Shifting the Tide through Local Leadership – Insights from the Industrial Heartlands

In the fifth episode of our „Talking Progress“ series, we put the spotlight on the crucial role of local governance. Looking at the Industrial Heartlands in both the US and Germany, we explore how local governments shape the day-to-day lives of citizens, and why delivering reliable answers on the ground is the most effective remedy against the populist radical-right.

This episode brings the key insights from our closing conference, “Heartlands: Navigating Rearmament, Recarbonisation and Realignment” (December 2025), straight to your ears. We feature a high-level Mayors‘ Panel where Steve Patterson (Mayor of Athens, Ohio) and Dr Eckart Würzner (Lord Mayor of Heidelberg) share their concrete success stories and strategies for achieving a Just Transition. Chair: Claire Ainsley (Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal at the Progressive Policy Institute)

Key talking points in this episode:

• Why local authorities are the true powerhouses of democracy and drivers of structural change.
• How to win over local communities by demonstrating the tangible, financial benefits of the green transition.
• The vital role of subnational diplomacy and transatlantic city-to-city cooperation in tackling global uncertainties.

The essay by Steve Patterson that is featured in this episode may be found here.

This episode is narrated by Jan Kjell Lange, with contributions by Milan Maushart.

This podcast is produced in the context of the Transatlantic Dialogue on the Industrial Heartlands: Shaping the Future project. A project by Das Progressive Zentrum and distinguished partners at The Progressive Policy Institute, Georgetown University’s BMW Center for German and European Studies and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.