How did the new German administration fare during its first 100 days in office? An Allensbach opinion poll commissioned by Das Progressive Zentrum shows that the coalition of the Social Democrats, the Greens, and the Liberals is clearly perceived as a coalition for the future that stands for reform. However, the majority of the German population is concerned with how the effects of policies against climate change will affect them.

For the fifth year in a row, Innocracy 2021 brought together thinkers and doers from the fields of politics, academia, civil society, as well as arts and culture in Berlin. This year, we explored how we can democratise areas of our societies that are being removed from democratic control. At Innocracy, one aspect became very clear: Any radical change requires strong legitimation through democratic processes. Therefore, the answer to the multiple crises of the 21st century can not be less but only more democracy.

More and more people perceive the future no longer as a promise but as a threat. Some are overwhelmed by the complexity and speed of economic transformation and social changes. Others are scared because, in their view, these developments are not happening fast enough. The critical task of democracies is to allow for control over the future without closing it and to open up the future without making it uncontrollable.

Das Progressive Zentrum invites you to join the Innocracy Conference 2021. Together with renowned speakers, we want to explore how processes of democratisation can be answers to the multiple crises we are facing.

In the face of systemic challenges such as the climate crisis, we must transform the way we live, consume and produce as societies. Yet, no transformation can succeed without a clear sense of direction. We need visions of the future that unify and integrate democracies on their way forward. But can visions really help to open up the future – especially in times of crises? How can we learn to imagine and learn to develop visions that are tangible?

The majority of Germans want the future chancellor to adopt a new style of political leadership. This is the result of a representative survey commissioned by the Berlin-based think tank ‘Das Progressive Zentrum’ in mid-May 2021. The survey was realized by Civey. According to the results, Angela Merkel’s successor should above all be courageous in ‘taking new bold paths’, be ‘willing to change’ and show ‘assertiveness’.

Innocracy aimed to bring the future back to the centre of political discourse. Speakers included Deborah Feldman, Amitav Ghosh and many more.

The book “Creeping into Power” examines how the New Right instrumentalises history to gain the power to interpret our future. The book will be published in German in July. It is not only an analysis but a call to counter the misuse of history.

Societies everywhere are faced with profound changes. The megatrends of globalization, digitalization and demographic change are affecting many areas of life and pose several challenges to social cohesion: What is the fate of solidarity in a globalized economy? How do algorithms and social media influence how we live together? How can we shape the future of coexistence in an increasingly diverse society?

How must we transform democracy to make it fit for the future? To answer this question, Das Progressive Zentrum invites you to join the INNOCRACY Conference 2019 on 10 October 2019 in Berlin.

On Friday, 22 March 2019, Harvard Professor Roberto Unger, as well as Madeleine Gabriel and Isaac Stanley from the London-based innovation foundation Nesta, presented their new study “Imagination Unleashed: Democratising the Knowledge Economy” at the Democracy Lab. The authors propose to radically change our current economic structure in a way that allows for more people, places and firms to participate in the knowledge economy.

What should the democracy of the future look like? Which institutional changes are required to cope with the challenges of a globalised and digital world? And how can we include people more effectively in political decision-making processes? The Democracy Lab brought together stakeholders from civil society, academia and politics in order to find answers to these questions. In our Progress Report, we present our ideas, projects and results of the first project phase.