Balancing China. Bertelsmann Asia Policy Brief 03.05.2019

The looming superpower rivalry between the US and China has massive implications for Germany and its European partners. While Donald Trump is forcing Europeans to think outside the transatlantic box, it is Xi Jinping who is posing more fundamental challenges. Time to balance China’s i

China's Confidence Issue: Hard or Smart Landing - What Can We Expect? Asia Policy Brief 2015/03, November 2015

A China whose economy is growing at a slower pace is something the world can cope with. But a China with doubts about whether the government can maintain control and implement reform – that would be a serious problem. The signals currently coming from the economic and political spheres are cause for concern. China is in danger of falling into a downward spiral of declining confidence. What are the consequences for Germany

The End of Panda Politics. Asia Policy Brief 07/2016

In the new issue of the Asia Policy Brief, Bernhard Bartsch, Senior Expert in the programm "Germany and Asia" at Bertelsmann Stiftung, analyzes the close economic and political relations between the two countries and illustrates through three current issues the cracks which threaten to undermine the harmony of German-Chinese relations

The Transitivity of Trust Problem in the Interaction of Android Applications

Mobile phones have developed into complex platforms with large numbers of installed applications and a wide range of sensitive data. Application security policies limit the permissions of each installed application. As applications may interact, restricting single applications may create a false sense of security for the end users while data may still leave the mobile phone through other applications. Instead, the information flow needs to be policed for the composite system of applications in a transparent and usable manner. In this paper, we propose to employ static analysis based on the software architecture and focused data flow analysis to scalably detect information flows between components. Specifically, we aim to reveal transitivity of trust problems in multi-component mobile platforms. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with Android applications, although the generalization of the analysis to similar composition-based architectures, such as Service-oriented Architecture, can also be explored in the future

More than a market: How German companies are growing roots in Chinese society. Bertelsmann Studies

The future success of German companies in China will depend on a new perception of the business environment there, namely that China is more than just a market. China is an increasingly complex society with a growing number of actors. Given its importance as a market, German companies must ask themselves: Beyond specific industry trends, which developments in Chinese society are of strategic relevance for doing business and achieving long-term success there

Naturerlebnis und Umweltbildung am Beispiel eines Lehrpfadkonzepts im Ulstertal, Rhön

Aufbauend auf eine intensive literarische Auseinandersetzung und der Ableitung von zehn Leitzielen in den Themenblöcken Naturerleben und Naturerfahrung, Umweltbildung und Umweltbewusstsein sowie Lehrpfade wird in der Arbeit ein Lehrpfad im Ulstertal, Rhön konzipiert

Learning from Trump and Xi? Globalization and innovation as drivers of a new industrial policy. Bertelsmann GED Focus 2020

Technological innovations are essential drivers of longterm and sustainable growth. Accordingly, there currently is a debate in Germany and the EU as to whether a new, strategic industrial policy can be an answer to the complex dynamics of digitization. Products of this discussion are, for example, the Industrial Strategy 2030 published by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in November 2019 and the Franco-German Manifesto for a European Industrial Policy for the 21st Century. The focus here is on the question of how the EU and its member states can maintain their innovative and thus competitive ability in the face of diverse challenges. However, there is no standard recipe for building and expanding the innovative capacity of an economy. Different countries rely on different strategies that can be equally successful. An important distinguishing feature is the role of the state. A clear example of divergent innovation models are China and the USA. Although both countries have completely different approaches to an innovation-promoting industrial policy, both models are characterized by major technological successes. With an analysis of the Chinese and American innovation system, this study highlights the main features and success factors of both innovation models and discusses whether and to what extent these factors are transferable to the European and German case. Five fields of action for an innovation-promoting industrial policy in the EU and Germany emerge from this analysis • Implementation of a long-term innovation strategy • Expansion of venture capital • Expansion of cluster approaches at EU level • Thinking and strengthening of cybersecurity at EU level • Creation of uniform and fair conditions for competition In addition to these fields of action, which are relevant both for the EU and for individual member states, industrial policy measures in the following three areas could be useful for Germany. In particular: • Improvement of framework conditions for research and development • Gearing the education and research system more strongly towards entrepreneurship and innovation • State as a pioneer and trailblazer in new technologies In their implementation, however, strategic European and German industrial policies face a trade-off between the protection and promotion of legitimate self-interests on the one hand and the defense against economically damaging protectionism and ill-considered state interventionism on the other. The so-called “mission orientation” can make a significant contribution here: Accordingly, industrial policy should serve to address specific societal challenges (e. g. globalization, digitization, demographic change, climate change) and be coherently targeted towards these objectives. Furthermore, industrial policy is to be driven in parallel by different actors. Above all, it is a joint task of business and politics to enable a competitive business location where the state ensures good competition- promoting framework conditions and the private actors implement concrete actions

