| Interviews |  |
 | Dirk Hillbrecht, Chairman of the German Pirate Party (Piratenpartei)
At the time of the interview, Dirk Hillbrecht was the chairmen of the German Pirate Party, a party that specifically addressing topics like data privacy and surveillance.
In this interview, Hillbrecht explains possible benefits of new
technologies for the political process, as well as the digital divide
within both the population at large and the political system and its
actors specifically.
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 | Dr. John Hulsman, Alfred von Oppenheim Scholar in Residence at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.
Dr. John Hulsman is an Alfred von Oppenheim Scholar in Residence at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. In his interview, Hulsman deconstructs democracy, party politics, and the political systems of Germany and the United States. For Hulsman, democracy is about changing people’s opinions – something top-ranking politicians in Germany don’t have the heart to do, as he had to find out in his uncounted off-the-record conversations with them.
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 | Albrecht Müller, founder of the website “Nachdenkseiten“
Albrecht Müller is a long-time member of SPD, the German social-democratic party, and former chief of the planning departments in the Brandt and Schmidt administrations. He’s the founder of the website “Nachdenkseiten“.
Müller provides a thorough assessment of the current state of politics in Germany out of his experience, especially of the media's role in the political process. He deliberates on the functioning of political parties in Germany and on the factors that triggered the current financial crisis.
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 | Stephen Aldridge, Director of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Stephen Aldridge, Acting Director of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit of the Cabinet Office, illustrates how the unit contributes to the continuous improvement of policies in the UK. The strategy unit provides strategic policy advice to the prime minister and his office. |
 | Hermann Scheer, Member of the German Bundestag, Right Livelihood Award laureate
Facing problems like the declining membership of parties and less and less turnout, Hermann Scheer calls for decisive and broad reforms of democracy. Referring to Roosevelt's New Deal, he states that development of the political system is possible and necessary in order to avoid further alienation between the public and their representatives. His remedy for the German case includes the use of referenda on the federal level and the mandatory approval of new ministers by the parliament.
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 | According to Louis Klein, we live in a fairly developed democracy. Is this the end of history or is it a challenge to proceed and improve from here on? Developed democracies do not have their own improvement on the agenda. He recommends starting with the little things. Doing so, we would continuously improve what we have accomplished so as to achieve outcomes we cannot think of at the moment.
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 | Cem Özdemir, Member of the European Parliament Cem Özdemir reflects on how stable democracies can afford experimenting with different voting concepts, thresholds for entering the parliament, direct democracy, selection processes in the party etc. The framework of democracy is discussed as enabling change, election is considered a suitable test for the system and one of the major challenges which is pointed at is an inclusive definition of citizenship. |
 | Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Member of the European Parliament Alexander Graf Lambsdorff identifies several topics for improving political systems.
For Germany he proposes to strengthen the Parliament vis-à-vis the executive branch, change the recruitment of politicians, increase the staff of MPs, and establish an institutionalised self-reflection.
For the European system he advocates for more transparency in the Council’s decision-making process, for taking subsidiarity more serious, and to change the voting system for the Parliament. |
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