• From Distrust to Dialogue: Why We Need to Meet

    From Distrust to Dialogue: Why We Need to Meet

    “Immigrants’ political trust starts high – and declines over time,” says the We-ID project, which we have covered in detail. Living in a better society, having a voice and being part of a democracy are among the most important factors people consider when choosing a new place to live. Before the rise of the AfD, Berlin and Germany seemed to offer…

  • The Participation Paradox: Why Political Trust Doesn’t Always Translate Into Votes

    The Participation Paradox: Why Political Trust Doesn’t Always Translate Into Votes

    Research published earlier this year by researchers at the University of St Andrews as part of the European We-ID project found a striking pattern: across Europe, immigrants tend to have greater trust in political institutions and higher levels of satisfaction with democracy than native-born populations. But the longer they and their families live in their new countries, the smaller that difference…

  • We talk a lot. But what do we actually do?

    We talk a lot. But what do we actually do?

    “When people co-create, we outperform any master plan.”Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s first Digital Minister described this as one of the lessons of Berlin in 1989. How are we performing today? What is the master plan? And what about co-creation? To answer this, let me start with my three lessons from Taiwan’s democratic process. It took decades for Taiwan to move from Chiang…

  • Democracy at the Späti: What Berlin’s Symbolic Election Revealed

    Democracy at the Späti: What Berlin’s Symbolic Election Revealed

    Ahead of Berlin’s September elections, Migrationsrat Berlin e.V. brought the ballot box to an unusual setting: the city’s Spätis. At 11 locations across Berlin, people were invited to take part in a symbolic election and discuss a question that affects a significant part of the city’s population: who gets to have a say in the political decisions that shape their everyday…

  • The Berlin Election Is Over – The Work Begins

    The Berlin Election Is Over – The Work Begins

    What do the Berlin election results tell us? Our TOP 3 takeaways 1. Housing won Housing is clearly the central issue in Berlin, as StimmlosTrend also showed. Die Linke won by putting housing at the top of its agenda. Many citizens now hope they can deliver. 2. Voting with gloves Many people vote against a party or candidate rather than for…

  • Two birthdays, one dream for Berlin

    Two birthdays, one dream for Berlin

    WahlheYmat was launched as an initiative on 15 September 2023, with Democracy Day providing the occasion. So this week, we turn three years old. Some international Berliners, including our co-founders, asked the question: If Berlin has become diverse and international, wouldn’t it be better to govern the city together? We had almost a hundred conversations with very different people about this…

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