In "The European Way of Life" the Bertelsmann Stiftung looks back at what the European Union has already achieved, and sets its sights on the future. What are the challenges to which European policymaking will have to rise in the years ahead? How can the European project be given a new lease of life? Europeans tend to be rather critical of the EU, but the fact of the matter is that the EU member states will have to work together more closely if Europe wishes to get its message across on th...

What reforms must governments initiate in order to ensure the sustainability of their societies? What examples of success can we identify by systematically comparing countries around the world? And who will shape the political and economic future in the 21st century? This E-Book Reader is a supplement to the upcoming edition (June 2014) of our Germanlanguage quarterly change, which takes as its focus "A World in Transition." Addressing sustainability in governance, strategic steering capac...

Social cohesion has become an important public goal in many countries across the globe, not only in the Western hemisphere, but also in Asia. Despite the growing political and academic interest in the concept, there is no generally accepted definition of social cohesion. As a result, empirical insights are lacking. Against this backdrop, the Bertelsmann Stiftung has initiated the "Social Cohesion Radar" which now, for the first time, presents empirical findings on South, Southeast and East...

In the face of rising complexity and systemic risks, policy-making appears at a breaking point. If business and public leaders hope to create a sustainable and responsive economy, they will need to break from traditional governance and embrace new, innovative solutions. Adopting new practices will be essential for our ability to detect and solve unprecedented challenges of the 21st century. After all, "to the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters starts to look like a nail." ...

Der politische und wirtschaftliche Entwicklungsstand eines Landes ist messbar: Im internationalen Vergleich lassen sich die Leistungen politischer Entscheidungsträger und die daraus resultierenden Transformationsprozesse gegenüberstellen. Den Entwicklungsstand in 128 Entwicklungs- und Transformationsländern dokumentiert die Bertelsmann Stiftung alle zwei Jahre in ihrem Transformationsindex: Anhand ausführlicher Ländergutachten beleuchtet der Index die Wirkung von Reformstrategien auf dem W...

The peaceful transition of authoritarian regimes towards democracy and a market economy poses enormous challenges for citizens and politicians alike. Around the world, under widely differing conditions and with varying degrees of success, reform-oriented groups are struggling to democratize their countries and to strengthen the market economy. Good governance is the decisive factor for the success or failure of any transition process. This is the fourth edition of the Bertelsmann Stiftung'...

Despite the limiting effects of growing interdependencies in a globalized world, national governments still have a considerably broad scope of action when it comes to ensuring sustainable policy outcomes. The key question is, however, to what extent governments can identify, formulate and implement effective reforms that render a society well-equipped to meet future challenges. The goal of the "Sustainable Governance Indicators 2009" (SGI) project is to answer this question for all 30 memb...

Der politische und wirtschaftliche Entwicklungsstand eines Landes ist messbar: Im internationalen Vergleich lassen sich die Leistungen politischer Entscheidungsträger und die daraus resultierenden Transformationsprozesse gegenüberstellen. Den Entwicklungsstand in 128 Entwicklungs- und Transformationsländern dokumentiert die Bertelsmann Stiftung alle zwei Jahre in ihrem Transformationsindex: Anhand ausführlicher Ländergutachten beleuchtet der Index die Wirkung von Reformstrategien auf dem W...

Asia continues to assert ist status as a major force in the global economy, as well as a formative influence on several key political, cultural and religious issues now affecting our daily lives. This collection of articles responds to the challenges posed by Asia's emergence and gives a lucid and thorough account of the most important developments in the world's largest continent and their consequences for Europe. The following prominent authors have contributed their unique perspectives ...

Right-wing extremism is a phenomenon that can be found throughout Europe. All democratic societies are threatened by racist, anti-pluralistic and authoritarian ideas. Even though the so called "radical right" differs in character and ideology in the various European countries it strives to restrict civic and human rights as well as to change the constitutional structures that are based on the principles of democracy and liberty. Individual European countries deal with this challenge differ...

Der politische und wirtschaftliche Entwicklungsstand eines Landes ist messbar: Im internationalen Vergleich lassen sich die Leistungen politischer Entscheidungsträger und die daraus resultierenden Transformationsprozesse gegenüberstellen. Den Entwicklungsstand in 128 Entwicklungs- und Transformationsländern dokumentiert die Bertelsmann Stiftung alle zwei Jahre in ihrem Transformationsindex: Anhand ausführlicher Ländergutachten beleuchtet der Index die Wirkung von Reformstrategien auf dem W...

Fewer and fewer people in Germany are casting their votes or taking part in politics. At the same time, Germans want to have their say and are lending their voices to a growing number of debates such as education reform or anti-smoking regulations. Throughout the world, there are several government institutions involving their citizens in processes of political decision-making. This publication introduces seven promising examples of democracy in action-the finalists for the 2011 Reinhard M...