Meeting the societal effects of demographic change, globalization, digitization and growing social inequality requires collective action on the part of government, civil society and the private sector. But what do businesses offer in developing effective solutions to the challenges we face as a society? The Bertelsmann Stiftung conducted global research on this question for the Reinhard Mohn Prize 2016. The findings presented here are accompanied by contributions from experts on the role o...

Twelve Stars presents 24 though-provoking essays by leading European philosophers on the policy choices that the European Union now faces. Proposals include a European basic income scheme; financial regulation that puts people before banks; putting an end to factory farming; making Brexit reversible; and strengthening the role of national parliaments in the EU. This volume is the result of an exercise in "philosophy in practice", in which thinkers who have a deep concern and connection to ...

The financial crash and lengthy economic recession have tested the institutions of the European Union as never before. Debate about the future of Europe has polarized: Some want no more integration; others campaign for disintegration. Those who believe in deeper unity and a stronger federal Europe have yet to make their case. "A Fundamental Law" does that by offering a prospectus for radical reform. It amends the Lisbon Treaty to make the government of the EU more powerful and democratic. ...

External interventions to mitigate crises or end conflicts have rarely succeeded. The EU and its member states, in particular, have repeatedly run up against their limits in the civil wars in Afghanistan, the Congo, Libya, Syria, the Sahel region and Yemen. However, the EU – if not the entire international community – have learned one lesson from their faltering peacebuilding efforts: If they are to have any chance of making a meaningful and lasting difference, they must develop and use co...

The recent euro crisis and the dramatic increase of unemployment in some euro countries have triggered a renewed interest in a fiscal capacity for the European Union to stabilize the economy of its member states. One of the proposed instruments is a common European unemployment insurance. In this book Sebastian Dullien from the HTW Berlin provides and evaluates a blueprint for such a scheme. Building on lessons from the unemployment insurance in the United States of America, he outlines ho...

Europeans can be proud as they look back on fifty years of peaceful integration. Nowadays many people worldwide see the European Union as a model of how states and their citizens can work together in peace and freedom. However, this achievement does not automatically mean that the EU has the ability to deal with the problems of the future in a rapidly changing world. The European Union must continue developing its unity in diversity dynamically, be it with regard to energy issues, the euro,...

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." ...

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...

Religious, cultural and linguistic diversity has always been a reality in Germany. Yet determining what constitutes success in terms of dealing with diversity on a day-to-day basis is a matter often subject to debate. Demonstrating respect for each other while living together in diversity must be cultivated but also involve the active participation of everyone affected. We experience diversity every day in our communities: in our neighborhoods, schools, at work and in our free time. The "L...

Since the first Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, many states have been looking for a new concept of economic and social progress. The environmental crises of the last years, as well as the global economic and financial crisis, require an even more profound shift in thinking - toward a policy committed to sustainability and intergenerational equity. But how can this goal be achieved? The publication for the Reinhard Mohn Prize 2013, "Winning Strategies for a Sustainable Future,"...

How can politics, economy and society become more sustainable and socially just? To this end, what kind of political course has to be set at national and international level? The volume "In Search of a Sustainable Future" has experts from five continents and different disciplines giving answers to these questions and presents solutions for a more sustainable future. Following a comprehensive approach to sustainability, the authors do not only consider the ecological aspects but also the ec...