Asian Middle Classes - Drivers of Political Change? Asia Policy Brief 2014/06, November 2014

Asia watchers have been kept exceptionally busy by recent political developments in the region. An unprecedented landslide victory in India’s general elections, pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, close elections in Indonesia, a coup in Thailand – the list goes on. As unrelated as these events appear, analysts may find a missing link among a social group that is currently exploding in numbers: Asia’s middle classes. Often discussed simply in terms of its economic potential, Asia’s middle-income population is also flexing its political muscle. A closer look at its influence throughout the region in recent months seems to confirm for the field of politics what economists have known for some time: The rise of the Asian middle classes constitutes one of the most fundamental transformations of our time. The consequences remain to be seen

Interaktive Umweltbildung am Beispiel eines Gewässerlehrpfades an der Ulster

Ober- und Mittellauf von Mittelgebirgsfließgewässern weisen meist eine attraktivere Naturausstattung und geringere anthropogene Einflüsse auf als die entsprechenden Unterlaufabschnitte. Aufgrund zahlreicher Naturschutzgebiete weist das obere Ulster-Einzugsgebiet einige Besonderheiten; dazu gehört auch die Zugehörigkeit zum Biosphärenreservat Rhön. Diese Randbedingungen sind bei der Planung eines Lehrpfades zu berücksichtigen. Gleichzeitig resultiert daraus jedoch auch ein Potenzial, welches bei der Konzeption eines Gewässerlehrpfades zielgerichtet genutzt werden kann. Ausgehend von diesen Restriktionen und Chancen wird die Eignung der Ulster als Standort für Umweltbildungsmaßnahmen in Form eines Gewässerlehrpfades betrachtet. Im Mittelpunkt des Lehrpfades soll hierbei die Entwicklung einer persönlichen Beziehung zur natürlichen Umwelt stehen: Die wohl wichtigste Voraussetzung, um die Zielgruppe „Kinder“ für Natur zu sensibilisieren und umweltrelevante Verhaltensweisen zu fördern. Aber wie können insbesondere Kinder (wieder) an die Natur herangeführt werden? Wie kann man sie nachhaltig für ihre Umwelt sensibilisieren und begeistern? Wie sind Kenntnis-Defizite an Wasserlehrpfaden zu kompensieren? Welche Voraussetzungen muss ein Lehrpfad erfüllen, damit nachhaltige Umweltsensibilisierung stattfinden kann? In Orientierung an diesen Fragestellungen wird ein Gewässerlehrpfadkonzept im Einzugsgebiet der Ulster (Werra-Einzugsgebiet) dargestellt. Hierbei lernen die BesucherInnen zunächst anhand der Leittierart Bachforelle (Bella) den Lebensraum Fließgewässer mit allen Sinnen kennen und bauen eine persönliche Beziehung zu Bella auf. Schließlich wird dieser persönliche Bezug genutzt, um umweltrelevantes Verhalten zu fördern und damit den Lebensraum Fließgewässer zu erhalten.Upper and middle reaches of upland streams mostly show more attractive natural settings and less anthropogenic influences than corresponding lower reaches. Because of numerous preserve areas, the upper Ulster drainage area shows some characteristics; one of these is belonging to “Biosphärenreservat Rhön” (Biosphere Reserve Rhoen). Those boundary conditions have to be taken in consideration when planning a nature trail. Concurrently there results a potential from this situation, which can be used purposefully for development of a nature trail. Based on the restrictions a look is taken at the Ulster’s suitability as a location for environmental education programs in the form of a nature trail. In doing so the development of a personal relationship to natural environment is the centre of attention: the most important requirement to sensitize the target group “children” for nature and supporting environmentally relevant behaviour. But how can especially children be led back to nature (again)? How can you sensitize them and get them enthusiastic about nature with a lasting effect? How shall knowledge deficits be compensated at nature trails? With which requirements does a nature trail have to comply to realize a lasting environmental sensitization? Focused on these questions, a nature trail concept in the Ulster drainage area (Werra drainage area) is presented. In this concept visitors get introduced to streams as a habitat using brown trout (Bella) as a leading species and develop a personal relationship to Bella. Finally this relationship is used for supporting environmentally relevant behaviour and preserve streams as a habitat