Cities are a major cause of greenhouse gas pollution. However, they are also the places driving change: From modernizing buildings to making mobility sustainable, cities have plenty of tools at their disposal to become climate-neutral. But the ecological transformation is expensive. So where does the money come from?

In this episode, Andreas Horchler talks to two experts in the field: Fritzi Köhler-Geib is chief economist at KfW Group, an important development finance bank. Gereon Uerz is Head of Sustainability at GROPYUS, a building company specializing in sustainable timber construction. Additional experts are Philipp Rode, Executive Director of LSE Cities and associate professorial research fellow at the London School of Economics, and Oliver Weigel, Head of the Division for urban development at the German ministry of the interior.

The 2021 German Election brought a decisive vote for change: Merkel’s center-right party lost points, while the Social Democrats and the Greens made meaningful gains. But what are the implications? In this new episode of the "Talking Progress" podcast, Ricarda Lang, Jeremy Cliffe, and Tobias Dürr discuss how a new social-green-liberal coalition can be successful.

How can regulatory frameworks best serve people while also upholding democratic principles? Tune in to an exclusive one-on-one conversation between the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Age and Competition, Margrethe Vestager, and the Co-Chairman of the German Green Party, Robert Habeck.

What does the future hold for social democratic parties and the centre-left? Political scientists Tim Bale and André Krouwel discuss how overarching narratives and a sharpened ideological compass can help progressive big-tent parties regain much-needed trust. Tune in as these experts debate and recommend paths forward for centre-left parties across Europe.

German elections are approaching fast. What are the chances of right-wing populists and what do progressives need to do now? Listen to our new episode to find out!

As the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the world, it has put the nation-state at the centre of people’s daily lives. National lockdowns, vaccine rollout strategies, and the shutdown of international travel have introduced the national framework as a dominating force. Catherine de Vries and Cas Mudde discuss what this all means for right-wing populists and how progressives must respond.

The American Rescue Plan is pumping 1.9 trillion dollars into citizens’ pockets, the economy, and measures against the Covid-19 pandemic. What has this meant for cities and urban spaces? Two former mayors discuss how cities can use this funding to build back better.

Shared values like the rule of law and respect for freedom, democracy, and equality have to be the foundation of a strong European Public Sphere. In this episode, Susanne Zels makes a case for the role civic education should play in strengthening European democracy and deepening the values shared by Europeans. Together with Jana Puglierin, we try to answer how the pandemic has affected European solidarity and the European’s connection with their value system.

Human rights violations within the European Union and at its borders are not solely national matters, but concern all of us Europeans. How can transnational activism and civil society cooperation increase this solidarity? We also discuss how European institutions such as the parliament can support activism across the EU.

A strong and thriving democracy requires lively and ongoing debate amongst well-informed citizens. Cross-border journalism can play an important role in fostering a lively exchange amongst Europeans across the borders of the EU member states. In this episode, we discuss how we embrace the diversity of European narratives and discourse while simultaneously creating an integrated European media sphere.