeting in Sweden brings wide-ranging progress

U.S. and EU officials gathered May 30-31 for the fourth ministerial meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Luleå, Sweden. The meeting focused on transatlantic cooperation on emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G, export controls and investment...

Digital World

Hidden Layers | EU’s AI Act, an AI task force from Congress, and a new Executive Order to protect Americans’ personal data

In this issue, we discuss updates on the EU’s AI Act, the Biden administration’s AI executive order (EO) and a new AI task force from Congress. We also address the outcomes from the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council’s (TTC) fifth ministerial meeting and a new EO to protect Americans’ personal...

Politics & Society

Cross-Cutting Currents

Transatlantic Primer 2022

The U.S. and Europe have an opportunity to engage closely on a broad range of challenges in 2022. To that end, the Bertelsmann Foundation has produced Cross-Cutting Currents, a transatlantic primer, as a foundational and introductory resource for those who seek a better understanding of the...

Politics & Society

Transponder Issue #2: Cities

In this second issue of the Transponder, we explore how transatlantic cities confront global challenges and bolster the transatlantic relationship. As more than half of the world’s population currently resides in metropolitan areas, we see that cities are becoming the epicenter for political,...

Politics & Society

Transponder Issue #3: Resilience

The topic of the Third Issue of the Transponder Magazine is Resilience, featuring a collection of written and visual works that explore how members of the transatlantic community can remain resilient in the face of new and old challenges.

Politics & Society

Transponder Issue #4: Identity

The fourth issue of Transponder features a collection of written and visual works that explore the diversity and breadth of identity on both sides of the Atlantic, revealing themes of citizenship, belonging, personhood, heritage, and online persona.

Politics & Society

Transponder Issue #6: Elections

The sixth issue of Transponder is dedicated to the seismic event that is the 2024 election year. Promising to be one of the most consequential election cycles in modern history, this issue takes you around the globe, exploring electoral topics and elections in Finland, Germany, Taiwan, India,...

Future Leadership

Class of 2025

The Geopolitics of Space

The Class of 2025 will focus on EU-U.S. Space Cooperation, regulatory alignment, and industrial competitiveness.

Future Leadership

BFF Spotlight: Travis Moore

Bertelsmann Foundation Fellow Class of 2012; Founder and Executive Director of TechCongress

Travis Moore is the Founder and Executive Director of TechCongress, which places computer scientists, engineers, and other technologists to work for Members of Congress and Congressional Committees on key policymaking challenges like AI ethics, election security, encryption, and data privacy through...

Democracy

Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power

Disrupting Democracy Volume IV

In this fourth and final installment of our Disrupting Democracy series, "Graphic Images: Autocrats and the Use of Power," we will look at how three authoritarian regimes undermine the prospects for democracy and stability in their respective regions. Drawing from the more than 15 years of data from...