AGI

Society, Culture & Politics

The AGI Society, Culture & Politics Program focuses on crucial topics within the German-American dialogue, including: demographic change, migration/integration, and aging societies; electoral politics at the national, state, and European levels, and comparative analysis of Germany and the United States; diversity within Germany, Europe, and the United States; the politics of collective memory and identity, Holocaust remembrance and reconciliation, and shifting conceptions of national identity that shape perspectives and policy responses.
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AGI Profiles: Sarah Ryglewski

Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor Transitioning from the Ministry of Finance to the Federal Chancellery in 2021, Sarah Ryglewski currently manages federal-state relations as the Minister of State …

The 2024 Surprising French Parliamentary Elections

Prologue On the night of June 9, 2024, after exit polls for the European Parliament elections predicted a substantial victory for the National Rally (Rassemblement National) party (31.37 percent of …

Episode 109: Angela Merkel’s Legacy

Germany’s longest-serving chancellor of the twenty-first century was also uniquely successful; Angela Merkel left office after sixteen years with an approval rating of over 70 percent. As Germany must now …

A Losing Streak?

Deutsche Bahn’s Weaknesses Shine in the Euro 2024 Tournament Cheers echo from inside the stadium to fans outside. People wave flags of their home team. National colors streak their faces. …

Debt Brake Woes

In order to understand the German debt brake (and the debate surrounding it), it is essential to observe that contemporary Germans are deeply averse to debt. Both culturally and politically, …

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AGI Profiles: Jens Plötner

Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to Chancellor Olaf Scholz Jens Plötner was appointed Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to Olaf Scholz in December 2021. His official title is Ministerial Director, …

Episode 108: The Role of Germany’s Anti-Semitism Commissioners

In 2019, the federal states established the Joint Federal and State Commission to Fight Anti-Semitism and Protect Jewish Life. This initiative builds on Germany’s decades-long political and civil society efforts …

The Past, Present, and Future of LGBTQ+ Communities in North Rhine-Westphalia

Following their trip to Florida, the AGI project group “Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany and the United States: Past, Present, and Future” convened in Cologne, Germany, in April 2024. Through …

The Struggle for Equitable Healthcare

The Rights of Transgender and Non-Binary People in Germany and the United States As the struggle for equitable healthcare for transgender and non-binary individuals persists globally, a comparative analysis of …

Self-Determination Act Creates New Rights for Transgender People in Germany

On April 12, 2024, the German Bundestag passed the Selbstbestimmungsgesetz, or Self-Determination Act, arguably the most important piece of legislation for transgender people in Germany in over a generation. When …

Episode 107: Interpreting the European Parliament Elections

From June 6 to 9, citizens across the European Union’s 27 member states voted for the 720 seats in the European Parliament. The center-right had the strongest result, with the …

Episode 106: LGBTQIA+ Inclusion and the Economy

On this episode of The Zeitgeist, guest host Dr. Eric Langenbacher speaks with two participants of the AGI exchange program, “Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany and the United States.” Simon …