In light of the recent geo-economic shifts accelerated by the pandemic, global crises and conflicts, and the ongoing efforts to tackle the climate crisis, one group is facing particular challenges: The middle class in the former industrial heartlands across the US and Europe.

In the third episode of our series on the industrial heartlands, we hear from Brencia Berry, Political Director of the US Democratic National Committee, Franziska Brantner, Parliamentary State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Holger Mann, Social Democrat Member of the German Parliament and Tim Ryan, former Democratic US Congressman for Ohio how residents of the industrial heartlands in the US and Germany should be part of the conversation around national green transition policies and what can be done to lessen their economic concerns. This discussion was part of the Progressive Governance Summit in Berlin on 21 June, 2024.

What do people in the industrial heartlands of the US Midwest actually think about politics? And what are the actual needs and concerns of these communities?

Four weeks prior to the US presidential election, we visited the crucial electoral battlegrounds in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan together with the fellows of our Industrial Heartlands project. In this episode, the two working group leads Colleen Dougherty and Friedrich Opitz talk with Neel Brown, Managing Director of the Progressive Policy Institute, about the remarkable efforts to revitalize these once-thriving centers of industrial manufacturing but also point out the remaining challenges that became apparent both during the study tour and in the election results.

A week ago, Donald Trump moved into the White House for the second time, and the radical shift in US politics has already become abundantly clear.
What factors drove voters in the industrial heartlands to lean Republican?
In the fifth episode of the industrial heartlands series, Will Marshall, president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute based in Washington D.C. analyzes the centre-left’s electoral struggles and highlights the damaging effects of declining trust in governments and democracy in the US and beyond.

The second episode showcases best practices and proposals for action from the participants of the conference in Brussels, among others John Austin, Director of the Michigan Economic Center; Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of North of Tyne in the UK; Thomas Wobben, Director for Legislative Works at the European Committee of the Regions; and Bill Peduto, former Mayor of Pittsburgh, USA, and Member of the project’s Sounding Board.

The first episode of the industrial heartlands series focuses on the keynote speech held by Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, an important voice on transatlantic relations and Member of the Sounding Board of our Transatlantic Dialogue, on "The Democratic Imperative to Deliver for the Heartlands".

How can Germany live up to its security policy responsibilities in the Zeitenwende? Tune in to hear German Chancellor Olaf Scholz' pledge to continue helping Ukraine and journalist Anne Applebaum and Head of the German Federal Chancellery Wolfgang Schmidt discuss the fundamental ways in which we now have to rethink foreign, security and economic policy.

The New Urban Progress fellowship spent three years examining and debating how cities can strengthen the transatlantic relationship. The fellows, partners, a project patron, and members of the sounding board participated in an end-of-fellowship discussion on what the most pressing issues are for urban areas in Germany and the United States, how we can deliver policy to address these challenges and why cities are central to the transatlantic partnership.

In this episode, New Urban Progress fellows Richard Lawrence Jr. and Maria Willett present their NOVA Cities Index, a blueprint with the goal of help city leaders focus on how to make their city more innovative, green, and equitable. They are joined by Katie Rosenberg and Julie Richier to debate how useful these metrics actually are and also discuss how urban power can bring progress locally, regionally and transatlantically. The session is hosted by Cathryn Clüver-Ashbrook.

In this episode, New Urban Progress fellows Neel Brown, Maria Willett and Steffen Haake share impressions from their trips through Germany and the United States, including how cities deal with modernizing their transportation system, drawing up inclusive housing and establishing public safety infrastructure.

Listen to Anastasia Lemberg-Lvova and Gitte Zschoch in a conversation about the role of artists and culture in our society and how funders and policy makers can better support cultural workers.