Digital, but still face to face. Socially distanced, but still up close. Citizens link up with one another in small groups in a video conference, where they recount their experiences and develop joint suggestions for improvement. Between June and December 2020, Bertelsmann Stiftung—in cooperation with ten pilot municipalities—conducted local and transnational Digital Citizens’ Dialogues. We take stock of the outcome here.

The impact investing market in Germany showed significant growth in 2020 with a volume of € 2.9 billion, compared to only € 69 million in the previous study from 2016. New players with investments across all asset classes and SDGs are stimulating the sector and want to tackle pressing social issues.

Another EU summit, another crisis; nothing new. The European heads of state and government are meeting this Thursday and the EU’s seemingly ever-expanding crisis agenda has reached the rule of law. Poland and Hungary are blocking the implementation of the EU budget and the European recovery plan. They protest against the idea of linking the allocation of EU funds to compliance with the rule of law in the Member States. Will there be another face-saving compromise for all, or is it different this time?

Now, more than ever, we need to ask ourselves: What visions for the future should guide our lives today? What role should digital innovation play in these visions? How can we ensure that algorithms, artificial intelligence and other technologies foster inclusion, diversity and cohesion? “The New New” fellowship, a six-month stipend offered by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and Superrr Lab, provides individuals and teams from across Europe the opportunity to explore what visionary, just and inclusive digital futures might look like. Apply now (until January 6^th 2021)!

With the most votes in American history, Joseph R. Biden became President-elect of the United States. Biden faces many difficult tasks, including bridging the gap between his supporters and those of Donald Trump who is refusing to accept his defeat. Anthony Silberfeld of the Bertelsmann Foundation in Washington, DC, provides an outlook on the difficult transition period and the Biden presidency.

On election night in 2016, American voters were on the edge of their seats waiting for a handful of states in the "rust belt" to decide who would become president.  Four years later, the outcome will depend, once again, on the final tally in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.  One could be forgiven for thinking that somehow President Trump’s first term never happened, and America was simply frozen in time. An Analysis by Anthony Silberfeld of the Bertelsmann Foundation in Washington, DC.

Over the course of three days, 100 people from Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Lithuania discussed how one might achieve a more democratic, greener and digital Europe. The EU Commissioners Margrethe Vestager and Virginijus Sinkevičius were not the only ones very impressed with the outcome. The first European digital citizens' dialogue was a success— repetition guaranteed.

On November 3^rd, Americans will go to the polls in the most consequential election since Abraham Lincoln was re-elected in the midst of the Civil War in 1864. While that might appear hyperbolic at first glance, the reality is that both then and now, the future of the US Republic is at stake. Anthony Silberfeld of the Bertelsmann Foundation in Washington, DC explains why.

Starting today, 100 randomly selected citizens from Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Lithuania will spend three days discussing Europe's democratic, digital and green future. In cooperation with the European Commission, we developed a novel approach: transnational, digital, with simultaneous interpretation for all participants. The results will be presented by the citizens on Friday in a live broadcast with Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager and Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius.

President Donald Trump’s chances of reelection do not look good, even after his miraculous bout of corona. But even if Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s wins the election, it could plunge the nation into a serious democratic and constitutional crisis.