All Publications

Voter turnout for the 2013 election of Germany’s federal parliament reached its second-lowest level since the founding of the Federal Republic. Almost 30 percent of eligible voters opted not to exercise their right to vote. Growing regional and social disparities in voter...

Families today are far more diverse than they were ten or twenty years ago – these developments have to be kept in mind by policymakers.

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...

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...

The emergent powers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) are drawing attention as they change the political and economic map of the 21st century.

The emergent powers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) are drawing attention as they change the political and economic map of the 21st century.

Voter turnout for the 2013 election of Germany’s federal parliament almost reached a record low, at 71.5 percent. At the same time, the low level of voter participation intensifies the social selectivity of the electorate and thereby the social divisions within our...

Democracy lives and thrives on the participation of its citizens. But what is more to the point, without the participation of its citizenry, democracy would not exist at all. Yet traditional avenues for political participation such as elections or becoming involved in party...

Whether someone votes in Germany depends on where they live, who their friends are and whether politics are discussed in their family. The typical nonvoter doesn’t view voting as a civic duty, lives in disadvantaged neighborhoods, is young and is just as apolitical as those...

A current study of the Bertelsmann Stiftung illustrates the special burden that is imposed on families by pay-as-you-go pension schemes.