Publications of the Social Cohesion Department

Digitale Bildung in Schule, Lehrkräftebildung und Hochschule

KI-Anregungen für den Arbeitsalltag - und der Blick aufs Große, Ganze

„Kompetent, digital, vernetzt? Innovationen für die Schule von heute!“ – unter dieser Fragstellung eröffneten die Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung und der Deutsche Lehrerverband die gemeinsame Tagung am 12.06.2024. Dr. Melanie Piepenschneider, die Leiterin der Abteilung Politische Bildung der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, stellte in ihrer Begrüßung die vernetzende Arbeit der Stiftung in diesem Bereich vor: Ansätze und Formate, mit denen junge Menschen für politische Bildung erreicht und in verschiedenen Formen für die Demokratie aktiviert werden können. Stefan Düll, Präsident des Deutschen Lehrerverbandes, wies in seiner Begrüßung auf die rasante Entwicklung der Gesellschaft hin, in der digitale Medien in Arbeit, Kommunikation und Freizeit bestimmt: eine Entwicklung, auf die Schulen die Kinder und Jugendlichen vorbereiten muss, als Querschnittsaufgabe in allen Fächern – und eine Entwicklung, für die Schulen die notwendige Ausstattung benötigen.

Child poverty: causes, effects, ways out

Securing children against poverty

Child poverty is parental poverty. Around 2.9 million children and young people under the age of 18 in Germany live in families that are at risk of poverty. The Federal Minister for Family Affairs wants to lift low-income families out of poverty with a basic child protection program, which provides for a reform of social transfers. How young parents who are able to work can be supported to integrate into the labour market is not the subject of basic child support. The study analyses the causes of poverty risks for children and presents possible solutions for the reduction of child poverty.

Social Ethics in Practice – Shaping Climate Protection Globally

An Interdisciplinary View of Climate Justice – Reflections on Partnership for Global Solutions

Global climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. In 'Social Ethics in Practice – Shaping Climate Protection Globally Justice', a collaborative project of the Catholic Social Academy Franz Wärme Haus, the Academy Die Wolfsburg and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, experts from various disciplines look at this crisis through the prism of social ethics. They will discuss the role of the state and the market, the social dimension of climate policy and possibilities for climate protection at the municipal level. This work sheds light on the need for socially acceptable, interdisciplinary approaches for a fair design of climate protection.

Anti-Semitic alliances

Postmodern criticism of Israel and hatred of Jews in new contexts as a challenge for political education work

Greta Thunberg's reaction to the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians has shocked and surprised some observers in Germany. There was talk of the "fall of the climate icon". In fact, the statements made by Thunberg and many of her fellow campaigners in the global climate protection movement are shocking - but they are not surprising. For years, campaigners against climate change have also been positioning themselves on the side of pro-Palestinian activists. They are part of a long line of progressive, left-wing, activist and other movements that integrate pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel[1] and anti-Semitic positions and narratives into their fight for an actual or supposedly better world. Anti-racism groups, activism from the spectrum of queer feminism, postcolonial theorists, identitarian conspiracy thinkers and Islamists pursue very different and sometimes diametrically opposed goals. However, many of them are united by their criticism of Israel and some by their hatred of Jews. This is an enormous challenge for the global fight against anti-Semitism. In the wake of postmodern theoretical approaches, chains of argumentation and forms of activism, anti-Semitic narratives and myths penetrate seemingly unsuspicious social and political contexts. This often happens unnoticed and without reflection. Although the core of anti-Semitism remains the perception of Jews expressed as hatred, it is changing its form and context. The tried and tested instruments for combating anti-Semitism that have been established in Germany for decades - such as discussions with contemporary witnesses, trips to memorial sites or remembrance work - must therefore be supplemented by additional methods and instruments. This text offers a classification of anti-Semitic forms and approaches in the context of postmodern forms of theory formation and activism, shows the individual anti-Semitic bridging narratives of these activisms and formulates considerations for dealing with these new forms and contexts of anti-Semitism.

How much responsibility does the “Community of responsibility” hold?

Responsibility, but without legal protection in case of separation

According to the coalition agreement (2021-2025), the major reform of family law planned by the Federal government will include the new legal institution of the “Community of responsibility” (“Verantwortungsgemeinschaft”) for an unlimited number of persons. Its main characteristics will be the easy conclusion as well as quick separation. As the planning goes, the Community of responsibility will offer marriage-like tax privileges whilst avoiding any regulations  for the period after the separation to protect those individuals who have provided unpaid care or nursing.

ChancenZeit – Time of opportunities

Discussions about the future of a service to society

he introduction of a mandatory “Gesellschaftsjahr” (society year) has been discussed by German politicians and society for some years now. The idea is that young adults, after completing their schooling, would be required to spend a year serving society in an area of their free choice, i.e. in a social, cultural, ecological or charitable institution or, alternatively, in the German armed forces. What do young people themselves think about service to society and how should it be structured in the future?

Redemption of the Staatsleistungen

Suggestion for the fulfillment of the constitutional duty to redeem the Staatsleistungen under Article 140 Basic Law in conjunction with Article 138 (1) Weimar Constitution

The constitutional mandate to redeem the Staatsleistungen under Article 140 of the Basic Law in conjunction with Article 138 (1) of the Weimar Constitution has not yet been fulfilled, despite the intention of the current governing coalition. Various approaches are conceivable as to how this essentially fiscal task can be appropriately realized.

Schule ohne Lehrkräfte?

Probleme, Lösungsansätze und Zukunftsperspektiven

Unter diesem Titel diskutierten am 15. Juni zahlreiche Lehrkräfte und Schulleitungen in Präsenz und digital mit Vertreterinnen und Vertretern der Politik, der Ständigen Wissenschaftlichen Kommission der KMK sowie der Eltern und Schülerinnen und Schüler das aktuelle Problem des Lehrkräftemangels.

Visas for visionaries

Startup visas as instruments of economic, innovation and immigration policy

The growing international competition for young and talented entrepreneurs has led to more and more countries introducing the so-called startup visas over the past decade. They have been developed above all in OECD and EU countries as a springboard for foreign founders with innovative ideas.

Harnessing talent in Europe`s regions: Addressing population aging and decline

On the occasion of the European Day of Demography, 15th February 2023, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung conducted an Expert Roundtable on the topic of “Demography: Addressing population aging and decline”. At the event, high-ranking experts from different disciplines such as science, politics and associations discussed the opportunities and challenges of demographic change for Germany and the EU.