Does Federalism Work for Afghanistan?
In countries like Afghanistan, where there are important ethnic, cultural and linguistic divergencies, a unitary system of government is always … Continue ReadingDoes Federalism Work ...
Resisting democratic decline: deliberation and some lessons from Germany and beyond
Democracies around the world seem to lose appeal for growing numbers of citizens. Partly explaining this trend, citizens seem less … Continue ReadingResisting democratic decline: ...
Politics is no Match for Business: Charles Lindblom, Elon Musk and the Privileged Position of Business
The interplay between Elon Musk and the social democratic government in Brandenburg, where Tesla recently opened a Giga factory, illustrates … Continue ReadingPolitics is no ...
Contemptuous Encounters: How Internalised Beliefs about Work and Self-Esteem Create a System of Mutual Resentment
Bringing people together can be a risky business. You invite people from different parts of the society. They might distrust … Continue ReadingContemptuous Encounters: How ...
Charles Lindblom on the Market, Elites, Inequality and our Inability to Think Clear
Charles Lindblom (1917 – 2017), one of the most important political scientists of the twentieth century, published in 2000 The … Continue ReadingCharles Lindblom on ...
Planning a future together: Could Eisenhüttenstadt use some deliberative democracy?
Political communities occasionally come to crossroads where fundamental, far-reaching decisions must be made. At such times, it can enhance the … Continue ReadingPlanning a future ...
Loneliness, unhappiness, consumerism and its political consequences: observations and predictions of Robert E. Lane
Twenty years ago, the American political psychologist Robert E. Lane (1917 – 2017) published The Loss of Happiness in Market … Continue ReadingLoneliness, unhappiness, consumerism ...
Emotions and Political Deliberation
Reading the title of this article might evoke pictures of people violently shouting at each other or bursting out into … Continue ReadingEmotions and Political ...
Countering Radicalization: What the Research on Deliberation and Radicalization Teaches us
Could radicalization be prevented or reversed by bringing together those that have seemingly entered this path, with other not (yet) … Continue ReadingCountering Radicalization: What ...
Robert A. Dahl on Pluralism, Democracy and Deliberation
Robert Dahl (1915 – 2014) is one of the most influential political scholars of the last century. His ideas on … Continue ReadingRobert A. Dahl ...
Challenging extreme claims for truth: How to deliberate the open, pluralist society with monist thinkers
Imagine we are dealing with a person with a rather monistic mindset, thus believing, assuming or hoping that all questions … Continue ReadingChallenging extreme claims ...
Charles Edward Lindblom, In Memoriam
On January 30, 2018, Charles Lindblom died at the age of 100. His ideas on, among others, policy making processes, … Continue ReadingCharles Edward Lindblom, ...
How to deliberate fundamental values? Notes from Brandenburg on our approach.
People hardly ever change their mind. The more they feel forced to justify themselves, the more they feel questioned, criticized, … Continue ReadingHow to deliberate ...
How Postmodernism Advanced Populism: An Inside Story From The Netherlands
There are many factors that explain the upheaval of populism. Postmodernism is one of them. In the Netherlands, certainly the … Continue ReadingHow Postmodernism Advanced ...
Taking people seriously: a new approach for countering populism and furthering integration
In our deliberative democracy and integration projects we treat our participants – natives as well as migrants – as citizens, … Continue ReadingTaking people seriously: ...
How To Debate Values In A Diverse Europe
We need to talk. We need to talk about fundamental concepts like democracy, ethical and political pluralism, tolerance, equality and … Continue ReadingHow To Debate ...
Debating Values & Identity With Newcomers & European Natives
In 2015, roughly 1,1 million refugees came to Germany. About 428,500 of these people are Syrians. Refugees from Iraq (13%) … Continue ReadingDebating Values & ...
What To Do Against Clientelism, Nepotism & Corruption?
“Manus manum lavat” – One hand washes the other. One Facet Of The Vicious Exchange In The EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood. … Continue ReadingWhat To Do ...
Do People Know What They Want? Social Scientific Responses
Market and liberal democracy are both based on the assumption that individuals are the best possible referees of their personal … Continue ReadingDo People Know ...
Lessons From Political Science On Participation & Democratization
It is often assumed in social and political science that citizens should participate more in political structures and processes aimed … Continue ReadingLessons From Political ...