Better Than Its Reputation. Bertelsmann Policy Brief 02.2019

In the first 18 months of its government activity, Germany’s grand coalition has already fulfilled or started on two-thirds of its 296 promises. This points to a record-breaking mid-term balance for the current government. At the same time, only ten percent of all citizens still believe that political parties and governments also keep their promises. Why is that? And what can we do to change that

A conflict line through Germany or a new East-West divide? Bertelsmann Policy Brief 03.2019

Are Eastern Germans “wired” differently? The results of the recent state elections in Thuringia, Brandenburg and Saxony appear to support this hypothesis. But, more than anything, they reflect new lines of conflict in society that are very similar in Eastern and Western Germany. This also applies to the election results of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party

Die ökonomischen Konsequenzen der Korruption

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A Return of Trust? Future of Democracy 01.2020 May 2020.

The initial phase of the corona crisis has led to a significant improvement in the levels of confidence that Germans have in their state and government. More than two-thirds of all people in Germany currently regard the state as being “rather strong” or “very strong.” This means that the level of trust has risen by 23 percentage points since the end of 2019. At the same time, less than a quarter (23%) still think the state is “rather weak” or “very weak.” That is only about half as many people as at the end of 2019. In addition, more than twice as many people (49%) compared to last year, consider our government to be “strong enough,” and only half as many currently view the political system and political stability as weaknesses. Satisfaction with the government has also reached a high level as compared to other countries. Thus, the initial phase of combating the pandemic has led to a massive return of trust in the state’s and the government’s ability to act. The current trust levels are the highest seen in more than twenty years. Although there was still talk at the end of 2019 of an “erosion of trust,” public sentiment has turned completely around during the first phase of the crisis. But how stable are these figures? In any case, one thing is certain: The measured confidence levels are situation-related “performance evaluations.” In other words, they depict sentiments related to an ongoing event. If the assessed event changes, trust levels can also change again. In the process, short-term setbacks are just as imaginable as further consolidation or improvement. Therefore, the measured values represent situation-specific sentiments rather than basic convictions independent of current events. Nevertheless, they do show that the first phase of combating the pandemic has led to a significant increase in popular trust in the government. This freshly gained capital could still be needed in subsequent phases, so it must not be carelessly squandered in the phase of initial easing that is just now beginning

Korruption, Arbeitsmarkt und Beschäftigung: Ergebnisse einer empirischen Analyse für die osteuropäischen Transformationsländer

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Populism Barometer 2020: Future of democracy, 02.2020. Policy Brief September 2020.

Turnaround in public opinion: populist attitudes have become much less pronounced and widespread, above all in the political center. As populism declines, populists have been put on the defensive. At the same time, further radicalization on the right is becoming a more serious danger

Europe’s Choice Populist attitudes and voting intentions in the 2019 European election. Bertelsmann Policy Brief 01.2019

Representation gaps cause populism: those who feel that they are poorly represented are more populist in their thinking and at the polls. The same also applies to the 2019 European elections. However, populist citizens only agree on two things: they are sceptical towards Europe and dissatisfied with EU democracy. When it comes to substantive political issues, left-wing and right-wing populist voters are even more divided than the voters of the mainstream parties. This makes it more difficult to form new majorities in the next European Parliament

spotlight europe 2008/09, August 2008: One voice for the Euro

In economic terms the euro is a success. Now it is time to upgrade the po-litical importance of the Eurozone. The Europeans would like to play a greater leadership role in the global economy. That is precisely the reason why they should pave the way for a reform of the International Monetary Fund, and pool the representation of their interests in the IMF. It is above all up to Germany and France to take the lead

spotlight europe #2008/09, August 2008; Eine Stimme fur den Euro = One voice for the Euro

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