What’s at stake – six scenarios for 2025
There is a lot at stake for our societies. A complete return to the “old normality” after the coronavirus pandemic is unlikely and, maybe, to some extent undesirable.
The future is wide open: There is a chance for the dawn of a new progressive age. But looming is also the danger of slipping into a world of illiberalism and selfishness.
To highlight which courses of action and windows of opportunities exist for progressives in the upcoming years, in this paper we describe six scenarios for the year 2025. Six completely different pictures of how our world could look like in five years: New Golden Age, Varieties of Localism, Radical Individualism, Welfare Technocracy, National Populism, and School Trip. These scenarios are not simply divided into positive and negative ones. Several scenarios have attributes that appear desirable for progressives. And with some of these characteristics, the progressive camp is undoubtedly divided on how desirable such a world would in fact be.
About the authors
Dr. Max Neufeind Policy Fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum
Fabian Wigand Fellow at Think Tank 30 of the German Club of Rome
Dr Karl Adam Independent Project Manager
Dr Andreas Audretsch Policy Fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum
Manuela Barišić Visiting Fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum
Dr Daniela Blaschke Policy Fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum | Advisor on Political Strategy and Communication at Volkswagen Group
Dr Gunilla Fincke Circle of Friends Das Progressive Zentrum
Paulina Fröhlich Head of Programme Future of Democracy at Das Progressive Zentrum
Dr Claudia Gatzka Visiting Fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum | Historian at University of Freiburg
Dr Christopher Gohl Circle of Friends Das Progressive Zentrum
Kübra Gümüşay Visiting Fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum | Author and Activist
Paul Jürgensen Project Manager at Das Progressive Zentrum
Prof Tanja Klenk Scientific Council at Das Progressive Zentrum | Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration at Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg
Thomas Kralinski Board of Directors at Das Progressive Zentrum | State Secretary (ret.)
Michael Miebach Chair and Co-founder of Das Progressive Zentrum
Dr Leonard Novy Circle of Friends Das Progressive Zentrum | Director at Institut für Medien- und Kommunikationspolitik gGmbH
Sophie Pornschlegel Senior Policy Analyst at European Policy Centre
Dr Florian Ranft Head of Programme Economic and Social Transformation at Das Progressive Zentrum
Marc Saxer Head of Asia Department at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Peter Siller Scientific Council at Das Progressive Zentrum
Michael Schönstein Circle of Friends Das Progressive Zentrum
Friedemann Schreiter Fellow at Think Tank 30 of the German Club of Rome
Prof Wolfgang Schroeder Chairman of the Scientific Council at Das Progressive Zentrum | Professor of Political Science at University of Kassel
Dr Robert Schütte Policy Fellow at Das Progressive Zentrum | Desk Officer at German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
Dominic Schwickert Executive Director of Das Progressive Zentrum
Leon Tiedemann-Friedl Junior Policy Advisor at German Federal Ministry of Finance
